Slow But Steady Wins the Race But Not the Emmy

I was watching ''Craig Ferguson'' last Thursday when I heard Jane Kaczmarek mention that she wants to break Angela Lansbury's Primetime Emmy record for futility. Of course, Ms. Lansbury was nominated 18 times for an Emmy Award, but she has not yet won. Ms. Kaczmarek has a ways to go since she only received her seventh Emmy nod this year. (I say 'only' but she does have seven more Emmy noms than you and I combined.)

It's quite remarkable that neither leading lady has won yet. They both starred in long-running series, and we think the Academy usually finds a way to recognize performers after multiple noms for the same character.

Is our bias about the sympathy win — or service commendation — really true? No, it's not. Couldn't be further from the truth. I was surprised to find the following performers received more than five Primetime Emmy noms for a single series without winning. Not once.

12 nods: Angela Lansbury for "Murder, She Wrote"
7: Jason Alexander for "Seinfeld"
7: Julia Duffy for "Newhart"
7: John Goodman for "Roseanne"
7: Hal Linden for "Barney Miller"
6: Ed Begley Jr. for "St. Elsewhere"
6: Raymond Burr for "Ironside"
6*: Jane Kaczmarek for "Malcolm in the Middle"
6: Paul Reiser for "Mad About You"
6: George Wendt for "Cheers"

*If Ms. Kaczmarek wins on Sunday, she'll drop off the list. But if she gets her wish and does not win, then she'll move up the list into a tie for second place.

Angela Lansbury's record for "Murder, She Wrote" is about as safe as Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak.