Fun Facts

First Broadcast:
Amahl and the Night Visitors, on Christmas Eve 1951 (first opera ever commissioned for television)

Average Length of Broadcast:
98-100 minutes (8-10 minutes longer than normal made-for-television movies)

Number of Broadcasts:
236 to date (of those, 31 have been encore presentations)

Number of Awards:
128 Total
79 Emmys (more than twice as many as any other TV series)
25 Christopher Awards
11 Peabody Awards
9 Golden Globes
4 Humanitas Prizes

Most-Watched Broadcast:
1997 production of What the Deaf Man Heard, starring Matthew Modine and James Earl Jones, holds the series' viewership record of 22.5 million viewers.

Most-Honored Broadcast:
1986 production of Promise, starring James Garner and James Woods, is the most honored dramatic special in television history (5 Emmys, 1 Christopher Award, 1 Peabody Award, 2 Golden Globes, 1 Humanitas Prize).