LOS ANGELES — It was repeat victories for ABC’s
“Modern Family” and AMC’s “Mad Men” on Sunday night as they captured the
marquee prizes at the 63rd annual Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre.
The
sitcom about a deliciously dysfunctional family won its second
consecutive trophy for comedy series and four other awards, including
honors for onscreen husband and wife Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen.
Meanwhile, AMC’s stylish period drama about Madison Avenue advertising
executives earned its fourth consecutive Emmy in the drama category. The
series had been shut out most of the evening, but still managed to take
the top prize.
Surprisingly, HBO and its lavish
miniseries “Mildred Pierce” didn’t fare as well. HBO headed into the
Emmys with 104 nominations. Though it won 15 trophies last week at the
Creative Arts Emmys, it picked up only four additional statuettes Sunday
night. The showing was shocking, given the pay channel’s usual
domination of the prime-time awards.
“Mildred
Pierce” managed to win two honors — lead actress in a miniseries or
movie for Kate Winslet and a supporting actor trophy for Guy Pearce. (“I
didn’t think we were going to win anything,” Winslet said when she
picked up her award.)
Despite all its firepower,
the well-appointed miniseries was upstaged by the PBS miniseries
“Downton Abbey,” which earned four awards, including outstanding
miniseries or movie.
The show’s creator, Julian
Fellowes, admitted as much as he accepted the top prize. “This is really
a David and Goliath story,” he said. “It seems perfectly extraordinary
that we won.”
Fellowes also won for writing and
Brian Percival for direction for a TV miniseries, movie or dramatic
special. Maggie Smith won for supporting actress for the miniseries.
“Downton Abbey” had been facing “Mildred Pierce” in all four categories.
Other wins were, you might say, “Justified.”
Margo
Martindale — generally cast as a kind and gentle woman — picked up her
first Emmy, for supporting actress in a drama series, for playing
against type. She embodied the role of a cutthroat matriarch of a
backwoods, nothing-but-trouble family on FX’s “Justified.”
Martindale,
60, was visibly thrilled and moved by the win after years as a
character actress. “Sometimes things just take time,” she joked.
The
recently departed sports drama “Friday Night Lights” won twice. The
writing award for a drama series went to Jason Katims for the show,
which was much loved but never built a big audience during its five-year
run. The drama about a high school football coach in Texas also netted
Kyle Chandler the trophy for lead actor in a drama series.
In
other contests, lead actress in a drama series went to Julianna
Margulies for CBS’ “The Good Wife,” and supporting actor in a drama
series went to Peter Dinklage for HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Oscar-winning
filmmaker Martin Scorsese picked up his first Emmy for directing the
pilot episode of HBO’s period gangster series “Boardwalk Empire.” And
Barry Pepper won lead actor in a TV miniseries or movie for his role as
Robert F. Kennedy in the Reelz Channel’s “The Kennedys.”
The
show, broadcast by Fox, was hosted in good spirits by “Glee” star Jane
Lynch and included an array of skits, jokes, star turns, musical numbers
and heartfelt thank yous.
A big surprise of the evening? Charlie Sheen came on stage and didn’t do anything outrageous.
In
fact, he wished the best to his old series, “Two and a Half Men,”
saying “From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for
this upcoming season.” He was there to present the Emmy for lead actor
in a comedy series, a category in which he had been nominated before for
his former series. The honor went to Jim Parsons, his second
consecutive Emmy as the brilliant geek on CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory.”
In
other honors, CBS’ “Amazing Race” returned to the winner’s circle,
picking up the Emmy for reality-competition series. Last year, its reign
ended when Bravo’s “Top Chef” took the honor. Until then, it had won
seven years in a row — every year since the category was created.
An
even more impressive track record is being carved by Comedy Central’s
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.” For the ninth year in a row, it won
for variety, music or comedy series. “We’re acutely aware of how
fortunate we are to win this once,” much less again and again, Stewart
said. The show also won for variety, music or comedy series writing.
Don Roy King from “Saturday Night Live” scored his second straight win for directing of a variety, music or comedy series.
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