31st Primetime Emmy Awards


The 31st Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 9, 1979. The ceremony was broadcast on ABC. It was hosted by Henry Winkler and Cheryl Ladd. This ceremony is remembered for problems with the Pasadena Civic Auditorium's air-conditioning, as well as for Taxi's Outstanding Comedy Series victory.
The top shows of the night were Taxi, which pulled an upset in the Outstanding Comedy Series field when it beat All in the Family's final season. Lou Grant received 12 major nominations, which, it won two awards including Outstanding Drama Series.
For the first time, most of the miniseries and Television movie categories were merged into one, this would become the standard for later ceremonies, culminating with the TV Movie and Miniseries program categories combining in 2011. For this year only, the comedy and variety categories were combined in acting, directing, and writing. This combination would not stick, and the traditional categories returned the next year.

Winners and nominees

Programs

Outstanding Comedy SeriesOutstanding Drama Series

  • Taxi,
  • * All in the Family,
  • * Barney Miller,
  • * M*A*S*H,
  • * Mork & Mindy,
  • Lou Grant,
  • * The Paper Chase,
  • * The Rockford Files,
    • Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music SeriesOutstanding Drama or Comedy Special
  • Steve & Eydie Celebrate Irving Berlin,
  • * Arthur Fiedler: Just Call Me Maestro,
  • * The Muppet Show,
  • * Saturday Night Live,
  • * Shirley MacLaine at the Lido,
  • Friendly Fire,
  • * Dummy,
  • * First, You Cry,
  • * The Jericho Mile,
  • * Summer of My German Soldier,
    • Outstanding Limited Series
  • ,
  • * Backstairs at the White House,
  • * Blind Ambition,

    • Acting

    Lead performances

    Supporting performances

    Directing

    Writing

    Most major nominations

    ;By network
    ; By program
    ;By network
    ; By program
    ;Notes