"The West Wing" lost some of its critical plaudits and some of its audience last season. It did not, however, lose the admiration of Emmy voters.

The NBC drama's fourth straight Emmy for outstanding drama -- equaling a record set by "Hill Street Blues" from 1981 to '84 -- was both one of Sunday's (Sept. 21) bigger upsets and not much of a surprise at all.

Emmy history probably favored the show. Since "Hill Street Blues'" run, four other shows -- "Cagney & Lacey," "L.A. Law," "Picket Fences" and "The Practice" -- have enjoyed multi-year reigns as best drama. But most of the buzz going into this year's ceremony surrounded "The Sopranos" and its HBO stablemate, "Six Feet Under."

As it was last year, "Six Feet Under" was shut out in the major categories. "The Sopranos" won three awards for acting and another for writing, giving it more total awards at Sunday's ceremony than "The West Wing" (which also won for Christopher Misiano's direction). The biggest prize, though, still eluded HBO (no cable series has ever won for best drama).

"The West Wing's" win also allowed creator Aaron Sorkin to go out on a high note. Sorkin, who wrote nearly every one of the show's scripts in its first four seasons, left the series in May.

Another of the night's bigger surprises was the fact that "Door to Door" wound up with the most Emmys of any single program, adding four awards, including outstanding made-for-TV movie, Sunday to the two it won at last week's Creative Arts awards. "The Sopranos" and best comedy winner "Everybody Loves Raymond" also took home four awards Sunday.

With the exception of Tony Shalhoub, an upset winner for best actor in a comedy for "Monk" and Tyne Daly for outstanding supporting actress in a drama for her work on CBS' "Judging Amy," the usual suspects dominated the rest of the awards. Multiple-time nominee Debra Messing won her first Emmy for "Will & Grace," and "Raymond" co-stars Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts repeated their supporting player wins.

HBO led the network race with 18 Emmys, ahead of CBS' 16 and NBC's 15. ABC won nine and FOX seven, mostly in the creative arts categories.

The telecast was a mix of humor -- supplied by a roster of comics that included Garry Shandling, Dennis Miller, Martin Short and Jon Stewart -- and pathos. Tributes to Bob Hope and John Ritter were both handled well.