Classic TV Shows to be Honored at 60th Anniversary Emmy Awards

Next month’s Emmys ceremony will mark the 60th anniversary of the awards. ABC and The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences are pulling out all the stops to mark the occasion — and thankfully will be paying tribute to many shows of the past.

Memorable moments — The Emmys broadcast will feature a countdown of best remembered moments from television history — 10 from the comedy category and 10 from drama. The public is invited to vote for their favorites from a selection of 20 choices in each genre.

Several classic series moments are on the comedy list including the final scene of Newhart, Murphy Brown’s battle with VP Dan Quayle, The Carol Burnett Show’s parody of Gone with the Wind, Chuckles the Clown’s funeral from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Seinfeld’s infamous contest. Two clips that seem out of place are the conclusion of American Idol’s first season (funny?) and Henry Blake’s death on M*A*S*H (a laugh-riot?).

On the drama list, we have clips like Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s season five-ending sacrifice, JR Ewing being shot on Dallas, Maddie and David consummating on Moonlighting, the infamous lily-pond catfight on Dynasty, Muldaur and Scully kissing on The X-Files, and the conclusion of The Fugitive.

The ballot and clips are available via the ABC website.

Memorable quotes — The Emmys will be revisiting iconic lines from television history as well. Lines like Star Trek’s “Live long and prosper ” and The Waltons’ “Good night, John Boy” will likely be among them. Those invited to recite the lines include Kelsey Grammer, Ricky Gervais, Helen Mirren, Doris Roberts, James Spader, William Shatner, Jeremy Piven, Donald Trump, Heidi Klum, Alec Baldwin, William Baldwin, and Denis Leary.

Cast reunions — Two years ago, the original Charlie’s Angels — Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson — reunited to pay tribute to legendary producer Aaron Spelling. This year, the Emmy producers are hoping to pull together several other classic casts. The current rumor is that they’re trying to reunite the Melrose Place cast — no small feet considering the size of the primetime soap’s cast list. One alum, Marcia Cross, is already scheduled to present along with the other female stars from Desperate Housewives. Other possible cast gatherings include the gangs from Happy Days (who recently traveled to Milwaukee), Dallas, and Beverly Hills, 90210. The Academy has declined to confirm any possible gatherings.

The 60th Emmy Awards will be held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Tune in to ABC to watch them live on September 21st. Stay tuned!