The Emmys of All-Time: Winners

And so, the end has come. All the votes have been cast, tallied, counted, and reviewed. We've reached the end. There's no more voting to do in order to determine the best there ever was in television. Now, we just have to sit back and enjoy the winners. So...let's enjoy!

But first, a bit of statistical data. Only six shows received more than two official nominees when we went through each category daily. Only three received more than three. Saturday Night Live (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, the show itself), Perry Mason (Barbara Hale, Raymond Burr, the show itself), and The X-Files (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, the show itself) each received three nominations officially. I Love Lucy (Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, Desi Arnaz, the show itself), Friends (Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, the show itself), and The Office (Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, and Jenna Fischer) each received four official nominations. Only one individual actor received more than one vote and that would be Tina Fey for 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live! Interesting numbers there.

Now on to the winners! We've whittled it down from hundreds of potential candidates and now there are one. For each category, that is. Keep in mind, these are the best of the best.

In the category, Outstanding Reality/Competition Series,

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage finishes third.
Match Game finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

...The Amazing Race! Hosted by Phil Keoghan, this series sends teams of two across the world performing tasks and completing goals all on the way to a million dollar prize. Well-deserved and well done!

In the category, Outstanding Variety Series,

The Carol Burnett Show finishes third.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

...Saturday Night Live! The sketch show has been around for forty years, launching such comedic talent as Chevy Chase, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, and Jimmy Fallon. Hosted by a new comedian each week with a musical guest, the Lorne Michaels produced program has become an NBC institution.

In the category, Outstanding Host for a Reality/Competition/Variety Series,

Kermit the Frog finishes third.
Ellen DeGeneres finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

...Johnny Carson! For decades, Johnny Carson was the face of television. If you made it onto his show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, of course, you had made it. And he definitely had something to do with that.

In the category, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series,

Christine Baranski of The Good Wife finishes third.
Allyce Beasley of Moonlighting finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...Christina Hendricks of Mad Men! One of the few on this list to be on a show that is currently running, Christina Hendricks still does not have much time left on Mad Men, as the show is entering its final season. Her portrayal of Joan Harris has garnered immense critical acclaim and now this!

In the category, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series,

Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad finishes third.
Bruce Weitz of Hill Street Blues finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek! His portrayal of Spock on the original series has become iconic and easily recognizable, not just in American culture, but globally. He is a Vulcan, an all-time winner, and will forever live long and prosper.

In the category, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series,

Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Seinfeld finishes third.
Tina Fey of Saturday Night Live finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...Vivian Vance of I Love Lucy! I considered Vance to be the underdog going into this category, honestly. She barely made it into the final six that I figured it was a win for her to get there. But she wouldn't be denied. I like to think that's what Ethel Mertz would have done, as well.

In the category, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series,

Rainn Wilson of The Office finishes third.
Don Knotts of The Andy Griffith Show finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...Danny Pudi of Community! A list minute push for Pudi won him the award, one he never won at the actual Emmys, which is a failure of America. His role as Abed Nadir is just simply spectacular and worthy of this win.

In the category, Outstanding Leading Actress in a Drama Series,

Lindsay Wagner of The Bionic Woman finishes third.
Gillian Anderson of The X-Files finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

...Angela Lansbury of Murder, She Wrote! She was one of two who came the closest to winning the vote unanimously. As Jessica Fletcher, Lansbury revolutionized the crime drama on television. And now, she's finally won some kind of an Emmy, despite being nominated twelve times before this.

In the category, Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series,

David Duchovny of The X-Files finishes third.
Sam Waterston of Law & Order finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...Larry Hagman of Dallas! J.R. Ewing is one of the legendary characters of television and Hagman was the man who brought him to life. Another dark horse, at least, in my opinion, who actually ended up winning the award. He even came back to be J.R. once again in the TNT revival before he passed away.

In the category, Outstanding Leading Actress in a Comedy Series,

Betty White of The Golden Girls finishes third.
Tina Fey of 30 Rock finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy! I don't think anyone ever really thought it would be anyone else. She was the favorite to end all favorites. Notable statements, though, she and Lansbury were the two actresses who came so close to winning unanimously. Also, this is the second time Tina Fey lost to someone from I Love Lucy. This time, it was Lucy Ricardo, an unparalleled role.

In the category, Outstanding Leading Actor in a Comedy Series,

Andy Griffith of The Andy Griffith Show finishes third.
David Schwimmer of Friends finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...Steve Carell of The Office! This was one I was surprised by. Even though the category had no true favorite, I think Steve does make the most sense. He put everything into the role of Michael Scott, regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. So much humor and insanity, but also heart deep down.

In the category, Outstanding Animated Program,

A Charlie Brown Christmas finishes third.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...The Simpsons! This and Blue's Clues were the only two shows in this category that were actually series. The other were holiday specials. But, I do think The Simpsons has to win this category no matter how you vote. It changed the game. Forever. Nothing to "D'oh!" about, for sure.

In the category, Outstanding Drama Series,

Murder, She Wrote finishes third.
The Twilight Zone finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

 ...The X-Files! This entire category was challenging as each show was innovative and, naturally, dramatic. But in the end, The X-Files received the majority of the votes. It tackled the mysterious, the unknown, and the paranormal. Phenomenally acted, directed, and, well, just about everything else you'd expect from this category's victor.

In the category, Outstanding Comedy Series,

Arrested Development finishes third.
I Love Lucy finishes second.

And The Emmy of All-Time goes to...

...Friends! This was definitely the most hotly contested category with the outcome going right up until the end. Literally. Someone cast a vote as I was writing this post. It re-worked the entire outcome. I can't imagine how tough it was to choose in this one, but ultimately, this is your winner. I don't think you could have gone wrong with any of them, but let's take a look at Friends. Quite possibly, it was the last truly great show with laughter happening in the background. It's never been able to be replicated, but not without executives trying. Finally, it can be argued this is the most recent comedy to become a cultural phenomenon. All these reasons and more give Friends the win.

So there you have it. After about a month of deliberation, voting, and tough decisions, we have the fourteen winners. And I think it's truly a solid bunch. This is the best in the history of television. I Love Lucy won two of these. More than that, twelve shows won one. And that's a huge accomplishment as well.

And not to brag or anything, but with eight-hundred and thirty page views (and more to come, with this one, I'm sure) and over one-hundred and forty votes cast, I think The Oscars of All-Time will be coming in the future. Wink.

Thanks for partaking and happy television!