The results of the television awards ceremony of the year are always something to look forward to – the quality of the small screen has only been improving over the past decade or two, and it’s nice to see credit given where credit’s due.
Mad Men, Modern Family, Downton Abbey, Breaking Bad, Sherlock, and 30 Rock led this year’s nominations, and it’s Modern Family and Homeland that have come away with the most wins, taking four awards apiece.
Homeland has been one of the most talked-about dramas over the past year, and leading stars Damian Lewis (doing a Hugh Laurie, being an English actor playing an American on US TV) and Claire Danes came away with the Leading Actor/Actress prizes in the dramatic categories.
Modern Family continues its reign as the best comedy in recent years, and dominated the Supporting Actor/Actress awards in the comedy categories, with Julie Bowen and Eric Stonestreet taking the two awards last night.
I continue to be surprised that Jon Hamm is yet to win the Leading Actor in a Drama award for his role as Donald Draper in Mad Men, but there’s always next year.
HBO took home the most awards amongst the networks, with six wins to its name, closely followed by ABC and CBS with five each, and then Showtime and FX with four.
The ceremony, a rough equivalent of the Academy Awards for television in the US, was held last night and hosted by the ever-brilliant Jimmy Kimmel. For a full list, you can head over to the official Emmys site, and here’s a run-down of the biggest categories:
Best Comedy
- Modern Family (ABC)
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
- Girls (HBO)
- 30 Rock (NBC)
- Veep (HBO)
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep
- Zooey Deschanel – New Girl
- Lena Dunham – Girls
- Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie
- Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
- Tina Fey – 30 Rock
- Melissa McCarthy – Mike & Molly
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Jon Cryer – Two and a Half Men
- Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Louis C.K. – Louis
- Jim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory
- Don Cheadle – House of Lies
- Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Julie Bowen – Modern Family
- Mayim Bialik – The Big Bang Theory
- Merritt Wever – Nurse Jackie
- Kristen Wiig – Saturday Night Live
- Sofía Vergara – Modern Family
- Kathryn Joosten – Desperate Housewives
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Eric Stonestreet – Modern Family
- Ed O’Neill – Modern Family
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson – Modern Family
- Ty Burrell – Modern Family
- Bill Hader – Saturday Night Live
- Max Greenfield – New Girl
Best Drama
- Homeland (Showtime)
- Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
- Breaking Bad (HBO)
- Downton Abbey (PBS)
- Mad Men (AMC)
- Game of Thrones (HBO)
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Claire Danes – Homeland
- Julianna Marguilies – The Good Wife
- Michelle Dockery – Downton Abbey
- Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men
- Kathy Bates – Harry’s Law
- Glenn Close – Damages
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Damien Lewis – Homeland
- Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire
- Michael C. Hall – Dexter
- Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad
- Hugh Bonneville – Downton Abbey
- Jon Hamm – Mad Men
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey
- Archie Panjabi – The Good Wife
- Anna Gunn – Breaking Bad
- Joanne Froggart – Downton Abbey
- Christina Hendricks – Mad Men
- Christine Baranski – The Good Wife
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Aaron Paul – Breaking Bad
- Giancarlo Esposito – Breaking Bad
- Brendan Coyle – Downton Abbey
- Jim Carter – Downton Abbey
- Jared Harris – Mad Men
- Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones
Best Miniseries or Movie
- Game Change (HBO)
- American Horror Story (FX Networks)
- Hemingway & Gilhorn (HBO)
- Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece) (PBS)
- Luther (BBC America)
- Hatfields & McCoys (History)
Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
- Julianne Moore – Game Change
- Connie Britton – American Horror Story
- Nicole Kidman – Hemingway & Gellhorn
- Emma Thompson – The Song of Lunch
- Ashley Judd – Missing
Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
- Kevin Costner – Hatfields & McCoys
- Woody Harrelson – Game Change
- Clive Owen – Hemingway & Gellhorn
- Benedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia
- Idris Elba – Luther
- Bill Paxton – Hatfields & McCoys
Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
- Jessica Lange – American Horror Story
- Sarah Paulson – Game Change
- Frances Conroy – American Horror Story
- Judy Davis – Page Eight
- Mare Winningham – Hatfields & McCoys
Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
- Tom Berenger – Hatfields & McCoys
- Ed Harris – Game Change
- Denis O’Hare – American Horror Story
- David Straithairn – Hemingway & Gellhorn
- Martin Freeman – Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia
Variety Series
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
- The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
- Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
- Saturday Night Live (NBC)
- Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Reality – Competition Program
- The Amazing Race (CBS)
- So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
- Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
- Top Chef (Bravo)
- Project Runway (Lifetime)
- The Voice (NBC)
Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
- Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars
- Cat Deeley – So You Think You Can Dance
- Phil Keoghan – The Amazing Race
- Ryan Seacrest – American Idol
- Betty White – Betty White’s Off Their Rockers
Best Directing for a Drama
- Tim Van Patten – Boardwalk Empire (To the Lost)
- Phil Abraham – Mad Men (The Other Woman)
- Michael Cuesta – Homeland (Pilot)
- Vince Gilligan – Breaking Bad (Face Off)
- Brian Percival – Downton Abbey (Episode Seven)
Best Directing for a Comedy
- Steven Levitan – Modern Family (Baby on Board)
- Louis C.K. – Louie (She Did)
- Jake Kasdan – New Girl (Pilot)
- Robert B. Weide – Curb Your Enthusiasm (Palestinian Chicken)
- Jason Winer – Modern Family (Virgin Territory)
Best Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special
- Jay Roach – Game Change
- Philip Kaufman – Hemingway & Gellhorn
- Paul McGuigan – Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia
- Sam Miller – Luther
- Kevin Reynolds – Hatfields & McCoys
Best Writing for a Drama
- Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff – Homeland (Pilot)
- Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner – Mad Men (Far Away Places)
- Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner – Mad Men (The Other Woman)
- Julian Fellowes – Downton Abbey (Episode Seven)
- Andrew Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton – Mad Men (Commissions and Fees)
Best Writing for a Comedy
- Louis C.K. – Louie (Pregnant)
- Lena Dunham – Girls (Pilot)
- Chris McKenna – Community (Remedial Chaos Theory)
- Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation (The Debate)
- Michael Schur – Parks and Recreation (Win, Lose, or Draw)
Best Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special
- Danny Strong – Game Change
- Neil Cross – Luther
- Bill Kerby, Ted Mann & Ronald Parker – Hatfields & McCoys
- Steven Moffat – Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia
- Abi Morgan – The Hour
