The 2006 Primetime Emmys, held on August 27, 2006, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, proved to be a turning point for broadcast television. It was the last year that both the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series Emmys were awarded to broadcasters, signaling the beginning of cable and streaming’s rise in the awards landscape.
NBC aired the 58th Primetime Emmys and scheduled the ceremony early to avoid conflict with “Sunday Night Football.” This year, NBC is again airing the Emmys, but has shifted the telecast to a Monday. In 2006, NBC’s “The Office” won Outstanding Comedy Series, while Fox’s “24” took home the award for Outstanding Drama Series. This marked Fox’s first, and last, Emmy win in the drama series field.
“24” was a popular show in its fifth season in 2006, and star Kiefer Sutherland secured his first Emmy as CTU agent Jack Bauer. The show also won for direction, beating out competitors like ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” Fox’s “House,” and NBC’s “The West Wing,” with HBO’s “The Sopranos” being the only cable entry. The following year, “The Sopranos” won, and it was also the last time broadcast networks received the majority of the drama series nominations. Cable networks subsequently dominated the category with wins for shows like “Mad Men,” “Homeland,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Game of Thrones.” NBC’s “This Is Us” was the last broadcast series to earn a drama series nomination, in 2021.
In comedy, broadcast television maintained some success until the mid-2010s. Following “The Office”’s win in 2006, NBC won with “30 Rock” for three consecutive years (2007-2009), and ABC’s “Modern Family” enjoyed a five-year run (2010-2014). The 2006 Emmys also saw the introduction of a blue ribbon panel to determine nominees for Outstanding Comedy and Drama, and key acting categories. The TV Academy members initially chose potential nominees, which were then narrowed down by a panel of 500 members who reviewed episodes and selected the final nominees. The first year of this system caused some controversy, with shows like “Lost” being shut out, but it likely broadened the nomination field.
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