A glance back at the nominees in the supporting actor categories at the 56th Primetime Emmy Awards proves that a modern golden age of TV was in full force. Whether it was the tail end of a remarkably stable comedy lineup, the long-awaited breakthrough for a standout drama or the ongoing domination of one show in the miniseries category, the performances being honored on Sept. 19, 2004, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles were extraordinary then — and still memorable decades later.
‘Frasier’ ends with a new record set David Hyde Pierce earned his fourth supporting actor in a comedy Emmy for playing the fastidious Niles Crane in “Frasier” (NBC), a show that wrapped its 11 seasons that May. (The series returned on Paramount+ in 2023 without Pierce.) He’d been nominated consecutively each year of the show’s run, becoming the actor with the most nods in this category.
Pierce was up against a few familiar names: Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” CBS), who’d won in this category in 2002, 2003 and would win again in 2005; 1996 Emmy-winner Peter Boyle (“Raymond”); Sean Hayes (“Will & Grace,” NBC), who won in this category in 2000 and would win a second Emmy in a different category in 2011; and Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development,” Fox), who would go on to win Emmys in 2015 and 2016. About that remarkably stable lineup: From 2000-05, Boyle and Hayes were nominated every year, with Pierce and Garrett being included five of the six times. “I.
