1981 American television programming awards
The 33rd Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 13, 1981. The ceremony was broadcast on CBS . It was hosted by Shirley MacLaine and Edward Asner .
For the third consecutive year, the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series went to Taxi . The top show on the drama side was Hill Street Blues which, in its first season, tied the record for most major nominations (14) and wins (6) by a non-miniseries . NBC 's ratings juggernaut Shōgun received eight major nominations, but only won one, for Outstanding Limited Series .
Winners and nominees [ edit ] [ 1]
Acting Judd Hirsch as Alex Reiger in Taxi (ABC) (Episode: "Elaine's Strange Triangle") Barbara Babcock as Grace Gardner in Hill Street Blues (NBC) (Episode: "Fecund Hand Rose")
Nancy Marchand as Margaret Pynchon in Lou Grant (CBS) (Episode: "Stroke")
Writing The Muppet Show (Syndicated): "Carol Burnett" AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Fred Astaire (CBS) Lily: Sold Out (CBS) Musical Comedy Tonight II (PBS) The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC): "18th Anniversary Show"
Most major nominations [ edit ] Networks with multiple major nominations[ note 1] Network Number of Nominations CBS 52 ABC 40 NBC 32
Programs with multiple major nominations Program Category Network Number of Nominations Hill Street Blues Drama NBC 14 Lou Grant CBS 10 M*A*S*H Comedy 8 Shōgun Miniseries NBC Taxi Comedy ABC Masada Miniseries 7 Dallas Drama CBS 5 Playing for Time Special Barney Miller Comedy ABC 4 Soap WKRP in Cincinnati CBS The Shadow Box Special ABC 3 The Women's Room AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Fred Astaire Variety CBS 2 American Dream Drama ABC Archie Bunker's Place Comedy CBS Bitter Harvest Special NBC The Bunker CBS The Jeffersons Comedy Lily: Sold Out Variety The Muppet Show Syndicated Musical Comedy Tonight II PBS The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson NBC
Networks with multiple major awards[ note 1] Network Number of Awards CBS 10 NBC 8 ABC 6
Programs with multiple major awards Program Category Network Number of Awards Hill Street Blues Drama NBC 6 Taxi Comedy ABC 5 Playing for Time Special CBS 4
Notes ^ a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.