If you watched the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, you got a good education in how arts academies distribute their awards -- carefully.
    For one thing, awards givers like safe winners.
    "Everybody Loves Raymond" received the best comedy award, not necessarily because it's the brightest, most unique comedy on television, but because it's the most popular, agreeable comedy on television.
    Academy voters also like to award a show for longevity. "Raymond," which has been on the air for eight years, had never won for best comedy until Sunday. It was honored for the same reason "Friends" won for the first time last year: Both are longtime favorites that voters felt should finally be recognized.
    The show that might never win -- HBO's scathing "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- was easily the best of the nominees. Larry David's hilarious series is everything "Raymond" is not: 30 minutes with a neurotic, sometimes unlikable man. Middle-of-the-road it is not.
    Meanwhile, "The West Wing" winning best dramatic series was a shock. While still miles ahead of most dramas, the last season had no punch, and no one expected it to win. Even its creator, Aaron Sorkin, seemed genuinely surprised running up to the podium.
    "The Sopranos" and "24" had much better years, and for "The Sopranos" to go four seasons without winning for best drama is especially perplexing. Besides vast critical acclaim, the mob show thrust HBO into the spotlight as the top television network. It raised the bar for acting, directing and writing. And it has seeped into American pop culture so much, the word "bada-bing" -- the name of Tony Soprano's strip club -- is now an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of English.
    But "The Sopranos" didn't go empty-handed, which illustrates another arts academy technique of handing out awards -- distribute the wealth equally.
    "The Sopranos" didn't win best drama, but actors James Gandolfini and Edie Falco took best acting awards. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" didn't win best comedy, but it took home a best directing award. One creative series, "Monk," was not nominated for best comedy (although it should have been), but was honored with a statuette to Tony Shalhoub for best actor in a comedy.
 
   'Coupling' finds a mate
 
    Utah viewers anxious to see NBC's new sex-filled sitcom, "Coupling," need not worry. KUWB Channel 30 is picking up the controversial new show after KSL Channel 5 dropped it for objectionable content. The series will air Thursdays on KUWB at 10 p.m., beginning with the premiere this week, according to John Rossi, KUWB general manager.
    Thursday's episode of "Spin City," normally seen Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. on KUWB, will be bumped to midnight. KSL, which dropped "Coupling" last week due to the show's sexually explicit nature, is scheduled to air a repeat of the entertainment magazine show, "Extra," where "Coupling" was supposed to be at 8:30 p.m.
    "Although it appears to be frank in its approach, it also appears to be no more sexually implicit than 'Will & Grace' and 'Scrubbs' and 'Friends,' " Rossi said about his decision to run "Coupling." "There's no nudity and there doesn't seem to be any bad language. It's all implied."
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    Television columnist Vince Horiuchi can be reached at vince@sltrib.com.