It’s Back to Old School at the 55th Emmy Awards

Overpowering a night that was intended as a showcase for young, hip and edgy comedy, an old-fashioned network sitcom, CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond,” a much-honored network drama, NBC’s “The West Wing,” and a heartwarming made-for-TV movie, TNT’s “Door to Door,” took home the top prizes at the 55th annual Prime-Time Emmy Awards on Sunday.

Over and over, the Emmy voters made it a night for the old guard, turning to such stalwarts of the business as Tyne Daly, Doris Roberts, Maggie Smith and Ben Gazzara. “Will & Grace” star Debra Messing, 35, was the only actor under 40 to take an award on the show, which was broadcast on youth-oriented Fox. It was her first victory in four consecutive nominations; she was the only one of the cast’s quartet of stars not to have won in the past.

Poking fun at the industry’s obsession with youth, “Raymond” executive producer Phil Rosenthal, accepting the top comedy award that had previously eluded the show, thanked his “young, hot, sexy cast” and “all you hipsters in the audience for supporting us over the years.” He also recalled a conversation during the series’ first season, in which a CBS executive asked what the show was about. Rosenthal described it as a “traditional, old-fashioned family sitcom.” The unnamed executive said the goal was to create a “hip and edgy” show, a remembrance that got a big laugh Sunday.

Unlike last year, when HBO and NBC both took home 24 awards, this year the honors were spread around more. The basic cable networks made a particularly strong showing. With 109 nominations, it was supposed to be HBO’s night, and the pay cable channel laid claim to best actress and best actor in a drama series for Edie Falco and James Gandolfini, for their work on “The Sopranos.” Their colleague Joe Pantoliano also won for best supporting actor in a drama.

Clearly, the Emmy voters didn’t punish either Gandolfini or “Raymond” co-star Brad Garrett, both of whom staged highly publicized contract disputes with their respective networks. In his acceptance, Gandolfini specifically thanked Garrett “for taking the heat off of me.”

HBO didn’t do badly; it took home eight awards Sunday night during the three-hour-plus ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium, and a total of 18 when last week’s pre-telecast Creative Arts Emmys are included. That was more than any single network, just ahead of CBS, which had just 59 nominations and won seven awards Sunday, and 16 overall. NBC, which went into the awards with 77 nominations, took home 15 awards.

ABC won a sole award Sunday, for Wayne Brady’s improvisational skills as a member of the “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” ensemble. Including the Creative Arts Emmys, the network won nine awards. Fox, the show’s presenting network, was shut out Sunday but took seven honors last weekend.

Four of CBS’ trophies were for “Raymond,” which is going into its eighth and possibly last season. The show’s Roberts and Garrett both repeated in the supporting actress and actor categories, Roberts winning for the third time. The show also took the comedy writing award.

But basic cable, long the home of reruns of network shows, muscled its way into the festivities this year, winning eight major awards Sunday and 20 including those presented in the pre-telecast ceremony last week, mirroring the inroads cable networks also made last year.

One of those awards went to Tony Shalhoub, star of USA Network’s hourlong “Monk,” for best actor in a comedy series. Another went to the Sci-Fi Channel, which scored the best miniseries award for “Steven Spielberg Presents ‘Taken.’ ”

It was also a strong night for comedian Jon Stewart, who arguably fared better than any of the other 10 comedians who were spotlighted throughout the show. His Comedy Central variety program “The Daily Show” took the award for best variety, music or comedy series, and for best writing in that category.

“Amazing Race,” which sent competitors on a global trek, beat “American Idol” for the first reality competition program in a reconfigured Emmy category. Jerry Bruckheimer, the show’s executive producer, said to reporters backstage that the best thing about winning was not beating out “American Idol” or “Survivor.” “You know what’s great? We haven’t been renewed yet,” he said, hoisting his statuette. “Are you listening, CBS?”

The telecast featured a string of comedians, including Stewart, as co-hosts. Garry Shandling was in the midst of whining about the Madonna-Britney Spears kiss at the MTV Video Awards show when Garrett popped onto the stage and locked him in a lingering smooch. Stewart presented video clips that taunted cable news broadcasts as incendiary. Darrell Hammond gently spoofed Arnold Schwarzenegger. Martin Short, who lost for his performance in the fake talk show “Primetime Glick,” sang a song glorifying losers. And Wanda Sykes roamed the audience, slinging slang-laced barbs at celebrities who did not always seem to appreciate them. When she dinged Bill Cosby with a remark about his old shows, Cosby replied, expressionless, “Yes, we spoke English.”

The dramatic series prize for “The West Wing” was one of the night’s biggest surprises. Although it had won in that category the last three years, the show was subjected to sharp criticism this past season and suffered sharp drops in viewership. At the end of the season, two of the three executive producers -- writer Aaron Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme -- left the show. In accepting the award Sunday, Sorkin thanked NBC and Warner Bros., the studio that produces the show, calling “The West Wing” “the TV series of any playwright’s dreams.”

Previously, “Hill Street Blues” won four years in a row, 1981-84, and “L.A. Law” also won four Emmys for dramatic series, but not in consecutive years.

Despite 16 nominations -- the most for any show -- HBO’s “Six Feet Under” was again overlooked by Emmy voters, its sole award an Emmy for casting, handed out at the Sept. 13 Creative Arts Emmys. Instead, TNT’s “Door to Door,” was the most-honored show. It led the movie and miniseries pack with 12 nominations, and cleaned up with six awards, from best directing and writing in the category, to the best actor award for William H. Macy, and topping it off with the award for the best movie. Macy portrayed Bill Porter, a Portland, Ore., salesman with cerebral palsy.

Daly of CBS’ “Judging Amy,” took home her sixth award, this one for best supporting actress in a drama. Gazzara and Gena Rowlands, won for their supporting roles in the HBO movie “Hysterical Blindness.” That film’s star, Uma Thurman, won the lead actress in at TV movie award at the Golden Globes earlier this year. Smith won the lead actress in a miniseries or movie category for her work in the HBO movie “My House in Umbria.”

Retired CBS anchor Walter Cronkite presented a tribute to recently deceased comedian Bob Hope, and Bill Cosby received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Cosby in turn used his short acceptance speech to single out the work of another performer who died this year: Fred Rogers, host of PBS’ long-running children’s show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Producer Don Mischer had said he wanted a show that was loose and funny but also emotional. He got some of both. While most of the acceptance speeches were standard-issue, Henry Winkler offered a heartfelt remembrance to his good friend John Ritter, whom he described as “a life force,” asking the audience to recall him “not for his pratfalls, not for his goofy takes but to remember him for his remarkable versatility.” Ritter died nearly two weeks ago at age 54, just as his ABC series “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” was entering its second season.

Among the celebrities in the audience were two of the more than 130 candidates in California’s recall race for governor: actor Gary Coleman and adult film star Mary Carey, who wore a powder blue satin halter dress.

Times staff writers Bob Baker, Greg Braxton and Louise Roug contributed to this report.

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Top Winners

Best Series, Drama

“The West Wing,” NBC

Best Series, Comedy

“Everybody Loves Raymond,” CBS

Best Actor, Drama

James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos,” HBO

Best Actress, Drama

Edie Falco, “The Sopranos,” HBO

Best Actor, Comedy

Tony Shalhoub, “Monk,” USA

Best Actress, Comedy

Debra Messing, “Will & Grace,” NBC

Times staff writers Bob Baker, Greg Braxton and Louise Roug contributed to this report.