20 years ago at the Emmys: Comedies were traditional and reality race was … weird

The first in a series of columns looking at key Emmy moments from 20 years ago.

The Primetime Emmy Awards are always evolving — from who gets nominated to who wins, and even what the categories are called. And as the 75th ceremony approaches on Sept. 18, we wondered … just what were the Emmys like 20 years ago? Turns out, it was both a simpler time and a time of change: Comedy series nominees were still broadcast networks and HBO; the variety series category was called “outstanding variety, music or comedy series”; and reality TV finally got a seat at the table. Oh, and Bill Cosby was presented with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Yes, times were different, for sure. So what else was going on at the 2003 awards?

COMEDY SERIES

Hip and edgy: “Everybody Loves Raymond” (CBS) executive producer Phil Rosenthal spoke for the series, which won its first comedy series award (the second would come in 2005). Rosenthal quipped that once an executive had told him he should aim for “hip and edgy” content, not a “traditional old-fashioned sitcom.” “Raymond” did well this year — Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts won supporting awards, and the show earned a writing award as well.

“Raymond” beat out “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO), which has been nominated in the category 10 times since 2002 but has never won. The other shows in the category, “Friends” (NBC), “Sex and the City” (HBO) and “Will & Grace” (NBC), each had six series nominations over the course of their runs but won only one time each — in 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. “Will & Grace” did take home the lead actress award for Debra Messing that night, though.

VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES

By any other name: In 2003, the shows that fit in this category were almost exclusively late-night talk series. But this was the first year “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central) earned a series win, kicking off a string that ran until 2011; after that, it won regularly (even as the category name changed) in 2012, 2015 and 2017. (Host/executive producer Stewart departed in 2015.) Reflecting on his show’s Iraq War coverage, Stewart quipped onstage, “It was such a great war for us.”

“The Daily Show” triumphed over “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” (NBC), which picked up its first category nomination for the show but never won the series Emmy; “The Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS), which won six times between 1994 and 2002; “Saturday Night Live” (NBC), which garnered eight series wins in the changing category over the years; and “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC), which despite 10 nominations won the series award only in 1995.

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM

Pretty amazing: Back in 2001, “Survivor” (CBS) won a nonfiction program (special class) award, but until 2003 no Emmy category had been established to reflect the genre called reality. With the new category, “The Amazing Race” (CBS) picked up the prize, becoming the only show that would win until 2010, when “Top Chef” (Bravo) broke the streak. “Race” also won in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

“Race” swept ahead of “American Idol: The Search for a Superstar” (Fox), which was nominated every year from the category’s inception until 2011 and has still never won a series Emmy; “Survivor” (CBS), which was nominated from 2003-06 but not since; and two head-scratching additions: a Bob Hope tribute special called “100 Years of Hope and Humor” (NBC) and “AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Passions: America’s Greatest Love Stories” (CBS), shows whose content seem to test both the “reality” and “competition” labels.