My Alternate Emmy for Best Drama Series Winners
This list contains my alternate choices for the Emmy Award for Best Drama Series from 1970-2012. Some of the choices are personal favorites of mine, while others are series that time has shown to have been unfairly passed over. I also included 5-11 alternate nominees depending on the strength of the year (I do this almost exclusively for the 2000s). For nominees: * indicates nominee and ** indicates winner. Some other information has also been included. Enjoy!
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- StarsEric PorterMargaret TyzackNyree Dawn PorterSpanning decades, the saga contrasts obsessive Soames, clinging to wife Irene, and Jolyon, leaving for his kids' governess. Their diverging paths intertwine, bringing highs and lows to the upper-class Forsyte clan.Year: 1970
Network: NET
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Developer: Donald Wilson
Series Creator: John Galsworthy
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Kenneth More, Eric Porter, Susan Hampshire, Nyree Dawn Porter, and numerous others
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Ironside (NBC): Mannix (CBS); **Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC); *The Mod Squad (ABC); *The Name of the Game (NBC) - CreatorA.J. RussellS.S. SchweitzerStarsHal HolbrookMichael TolanKate HawleyHays Stowe is a new senator who comes to Washington DC with his wife Erin and daughter Norma. He arrives full of optimism that being on the side of justice can help him change things for the better.Year: 1971
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creator: S.S. Schweitzer
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Hal Holbrook, Sharon Acker, Cindy Eilbacher, and Michael Tolan
Episode Submissions: A Clear and Present Danger; To Taste of Death but Once; The Day the Lion Died; Power Play; A Continual Roar of Musketry, Parts I & II; George Washington Is a Liar; A Single Blow of the Sword
Nominees: *The First Churchills (PBS); *Ironside (NBC); Mannix (CBS); *Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC); Medical Center (CBS) - CreatorRichard LevinsonWilliam LinkStarsPeter FalkMike LallyJohn FinneganLos Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.Year: 1972
Network: CBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creators: Richard Levinson and William Link
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Peter Falk
Episode Submissions: Murder by the Book; Death Lends a Hand; Dead Weight; Suitable for Framing; Lady in Waiting; Short Fuse
Nominees: **Elizabeth R (The Lion's Cub; The Marriage Game; Shadow in the Sun; Horrible Conspiracies; The Enterprise of England; Sweet England's Pride) (PBS); *Mannix (CBS); *Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC); Medical Center (CBS); *The Six Wives of Henry VIII (Catherine of Aragon; Anne Boleyn; Jane Seymour; Catherine Howard; Catherine Parr) (CBS) - CreatorEarl Hamner Jr.StarsJon WalmsleyMary Beth McDonoughEric ScottThe life and trials of a 1930s and 1940s Virginia mountain family through financial depression and World War II.Year: 1973
Network: CBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creator: Earl Hamner
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, Ellen Corby, Will Geer, Jon Walmsley, Judy Norton Taylor, Mary Elizabeth McDonough, Eric Scott, David W. Harper, and Kami Cotler
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Cannon (CBS); *Columbo (Étude in Black; The Greenhouse Jungle; The Most Crucial Game; Dagger of the Mind; Requiem for a Falling Star; A Stitch in Crime) (NBC); *Hawaii Five-O (CBS); *Kung Fu (ABC); Medical Center (CBS) - CreatorEileen AtkinsStarsGordon JacksonDavid LangtonJean MarshThe lives and fortunes of the Bellamy family and their below-stairs servant staff at 165 Eaton Place play out against the social, political and historical backdrop of Edwardian London from 1903 to 1930.Year: 1974
Network: PBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins, John Hawkesworth, and John Whitney
Series Developer: Alfred Shaughnessy
Season #: 1 and 2 (mostly 2)
Main Cast: Jean Marsh, Pauline Collins, Gordon Jackson, Angela Baddeley, Rachel Gurney, David Langton, Evin Crowley, Patsy Smart, George Innes, Brian Osborne, Nicola Pagett, Susan Porrett, Christopher Beeny, Maggie Wells, Simon Williams, Jenifer Armitage, Ian Ogilvy, Joan Benham, Jenny Tomasin, John Alderton, Raymond Huntley, Donald Burton, Jane Carr, and Dorothy Frere
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Kojak (CBS); *Police Story (NBC); *The Streets of San Francisco (ABC); Toma (ABC); *The Waltons (CBS) - CreatorEileen AtkinsStarsGordon JacksonDavid LangtonJean MarshThe lives and fortunes of the Bellamy family and their below-stairs servant staff at 165 Eaton Place play out against the social, political and historical backdrop of Edwardian London from 1903 to 1930.Year: 1975
Network: PBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Developer: Alfred Shaughnessy
Series Creators: Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins, John Hawkesworth, and John Whitney
Series Developer: Alfred Shaughnessy
Season #: 3
Main Cast: Jean Marsh, Gordon Jackson, Angela Baddeley, David Langton, Jenny Tomasin, Christopher Beeny, Meg Wynn Owen, Simon Williams, Raymond Huntley, Jacqueline Tong, Anthony Ainley, Lesley-Anne Down, Celia Bannerman, Tony Bateman, Joan Benham, Anthony Dawes, Elisabeth Day, John Flint, Helen Lindsay, John Quayle, Patsy Smart, Leonard Trolley, Richard Vernon, and Valerie White
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: Columbo (An Exercise in Fatality; Negative Reaction; By Dawn's Early Light; Troubled Waters; Playback; A Deadly State of Mind) (ABC); *Kojak (CBS); *Police Story (NBC); The Streets of San Francisco (ABC); *The Waltons (CBS) - CreatorRichard LevinsonWilliam LinkStarsPeter FalkMike LallyJohn FinneganLos Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.Year: 1976
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creators: Richard Levinson and William Link
Season #: 5
Main Cast: Peter Falk
Episode Submissions: Forgotten Lady; A Case of Immunity; Identity Crisis; A Matter of Honor; Now You See Him...; Last Salute to the Commodore
Nominees: *Baretta (ABC); Petrocelli (NBC); **Police Story (NBC); *The Streets of San Francisco (ABC); Upstairs, Downstairs (PBS) - CreatorEileen AtkinsStarsGordon JacksonDavid LangtonJean MarshThe lives and fortunes of the Bellamy family and their below-stairs servant staff at 165 Eaton Place play out against the social, political and historical backdrop of Edwardian London from 1903 to 1930.Year: 1977
Network: PBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins, John Hawkesworth, and John Whitney
Series Developer: Alfred Shaughnessy
Season #: 5
Main Cast: Jean Marsh, Gordon Jackson, Angela Baddeley, Jacqueline Tong, Christopher Beeny, David Langton, Jenny Tomasin, Lesley-Anne Down, Simon Williams, Gareth Hunt, Hannah Gordon, Karen Dotrice, Joan Benham, Anne Yarker, Anthony Andrews, Madeleine Cannon, Raymond Huntley, Jonathan Seely, Celia Bannerman, Shirley Cain, Ursula Howells, and John Quayle
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Baretta (ABC); *Family (ABC); Little House on the Prairie (NBC); *Police Story (NBC); The Rockford Files (NBC) - CreatorStephen J. CannellRoy HugginsStarsJames GarnerNoah Beery Jr.Joe SantosThe cases of an easy-going ex-convict turned private investigator.Year: 1978
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell
Season #: 4
Main Cast: James Garner, Noah Beery, Jr., Joe Santos, Stuart Margolin, and Gretchen Corbett
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Columbo (Try and Catch Me; Murder Under Glass; Make Me a Perfect Murder; How to Dial a Murder; The Conspirators) (NBC); *Family (ABC); I, Claudius (PBS); Little House on the Prairie (NBC); *Lou Grant (CBS) - CreatorJames L. BrooksAllan BurnsGene ReynoldsStarsEdward AsnerRobert WaldenMason AdamsThe trials of a former television station manager, turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff.Year: 1979
Network: CBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Allan Burns, James L. Brooks, and Gene Reynolds
Season #: 2
Main Cast: Edward Asner, Robert Walden, Linda Kelsey, Mason Adams, Jack Bannon, Daryl Anderson, and Nancy Marchand
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: Battlestar Galactica (ABC); Family (ABC); Little House on the Prairie (CBS); *The Paper Chase (CBS); *The Rockford Files (NBC) - CreatorDavid JacobsStarsLarry HagmanKen KerchevalPatrick DuffyJ.R. Ewing, a Texas oil baron, uses manipulation and blackmail to achieve his ambitions, both business and personal. He often comes into conflict with his brother Bobby, his arch-enemy Cliff Barnes and his long-suffering wife Sue Ellen.Year: 1980
Network: CBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creator: David Jacobs
Season #: 3
Main Cast: Barbara Bel Geddes, Jim Davis, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Larry Hagman, Steve Kanaly, Ken Kercheval, Victoria Principal, and Charlene Tilton
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: The Duchess of Duke Street (PBS); *Family (ABC); **Lou Grant (CBS); Little House on the Prairie (NBC); *The Rockford Files (NBC) - CreatorSteven BochcoMichael KozollStarsDaniel J. TravantiMichael WarrenBruce WeitzThe lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.Year: 1981
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Michael Conrad, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James B. Sikking, Joe Spano, Barbara Bosson, Taurean Blacque, Kiel Martin, René Enríquez, Betty Thomas, Ed Marinaro, and Charles Haid
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Dallas (CBS); Hart to Hart (ABC); *Lou Grant (CBS); Magnum, P.I. (Skin Deep; Never Again...Never Again; Missing in Action; Lest We Forget; Thicker Than Blood; J. "Digger" Doyle) (NBC); *Quincy, M.E. (NBC); *The White Shadow (CBS) - CreatorSteven BochcoMichael KozollStarsDaniel J. TravantiMichael WarrenBruce WeitzThe lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.Year: 1982
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll
Season #: 2
Main Cast: Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Michael Conrad, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James B. Sikking, Joe Spano, Barbara Bosson, Taurean Blacque, Kiel Martin, René Enríquez, Betty Thomas, Ed Marinaro, and Charles Haid
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: Dallas (CBS); *Dynasty (ABC); *Fame (NBC); *Lou Grant (CBS); *Magnum, P.I. (CBS) - CreatorSteven BochcoMichael KozollStarsDaniel J. TravantiMichael WarrenBruce WeitzThe lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.Year: 1983
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll
Season #: 3
Main Cast: Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Michael Conrad, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James B. Sikking, Joe Spano, Barbara Bosson, Taurean Blacque, Kiel Martin, René Enríquez, Betty Thomas, Ed Marinaro, and Charles Haid
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Cagney & Lacey (CBS); *Fame (NBC); Knots Landing (CBS); *Magnum, P.I. (CBS); *St. Elsewhere (NBC) - CreatorSteven BochcoMichael KozollStarsDaniel J. TravantiMichael WarrenBruce WeitzThe lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.Year: 1984
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll
Season #: 4
Main Cast: Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Michael Conrad, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James B. Sikking, Joe Spano, Barbara Bosson, Taurean Blacque, Kiel Martin, René Enríquez, Betty Thomas, Ed Marinaro, and Charles Haid
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Cagney & Lacey (CBS); *Fame (Syndicated); Knots Landing (CBS); *Magnum, P.I. (CBS); *St. Elsewhere (NBC) - CreatorJoshua BrandJohn FalseyJohn MasiusStarsEd Begley Jr.Howie MandelDavid MorseThe lives and work of the staff of St. Eligius Hospital, an old and disrespected Boston teaching hospital.Year: 1985
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creators: Joshua Brand and John Falsey
Series Developers: Mark Tinker and John Masius
Season #: 3
Main Cast: Ed Flanders, William Daniels, Norman Lloyd, Ed Begley, Jr., Ellen Bry, Stephen Furst, Mark Harmon, Terence Knox, Eric Laneuville, Howie Mandel, David Morse, Christina Pickles, Cynthia Sikes, and Denzel Washington
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: **Cagney & Lacey (CBS); *Hill Street Blues (NBC); Magnum, P.I. (CBS); *Miami Vice (NBC); *Murder, She Wrote (CBS) - CreatorGlenn Gordon CaronStarsCybill ShepherdBruce WillisAllyce BeasleyThe quirky cases of a former model and a smart aleck detective who manage a private detective agency.Year: 1986
Network: ABC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creators: Glenn Gordon Caron
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Bruce Willis, Cybill Shepherd, and Allyce Beasley
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: **Cagney & Lacey (CBS); *Hill Street Blues (NBC); Magnum, P.I. (CBS); *Murder, She Wrote (CBS); *St. Elsewhere (NBC) - CreatorSteven BochcoTerry Louise FisherStarsCorbin BernsenJill EikenberryAlan RachinsThe lives and work of the staff of a major Los Angeles law firm.Year: 1987
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?:
Series Creators: Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Harry Hamlin, Susan Dey, Corbin Bernsen, Jill Eikenberry, Alan Rachins, Michele Greene, Jimmy Smits, Michael Tucker, Susan Ruttan, and Richard Dysart
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: Hill Street Blues (NBC); Matlock (NBC); *Moonlighting (ABC); *Murder, She Wrote (CBS); *St. Elsewhere (NBC) - CreatorJoshua BrandJohn FalseyJohn MasiusStarsEd Begley Jr.Howie MandelDavid MorseThe lives and work of the staff of St. Eligius Hospital, an old and disrespected Boston teaching hospital.Year: 1988
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creators: Joshua Brand and John Falsey
Series Developers: Mark Tinker and John Masius
Season #: 6
Main Cast: Ed Flanders, William Daniels, Norman Lloyd, Bonnie Bartlett, Ed Begley, Jr., Ronny Cox, Stephen Furst, Bruce Greenwood, Eric Laneuville, Sagan Lewis, Howie Mandel, David Morse, France Nguyen, Cindy Pickett, Christina Pickles, Jennifer Savidge, and Denzel Washington
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *Beauty and the Beast (CBS); In the Heat of the Night Pilot, Parts I & II; Fate; Blind Spot, Parts I & II; ...And Then You Die) (NBC); *L.A. Law (NBC); Matlock (NBC); **thirtysomething (ABC) - CreatorSteven BochcoTerry Louise FisherStarsCorbin BernsenJill EikenberryAlan RachinsThe lives and work of the staff of a major Los Angeles law firm.Year: 1989
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creators: Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher
Season #: 3
Main Cast: Harry Hamlin, Susan Dey, Corbin Bernsen, Jill Eikenberry, Alan Rachins, Michele Greene, Jimmy Smits, Michael Tucker, Susan Ruttan, Blair Underwood, Larry Drake, and Richard Dysart
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: *China Beach (ABC); Midnight Caller (NBC); Star Trek: The Next Generation (Elementary, Dear Data; Unnatural Selection; A Matter of Honor; The Measure of a Man; Q Who; The Emissary; Peak Performance) (Syndicated); Tanner '88 (HBO); *thirtysomething (ABC); *Wiseguy (NBC) - CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.Year: 1990
Network: ABC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creators: David Lynch and Mark Frost
Season #: 1
Main Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Richard Beymer, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sherilyn Fenn, Warren Front, Peggy Lipton, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Jack Nance, Ray Wise, Joan Chen, and Piper Laurie
Episode Submissions: Pilot; Traces to Nowhere; Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer; Rest in Pain; The One-Armed Man; Cooper's Dreams; Realization Time; The Last Evening
Nominees: *China Beach (ABC); **L.A. Law (NBC); *Quantum Leap (NBC); Road to Avonlea (Disney); Star Trek: The Next Generation (The Survivors; The Enemy; The Defector; Déjà Q; Yesterday's Enterprise; Sins of the Father; Sarek; The Best of Both Worlds, Part I) (Syndicated) - CreatorDonald P. BellisarioStarsScott BakulaDean StockwellDeborah PrattDuring an experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems and changing history in hopes of getting back to his own life in the present.Year: 1991
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No
Series Creator: Donald Bellisario
Season #: 3
Main Cast: Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell
Episode Submissions: N/A
Nominees: **L.A. Law (NBC); Law & Order (NBC); *Northern Exposure (CBS); Road to Avonlea (Disney); Star Trek: The Next Generation (The Best of Both Worlds, Part II; Brothers; Remember Me; Reunion; First Contact; The Nth Degree; The Drumhead; The Mind's Eye) (Syndicated) - CreatorGene RoddenberryStarsPatrick StewartBrent SpinerJonathan FrakesSet almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.Year: 1992
Network: Syndicated
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: No
Series Creator: Gene Roddenberry
Season #: 5
Main Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, and Marina Sirtis
Episode Submissions: Unification, Parts I & II; Cause and Effect; The First Duty; The Perfect Mate; I, Borg; The Next Phase; The Inner Light
Nominees: *I'll Fly Away (NBC); *Law & Order (NBC); **Northern Exposure (CBS); *Quantum Leap (NBC); Road to Avonlea (Disney) - CreatorDick WolfRick EidStarsJerry OrbachJesse L. MartinDennis FarinaTwo Part drama which focuses on the New York criminal Justice System showing a murder Investigation by Police and then the criminal prosecution in court by the prosecutors.Year: 1993
Network: NBC
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; No (won award in 1997)
Series Creator: Dick Wolf
Season #: 3
Main Cast: Michael Moriarty, Paul Sorvino, Jerry Orbach, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Richard Brooks, Steven Hill, and Carolyn McCormick
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: Homicide: Life on the Street (Gone for Goode; Ghost of a Chance; Son of a Gun; Three Men and Adena; A Dog and Pony Show; And the Rockets Red Glare; Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; Night of the Dead Living) (NBC); *I'll Fly Away (NBC); *Northern Exposure (CBS); **Picket Fences (CBS); Road to Avonlea (Disney); Star Trek: The Next Generation (Relics; Chain of Command, Parts I & II; Ship in a Bottle; Tapestry; Frame of Mind; Second Chances; Timescape) (Syndicated) - CreatorDavid E. KelleyStarsKathy BakerTom SkerrittLauren HollyAn aging Sheriff tries to keep the peace in Rome, Wisconsin, a small town plagued by bizarre and violent crimes.Year: 1994
Network: CBS
Nominated for Award, and if so, Won?: Yes; Yes
Series Creator: David E. Kelley
Season #: 2
Main Cast: Tom Skerritt, Kathy Baker, Costas Mandylor, Lauren Holly, Holly Marie Combs, Justin Shenkarow, Adam Wylie, Fyvush Finkel, Ray Walston, and Leigh Taylor-Young
Episode Submissions:
Nominees: Homicide: Life on the Street (Bop Gun; See No Evil; Black and Blue; A Many-Splendored Thing) (NBC); *Law & Order (NBC); *Northern Exposure (CBS); *NYPD Blue (ABC); *Star Trek: The Next Generation (Interface; Attached; Inheritance; Parallels; The Pegasus; Lower Decks; Emergence; All Good Things...) (Syndicated); The X-Files (Pilot; Deep Throat; Squeeze; Ice; E.B.E.; Darkness Falls; Roland; The Erlenmeyer Flask) (Fox)