Emmy Award

Television Academy

The 39th Primetime Emmy Awards

September 20, 1987  •  Pasadena Civic Auditorium  •  Hosted by John Ritter

4
L.A. Law wins
2
Golden Girls wins
L.A. Law won Outstanding Drama Series in its debut season
Bruce Willis won Lead Actor Drama for Moonlighting as the show peaked in popularity
Jackee Harry became the first Black actress to win Supporting Actress Comedy
Drama
Outstanding Drama Series
Winner
L.A. Law
NBC — Season 1, debut season win, first of four
Cagney & Lacey
St. Elsewhere
The Equalizer
thirtysomething
Lead Actor — Drama
Winner
Bruce Willis
Moonlighting — ABC — as David Addison
William Daniels — St. Elsewhere
Edward Woodward — The Equalizer
Don Johnson — Miami Vice
Tom Selleck — Magnum P.I.
Lead Actress — Drama
Winner
Sharon Gless
Cagney & Lacey — Christine Cagney (2nd consecutive win)
Tyne Daly — Cagney & Lacey
Angela Lansbury — Murder She Wrote
Cybill Shepherd — Moonlighting
Jane Wyman — Falcon Crest
Supporting Actor — Drama
Winner
John Hillerman
Magnum P.I. — Jonathan Higgins
Supporting Actress — Drama
Winner
Bonnie Bartlett
St. Elsewhere — Ellen Craig (2nd win)
Comedy
Outstanding Comedy Series
Winner
The Golden Girls
NBC — Season 2, second consecutive win
Cheers
Family Ties
Newhart
Night Court
Lead Actor — Comedy
Winner
Michael J. Fox
Family Ties — Alex P. Keaton (2nd consecutive win)
Ted Danson — Cheers
Bob Newhart — Newhart
Tony Danza — Who's the Boss?
John Larroquette — Night Court
Lead Actress — Comedy
Winner
Rue McClanahan
The Golden Girls — as Blanche Devereaux
Betty White — The Golden Girls
Shelley Long — Cheers
Estelle Getty — The Golden Girls
Phylicia Rashad — The Cosby Show
Supporting Actor — Comedy
Winner
John Larroquette
Night Court — Dan Fielding (3rd consecutive win)
Supporting Actress — Comedy
Winner
Jackee Harry
227 — NBC — as Sandra Clark — first Black actress to win Supporting Actress Comedy Emmy
Limited Series & Movie
Outstanding Miniseries
Winner
A Year in the Life
NBC — multigenerational family drama
Amerika
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna
Evergreen
Lead Actor — Limited/Movie
Winner
James Woods
Promise — CBS — as a man who cares for his brother with schizophrenia
Lead Actress — Limited/Movie
Winner
Gena Rowlands
The Betty Ford Story — ABC — as Betty Ford