‘Seinfeld’ Is Among Early Emmy Winners

Actor Michael Richards won the Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy series Sunday night for his portrayal of the vertical-haired eccentric Kramer on “Seinfeld,” and Laurie Metcalf, who plays sister Jackie on “Roseanne,” was named best supporting comedy series actress for the second year running at the 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Also honored early in the awards ceremony at the Pasadena Civic auditorium was Mary Alice of the canceled series, “I’ll Fly Away.” She was named best supporting actress in a drama series, and Chad Lowe of “Life Goes On” won for best supporting actor in a drama series.

“It came as a surprise,” Alice said. “It was one of the loveliest experiences I’ve ever had.”

Playing against type, a thankful Michael Richards told the audience: “This is just a great honor.” It was his first Emmy nomination.

Metcalf, who is pregnant, indicated her abdomen and said, “I’m having a baby soon, and I don’t know what to say. I didn’t think I’d be up here.” Her two Emmys are the only ones to go to the series, which scores high in ratings but has not fared well at the awards.

She was competing against such veterans as Rhea Perlman of “Cheers,” Shelley Fabares of “Coach” and against fellow “Roseanne” co-star Sara Gilbert.

Richards was up against “Seinfeld” co-star Jason Alexander in the category, along with Michael Jeter of “Evening Shade,” and Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor of “The Larry Sanders Show.”

“Seinfeld” had been nominated for 11 Emmys, tied with HBO’s “Citizen Cohn” for second place, behind CBS’ “Northern Exposure,” which had 16. “Seinfeld” stalwart Larry David also won for best comedy series writing.

Mary Tyler Moore, whose years of work on television series have won her plaudits, earned an Emmy as best supporting actress in a miniseries or special for the Lifetime program “Stolen Babies.”

And Beau Bridges won best supporting actor in a miniseries or special for his work in “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom” on Home Box Office. That movie also earned a best writing Emmy in the same category for Jane Anderson and a best director trophy for Michael Ritchie.

“Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who presented the night’s first award, jabbed at recent political criticism of television as overly violent, saying the industry had to honor itself because “Who’s going to honor us? Certainly not that Senate subcommittee.”

It was a whole new Emmy game as a cable TV network, Home Box Office, headed into Sunday’s ceremony leading in the number of awards.

In a prelude Saturday to the prime-time Emmys, HBO picked up 11 trophies in technical and performing categories--more than any of the broadcast networks--at a non-televised ceremony. ABC and CBS each won nine, while NBC received six awards and Fox Broadcasting Co. won three.

Betty Thomas, once a regular on the long-running series “Hill Street Blues,” won an Emmy for outstanding individual achievement in directing in a comedy series for her work on the HBO show “Dream On.”

Barry Levinson’s direction of “Homicide--Life on the Street; Gone for Goode” on NBC won an Emmy for best directing of a drama series.

CBS, the No. 1-rated network, went into the ceremony with a leading 92 nominations, followed by NBC with 80. HBO was close behind, tying ABC with 55 nominations.

“Northern Exposure,” CBS’ offbeat comedy-drama about small town life in Alaska, had a leading 16 nominations, as it did in 1992.

And CBS’ “Murphy Brown,” starring Candice Bergen as a tough, funny TV reporter, had a chance to repeat as best comedy series.

Its competitors included “Cheers,” hoping for four more trophies to overtake “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which won 26 awards, as the most-honored program in Emmy history.

There also was behind-the-scenes competition. CBS, NBC and Fox executives refused to attend to protest ABC’s exclusive four-year pact with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to broadcast the awards ceremony.

The three networks claimed that the academy reneged on its stated intention to rotate the award broadcast among the four networks.

Among those honored with Emmys on Saturday were four actors named outstanding guest artist on a drama or comedy series:

Laurence Fishburne, for the drama “Tribeca: The Box” on Fox; Elaine Stritch, for NBC’s “Law & Order: Point of View”; Tracey Ullman for the sitcom “Love & War” on CBS; and David Clennon, for HBO’s comedy series “Dream On.”

Previously announced awards included an outstanding voice-over Emmy to Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson in Fox’s animated “The Simpsons.”

Awards for individual achievement in special effects went to designers for three series: the syndicated “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” ABC’s “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” and the syndicated “Babylon 5.”

A total of 366 nominations in 81 categories, including technical Emmys, were made by academy members. Peer panels screened nominees and selected winners by secret ballot.