‘L.A. Law,’ Danson and Falk Take Top Emmys : Television: Hume Cronyn and Patricia Wettig are also honored. Candice Bergen wins for ‘Murphy Brown.’

Old pros Ted Danson of “Cheers” and Peter Falk of “Columbo” won top series acting honors Sunday at the 42nd annual Emmy Awards, but the cult soap opera “Twin Peaks”--the leader in nominations--was shut out in the prime time television broadcast.

Another veteran, Hume Cronyn, was chosen best actor in a miniseries or special for his role as a resident of a retirement home in the HBO drama “Age-Old Friends.” Cronyn’s wife, Jessica Tandy, won the best-actress Oscar earlier this year in the film “Driving Miss Daisy.”

Danson finally won his first-ever Emmy as best lead actor in a comedy series in his eighth nomination for “Cheers,” in which he plays tavern owner and bartender Sam Malone. He also lost previously when nominated for a drama special about incest, “Something About Amelia.”

Falk, meanwhile, was named best actor in a drama series for his classic detective role in a revival of his old show, “Columbo.” It was his fourth Emmy as the wily police lieutenant. He won a fifth Emmy in the 1962 drama, “The Price of Tomatoes.”

“Twin Peaks,” a camp entry set in a Northwest logging town, was beaten for best drama series by “L.A. Law,” which captured the category for the third time in four years.

“Murphy Brown,” focusing on a TV newsmagazine, won its first Emmy as best comedy series. And its star, Candice Bergen, was chosen best lead actress in a comedy series for the second consecutive year.

Patricia Wettig won as best lead actress in a drama series as the cancer-stricken Nancy in “thirtysomething.” She won a supporting actress Emmy in the series in 1988.

“I would really like to thank all the women with cancer who have shared their experiences with me,” a tearful Wettig said in her acceptance speech. “I truly salute their courage.”

Danson got an ovation from the Emmy audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

“This is exactly what happened to me in the drive-in,” he said. “Just when I got lucky, everyone stood up and applauded.”

Earlier, his co-star and co-award presenter Kirstie Alley, had ribbed Danson about his poor Emmy track record, likening it to taking a date who was a tease to the drive-in theater and being continually frustrated.

Danson was, however, obviously touched by the award and indicated he was happy at not having to get sympathy good wishes again. Danson’s future in “Cheers,” now starting its ninth year, is uncertain after this season even though the series was No. 1 in the 52 weeks since last September.

Falk seemed genuinely surprised at his victory, which came on his 63rd birthday.

“This morning I got three shirts and a dozen golf balls,” he said.

Referring to his triumph, he added, “Ma, you were right. I’ll never argue with you again.”

An exuberant Bergen accepted her statuette by calling the series “one of the best experiences of my life. It just keeps getting better and better.”

“Twin Peaks” won only two Emmys--for costume design and editing--both at the Saturday night awards ceremony for craft categories. The virtual shutout of the series was stunning, but not unexpected. In the past, the conservative TV academy has honored new-wave series such as “Miami Vice” and “Moonlighting” with numerous nominations and then virtually ignored them when handing out the awards.

But although old favorites generally dominated Sunday’s ceremonies, televised by the Fox Broadcasting Co., a new-style, but defunct series, “The Tracey Ullman Show,” emerged the top winner among all shows with six Emmys.

The Ullman show was one of several triumphs of the fledgling Fox network, which expands from three to five nights this fall.

Another Fox show, “In Living Color,” was chosen best variety series. However, Fox’s hottest new show, the animated series “The Simpsons,” was deprived of major Emmy recognition on Sunday’s nationwide telecast.

Although the “Simpsons” characters were cleverly incorporated into the show, introducing the category won by Danson, the series got its award for best animated show at the Saturday craft ceremonies.

James L. Brooks, the series’ executive producer, had lobbied, unsuccessfully, to allow “The Simpsons” to receive their award on the Sunday night show.

In another back-of-the-hand slight to the enormously popular cartoon, the program was not allowed to compete for best comedy series because of TV academy rules.

ABC led all networks in Emmys with 22, NBC followed with 18 and CBS had 14. PBS got nine awards. But in a striking indication of TV’s new look, Fox also picked up nine statuettes and the pay-TV network HBO earned eight.

One of the most popular victories Sunday was Alex Rocco’s selection as best supporting actor in a comedy series for his role of Al Floss in the canceled sitcom “The Famous Teddy Z,” set in a Hollywood talent agency.

Rocco saluted “my kids, who were there every taping night, saying, ‘Go, dad, go.’ ”

Bebe Neuwirth, the acerbic resident psychiatrist in the bar in “Cheers,” won as best supporting actress in a comedy series.

Vincent Gardenia was honored as best supporting actor in a miniseries or special for his role as Cronyn’s friend in the retirement home in “Age-Old Friends.”’

The three-hour, 14-minute Emmy telecast spread the honors around as the competitive new era of TV was illustrated again.

“Cheers,” “L.A. Law” and “thirtysomething”--though prominent--picked up only three Emmys apiece.

“Caroline?”, a mystery surrounding the identity of a young woman, also collected three Emmys, including one for best drama special. It tied in this category with “The Incident,” which starred Walter Matthau as a small-town lawyer forced to defend a German prisoner-of-war in a murder trial in World War II.

Other winners included Barbara Hershey as best actress in a drama special for “A Killing in a Small Town,” in which she played a troubled ax slayer; Eva Marie Saint as best supporting actress in a drama special for “People Like Us,” in which she played a socialite in a story of murder and ambition; and Marg Helgenberger as best supporting actress in a drama series for her role as a prostitute in “China Beach.”

Jimmy Smits was named best supporting actor in a drama series for his ongoing portrayal of attorney Victor Sifuentes in “L.A. Law.”

“Drug Wars: The Camarena Story,” which focused on the slain drug enforcement agent, was selected top miniseries.

Saint thanked “my daughter . . . who works at NBC, read the script (of ‘People Like Us’) and thought of her mom to play Lil.”

Hershey said that “when I first read the script (of ‘A Killing in a Small Town’), I was amazed it was going to be on TV.” The actress said she hoped it “will encourage other films of an unusual nature to be made.”

Helgenberger, meanwhile, thanked “all the Vietnam vets who shared their experiences with us” on “China Beach.”

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