The 54th Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 22, 2002. Nominations were announced July 22, 2002. The ceremony was hosted by Conan O'BrienNY Times Emmy show report Top Awards to 'West Wing' and 'Friends' at Emmys and was broadcast on NBC. Two networks, FX and VH1, received their first major nominations this year. The program America: A Tribute to Heroes was simulcast on every major network and, therefore, is not designated with one below. 27 competitive awards were presented.
After four nominations during its first seven seasons, Friends won Outstanding Comedy Series without a directing or a writing nomination. Everybody Loves Raymond led all comedies with nine major nominations and three major wins. Meanwhile, after eight consecutive nominations (including five consecutive wins for its first five seasons), Frasier was excluded from the Outstanding Comedy Series nomination for the first time. It would not be nominated for its final two seasons either.
For the third straight year, the drama field was conquered by The West Wing. In addition to winning its third consecutive trophy for Outstanding Drama Series, The West Wing achieved a milestone when it became the third series (all dramas) to gain nine acting nominations for its main cast members. This tied the mark set by Hill Street Blues in 1982 and later matched by L.A. Law in 1989. Game of Thrones would also match this in 2019. The West Wing also set a record with twelve total acting nominations when including the guest category, a category that existed for L.A. Law, but was not available for Hill Street Blues during its second season (1981–82) of nine acting nominations. Overall, The West Wing led all series in major nominations and wins with thirteen and four.
In addition, Stockard Channing joined an exclusive club of actors that have won two awards in one ceremony for different roles. Furthermore, Michael Chiklis became the second actor in a cable network series to win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (after James Gandolfini for The Sopranos in 2000 and 2001) for his performance as Vic Mackey in The Shield whilst becoming FX's first ever acting win.
When Band of Brothers won Outstanding Miniseries, the audience gave a standing ovation to the miniseries' subjects: the soldiers of "Easy" Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, as their surviving members were shown both in the auditorium and on the broadcast at the Los Angeles St. Regis Hotel. Co-creator and executive producer Steven Spielberg then invited Major Richard "Dick" Winters, their D-Day commanding officer who was played by Damian Lewis in the miniseries and attended the ceremony live, to speak.
Winners and nominees Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold:Emmys.com list of 2002 Nominees & Winners
Programs + Friends (NBC) Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS) Sex and the City (HBO) Will & Grace (NBC) | style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | The West Wing (NBC) 24 (Fox) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS) Law & Order (NBC) Six Feet Under (HBO) |- | style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (ABC) Saturday Night Live (NBC) The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) | style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | America: A Tribute to Heroes 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony (NBC) 74th Annual Academy Awards (ABC) Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers (CBS) Cirque du Soleil: Alegria (Bravo) The Concert for New York City (VH1) The Gathering Storm (HBO) Dinner with Friends (HBO) James Dean (TNT) The Laramie Project (HBO) Path to War (HBO) Band of Brothers (HBO) Dinotopia (ABC) The Mists of Avalon (TNT) Shackleton (A&E)
Acting
Lead performances + Ray Romano – Everybody Loves Raymond as Ray Barone (CBS) (Episode: “The Breakup Tape”) Kelsey Grammer – Frasier as Dr. Frasier Crane (NBC) Matt LeBlanc – Friends as Joey Tribbiani (NBC) Bernie Mac – The Bernie Mac Show as Bernie McCullough (Fox) Matthew Perry – Friends as Chandler Bing (NBC) Jennifer Aniston – Friends as Rachel Green (NBC) Patricia Heaton – Everybody Loves Raymond as Debra Barone (CBS) (Episode: “A Vote For Debra”) Jane Kaczmarek – Malcolm in the Middle as Lois (Fox) (Episode: “Poker”) Debra Messing – Will & Grace as Grace Adler (NBC) Sarah Jessica Parker – Sex and the City as Carrie Bradshaw (HBO) Michael Chiklis – The Shield as Vic Mackey (FX) Michael C. Hall – Six Feet Under as David Fisher (HBO) Peter Krause – Six Feet Under as Nate Fisher (HBO) Martin Sheen – The West Wing as President Jed Bartlet (NBC) Kiefer Sutherland – 24 as Jack Bauer (Fox) Allison Janney – The West Wing as C. J. Cregg (NBC) Amy Brenneman – Judging Amy as Judge Amy Gray (CBS) Frances Conroy – Six Feet Under as Ruth Fisher (HBO) Jennifer Garner – Alias as Sydney Bristow (ABC) Rachel Griffiths – Six Feet Under as Brenda Chenowith (HBO) Albert Finney – The Gathering Storm as Winston Churchill (HBO) Kenneth Branagh – Shackleton as Ernest Shackleton (A&E) Beau Bridges – We Were the Mulvaneys as Michael Mulvaney (Lifetime) James Franco – James Dean as James Dean (TNT) Michael Gambon – Path to War as President Lyndon B. Johnson (HBO) Laura Linney – Wild Iris as Iris Bravard (Showtime) Angela Bassett – The Rosa Parks Story as Rosa Parks (CBS) Blythe Danner – We Were the Mulvaneys as Corinne Mulvaney (Lifetime) Vanessa Redgrave – The Gathering Storm as Clementine Churchill (HBO) Gena Rowlands – Wild Iris as Minnie Brinn (Showtime)
Supporting performances + Brad Garrett – Everybody Loves Raymond as Robert Barone (CBS) (Episodes: “Raybert” and “Lucky Suit”) Peter Boyle – Everybody Loves Raymond as Frank Barone (CBS) (Episodes: “Frank Goes Downstairs” and “The Kicker”) Bryan Cranston – Malcolm in the Middle as Hal (Fox) (Episodes: “Poker” and “Monkey”) Sean Hayes – Will & Grace as Jack McFarland (NBC) David Hyde Pierce – Frasier as Dr. Niles Crane (NBC) Doris Roberts – Everybody Loves Raymond as Marie Barone (CBS) (Episodes: "Marie's Sculpture" and “Lucky Suit”) Kim Cattrall – Sex and the City as Samantha Jones (HBO) Wendie Malick – Just Shoot Me! as Nina Van Horn (NBC) Megan Mullally – Will & Grace as Karen Walker (NBC) Cynthia Nixon – Sex and the City as Miranda Hobbes (HBO) John Spencer – The West Wing as Leo McGarry (NBC) Victor Garber – Alias as Jack Bristow (ABC) Dulé Hill – The West Wing as Charlie Young (NBC) Freddy Rodriguez – Six Feet Under as Federico Diaz (HBO) Richard Schiff – The West Wing as Toby Ziegler (NBC) Bradley Whitford – The West Wing as Josh Lyman (NBC) Stockard Channing – The West Wing as First Lady Abbey Bartlet (NBC) Lauren Ambrose – Six Feet Under as Claire Fisher (HBO) Tyne Daly – Judging Amy as Maxine Gray (CBS) Janel Moloney – The West Wing as Donna Moss (NBC) Mary-Louise Parker – The West Wing as Amy Gardner (NBC) Michael Moriarty – James Dean as Winton Dean (TNT) Alec Baldwin – Path to War as Robert McNamara (HBO) Jim Broadbent – The Gathering Storm as Desmond Morton (HBO) Don Cheadle – Things Behind the Sun as Chuck (Showtime) Jon Voight – Uprising as Jürgen Stroop (NBC) Stockard Channing – The Matthew Shepard Story as Judy Shepard (NBC) Joan Allen – The Mists of Avalon as Morgause (TNT) Anjelica Huston – The Mists of Avalon as Viviane (TNT) Diana Rigg – Victoria & Albert as Louise Lehzen (A&E) Sissy Spacek – Last Call as Zelda Fitzgerald (Showtime)
Individual performances + Sting – A&E in Concert: Sting in Tuscany...All This Time (A&E) Wayne Brady – Whose Line Is It Anyway? (ABC) Billy Joel – Billy Joel: In His Own Words (A&E) Jon Stewart – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) Ryan Stiles – Whose Line Is It Anyway? (ABC)
Directing + Sex and the City: "The Real Me" – Michael Patrick King (HBO) Curb Your Enthusiasm: "The Doll" – Robert B. Weide (HBO) Malcolm in the Middle: "Christmas" – Jeff Melman (Fox) Scrubs: "My Old Lady" – Marc Buckland (NBC) Will & Grace: "A Chorus Lie" – James Burrows (NBC) Six Feet Under: "Pilot" – Alan Ball (HBO) The Shield: "Pilot" – Clark Johnson (FX) 24: "12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." – Stephen Hopkins (Fox) The West Wing: "The Indians in the Lobby" – Paris Barclay (NBC) The West Wing: "Posse Comitatus" – Alex Graves (NBC) 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony – Ron de Moraes, Kenny Ortega, and Bucky Gunts (NBC) 74th Annual Academy Awards – Louis J. Horvitz (ABC) America: A Tribute to Heroes – Joel Gallen and Beth McCarthy-Miller Great Performances: Dance in America: "From Broadway: Fosse" – Matthew Diamond (PBS) Late Show with David Letterman: "1688" – Jerry Foley (CBS) Band of Brothers – David Frankel, Tom Hanks, David Leland, Richard Loncraine, David Nutter, Phil Alden Robinson, Mikael Salomon, and Tony To (HBO) The Gathering Storm – Richard Loncraine (HBO) James Dean – Mark Rydell (TNT) The Laramie Project – Moisés Kaufman (HBO) Path to War – John Frankenheimer (HBO)
Writing + The Bernie Mac Show: "Pilot" – Larry Wilmore (Fox) Andy Richter Controls the Universe: "Pilot" – Victor Fresco (Fox) Everybody Loves Raymond: "The Angry Family" – Philip Rosenthal (CBS) Everybody Loves Raymond: "Marie's Sculpture" – Jennifer Crittenden (CBS) Sex and the City: "My Motherboard, My Self" – Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky (HBO) 24: "12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." – Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran (Fox) Alias: "Truth Be Told" – J. J. Abrams (ABC) ER: "On the Beach" – John Wells (NBC) The Shield: "Pilot" – Shawn Ryan (FX) The West Wing: "Posse Comitatus" – Aaron Sorkin (NBC) Saturday Night Live (NBC) America: A Tribute to Heroes The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) Late Night with Conan O'Brien (NBC) Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) The Gathering Storm – (HBO) Band of Brothers – Erik Bork, E. Max Frye, Tom Hanks, Erik Jendresen, Bruce C. McKenna, John Orloff, and Graham Yost (HBO) The Laramie Project – Stephen Belber, Leigh Fondakowski, Amanda Gronich, Moisés Kaufman, Jeffrey LaHoste, John McAdams, Andy Paris, Greg Pierotti, Barbara Pitts, Kelli Simpkins, and Stephen Wangh (HBO) Path to War – Daniel Giat (HBO) Shackleton – Charles Sturridge (A&E)
Most major nominations +Networks with multiple major nominations"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories. Network No. ofNominations NBC 47 HBO 38 CBS 17 Fox 12
+Programs with multiple major nominations Program Category Network No. ofNominations The West Wing Drama NBC 13 Everybody Loves Raymond Comedy CBS8 Six Feet Under DramaHBO The Gathering Storm Movie6 Sex and the City Comedy Path to War Movie5 Will & Grace Comedy NBC 24 Drama Fox4 Friends Comedy NBC James DeanMovie TNT The Laramie Project HBO Alias Drama ABC3 America: A Tribute to Heroes Variety Various Band of Brothers Miniseries HBO The Daily Show with Jon StewartVariety Comedy Central Late Show with David Letterman CBS Malcolm in the Middle Comedy Fox The Mists of AvalonMiniseries TNT Shackleton A&E The Shield Drama FX 2002 Winter Olympics Opening CeremonyVariety NBC2 74th Annual Academy Awards ABC The Bernie Mac ShowComedy Fox Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO Frasier NBC Judging Amy Drama CBS Saturday Night Live Variety NBC We Were the Mulvaneys Movie Lifetime Whose Line Is It Anyway? Variety ABC Wild Iris Movie Showtime
Most major awards +Networks with multiple major awards Network No. ofAwards NBC 9 HBO 7 CBS 4 Fox 2
+Programs with multiple major awards Program Category Network No. ofAwards The West Wing Drama NBC 4 Everybody Loves Raymond Comedy CBS3 The Gathering Storm MovieHBO Band of Brothers Miniseries2 Friends Comedy NBC
Notes
Presenters The awards were presented by the following people: