The 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, November 4, 2001, seven weeks later than originally scheduled. The ceremony was rescheduled twice from its original date of September 16 at the

Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...

because of the

September 11th attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

that occurred five days prior to the event. It was also removed from its rescheduled date of October 7 again at the same venue as a result of the start of the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

. The event was then relocated to the smaller Shubert Theater, which had previously hosted the

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

and

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ceremonies, and would be demolished in 2002. The ceremony was hosted by

Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...

and was broadcast on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

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sang "

You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and e ...

" in a surprise appearance at the close, in honor of the victims of the attacks. ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...

'' became the first premium channel show to win Outstanding Comedy Series; this was its only major award. The

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'' accomplished a rare feat: though it only ran for one season, it was nominated in two different years for writing. ''

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'', now in its eighth season, earned its final Outstanding Comedy Series nomination after eight consecutive nominations including five consecutive wins (seasons 1–5). The episode "

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" made ''

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'' just the second show, and first comedy, to have two different episodes win awards for directing and

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. '' The Defenders'' was the first show to do this in

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and

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. (Specific episodes were not nominated in the comedy categories until the late 1960s). ''

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'' would also achieve this in

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and

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. For his portrayal of John Cage in ''

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'',

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won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, the first in this category for

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and the first in this category for any show outside the

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. In the drama field, ''

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'' won Outstanding Drama Series for its second straight year and led all shows with four major awards on the night. ''

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'' led all shows with 14 major nominations and was second to ''The West Wing'' with three major wins.

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' win made him the ninth person to become an

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winner.

Rescheduling

The ceremony was originally scheduled to be held on September 16, 2001 at the

in Los Angeles. On September 11, just hours following the

, CBS announced the event would be postponed indefinitely, but were hopeful it would take place September 23. On September 15, CBS and officials from the

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), also colloquially known as the Television Academy, is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the Television in the United States, television industry in the United S ...

(ATAS) announced they had chosen a new date of October 7, with the venue remaining unchanged. On October 1, CBS and ATAS announced that a scaled down ceremony would take place in both Los Angeles and New York. The majority of the night's 30 awards given would still be given at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, but some would be given at a simultaneous event in studio 6A at NBC Studios (New York) where

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

was normally filmed. According to then-executive producer

Don Mischer Donald Leo Mischer (March 5, 1940 – April 11, 2025) was an American producer and director of television and live events and president of Don Mischer Productions. Career Mischer was honored with fifteen Emmy Awards, a record ten Directors Guil ...

, this was to accommodate nominees who were reluctant to fly to Los Angeles so soon after the attacks. On October 7 at 12:30 p.m. ( PST), only hours before the ceremony's 5 p.m. scheduled commencement, CBS and ATAS announced that the ceremony was cancelled due to the start of the

earlier in the day. On October 9, ATAS officials and CBS execs announced their intention to reschedule the ceremony, but that it would not take place at the Shrine Auditorium. On October 16, representatives from CBS and ATAS announced that the ceremony would now be held on November 4 at the Shubert Theater in Los Angeles, a smaller venue, and that the simultaneous event in New York would no longer be taking place. On November 4, the awards ceremony was held at the Shubert Theater in Los Angeles. To ensure security, sharpshooters were placed rooftops, attendees passed through metal detectors, nearby businesses were closed, and the Shubert complex's two lowest underground parking levels were blocked off due to the risk of car bombs.

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡). For simplicity, producers who received nominations for program awards, as well as nominated writers for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program, have been omitted. Eric McCormack 2012 Shankbone 3

Programs

Acting

Lead performances

Supporting performances

Directing

Writing

Most major nominations

Most major awards

;Notes

Presenters

The awards were presented by the following people:

In Memoriam

* Carroll O'Connor * Jack Elliott *

Richard Mulligan Richard Mulligan (November 13, 1932 – September 26, 2000) was an American character actor. He was known for his roles in the sitcoms ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and '' Empty Nest'' (1988–1995). Mulligan was the winner of two Emmy Aw ...

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician who is best known for co-creating ''Tom and Jerry'' and providing the vocal effects for the series' title characters. Alongside Joseph B ...

Robert Trout Robert Trout (born Robert Albert Blondheim; October 15, 1909 – November 14, 2000) was an American broadcast news reporter who worked on radio before and during World War II for CBS News.

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

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* Alan Rafkin * John Cannon *

Werner Klemperer Werner Klemperer (March 22, 1920 – December 6, 2000) was an American actor. He was best known for playing List of Hogan's Heroes characters#Colonel Klink, Colonel Wilhelm Klink on the CBS television sitcom ''Hogan's Heroes'', for which he twic ...

Dale Evans Dale Evans Rogers (born Frances Octavia Smith; October 31, 1912 – February 7, 2001) was an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She was the second wife of singing cowboy film star Roy Rogers. Early life and career Dale Evans was born ...

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* Stan Margulies *

Beah Richards Beulah Elizabeth Richardson (July 12, 1920 – September 14, 2000), known professionally as Beah Richards and Bea Richards, was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was also a poet, playwright, author and activist. Rich ...

Fred de Cordova Frederick Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 – September 15, 2001) was an American stage, motion picture and television director and producer. He is best known for his work on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life De Cordov ...

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920s ...

Ray Walston Herman Ray Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor. He started his career on Broadway theatre, Broadway earning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Mr. Applegate in ''Damn Yankees'' (1956 ...

Imogene Coca Imogene Coca (born Emogeane Coca; November 18, 1908 – June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on ''Your Show of Shows''. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and pursu ...

Victor Borge Børge Rosenbaum (; 3 January 1909 – 23 December 2000), known professionally as Victor Borge ( ), was a Danish and American actor, comedian, and pianist who achieved great popularity in radio and television in both North America and Europe. Hi ...

* Jack Haley Jr. *

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he gained a reputation as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Robards received numerous accola ...

Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman (February 17, 1923August 23, 2001) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost i ...

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...

Barbara Olson Barbara Kay Olson (née Bracher; December 27, 1955September 11, 2001) was an American lawyer and conservative television commentator who worked for CNN, Fox News Channel, and several other outlets. She was a passenger on American Airlines Flight ...

* Berry Berenson * David Angell

Notes

References

External links

Emmys.com list of 2001 Nominees & Winners
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Primetime Emmy Awards 053 2001 television awards 2001 in Los Angeles November 2001 in the United States Impact of the September 11 attacks on television