2014 Emmys: Biggest winners and history makers

Updated



BY DAVID BAUDER

The Emmys welcomed plenty of movie stars to television's biggest awards show, including Julia Roberts, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Spacey, Mark Ruffalo and the reigning Oscar winner for best actor, Matthew McConaughey. All were sent home empty-handed.

Instead, the Emmys opted for the tried and true Monday night, giving a long goodbye kiss to "Breaking Bad" and its cast, and the fifth straight award for best comedy to ABC's "Modern Family."

Bryan Cranston, who played the memorable meth dealer Walter White on "Breaking Bad," won his fourth best drama actor Emmy, tying him with another four-time winner, Dennis Franz. Aaron Paul won his third supporting actor award playing Cranston's fictional colleague in crime. Anna Gunn, who played Cranston's wife, won for the second straight year and the series won its second consecutive best drama award.

The bounty proved Emmy voters have a long memory, since the "Breaking Bad" finale aired 11 months ago.

"Thank you for this wonderful farewell to our show," creator Vince Gilligan said.

"Modern Family" co-creator Steve Levitan almost seemed at a loss for something new to say as the ABC show matched the five-year winning streak of "Frasier" in its heyday. Actor Ty Burrell won a best supporting actor award.

"It's a wonder that we get to do this for a living, that we get to be the ones up here when there are so many deserving shows," Levitan said.

For much of the evening, the Emmys seemed to bask in Hollywood's glow, especially McConaughey's aura. He was the willing foil for jokes, particularly by Jimmy Kimmel. "You don't belong here," Kimmel said. "And take Julia Roberts with you."

Director Gail Mancuso of "Breaking Bad" chose to look at McConaughey as she was accepting her award. "I knew if I had to look at my cast, I would tear up," she said backstage. "I thought, `what's the next best thing? Matthew McConaughey.' He was sitting right there."

Yet the only time McConaughey went on stage was when he and "True Detectives" co-star Woody Harrelson were presenters. Their HBO series was the subject of much pre-show hubbub - many in Hollywood thought it should be in the miniseries category, not drama - but it proved a moot point as the major awards went elsewhere.

Roberts and Ruffalo were not honored for their roles in the HBO movie about the early days of AIDS, "The Normal Heart," although the project won the Emmy for best TV movie.

Jumping back and forth between television and feature films isn't as unusual as it used to be, with television in a robust creative period. But with a lot of quality work out there, names aren't enough to guarantee an award.

Emmys host Seth Meyers made note of the unusual time slot for the awards show, on a Monday (Sunday is the usual date) in late August. It was NBC's turn to air the show, and the network didn't want to preempt its lucrative Sunday night NFL football package.

"If I understand television, it means the Emmys are about to be cancelled," Meyers joked.

Once the awards began, some of television's royalty added to their trophy cases. Jim Parsons, star of television's most popular comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," won his fourth straight award for best comedy actor. It was the third year in a row for Julia Louis-Dreyfus of HBO's "Veep" to win the best comic actress award.

Julianna Margulies, the star of CBS' "The Good Wife," was the beneficiary of an especially strong season for the show, winning her second Emmy as best actress in a drama.

For all the pre-show talk about new forms of television distribution, it was a good night for network television, between Margulies, Parsons and "Modern Family." Allison Janney won a best supporting actress award for her role in the freshman CBS sitcom, "Mom."

Netflix and its biggest shows, "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black," didn't win any major awards.

The Emmys included a touching tribute to Robin Williams, who died earlier this month, by his comedian friend Billy Crystal.

"He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him," Crystal said.

2014 Emmys: Biggest Winners and History Makers
2014 Emmys: Biggest Winners and History Makers

Here's the complete list of 2014 Emmy winners:

COMEDY AWARDS

Outstanding Comedy Series
"Modern Family"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Allison Janney, "Mom"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Jimmy Fallon, "Saturday Night Live"

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba, "Orange is the New Black"

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
"Louie" -- "So Did The Fat Lady" (Louie C.K.)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
"Modern Family" -- "Vegas" (Gail Mancuso)

DRAMA AWARDS

Outstanding Drama Series
"Breaking Bad"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Joe Morton, "Scandal"

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Allison Janney, "Masters of Sex"

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
"Breaking Bad" -- "Ozymandias" (Moira Walley-Beckett)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
"True Detective" -- "Who Goes There" (Cary Joji Fukunaga)

MOVIE/MINISERIES AWARDS

Outstanding Miniseries
"Fargo"

Outstanding Television Movie
"The Normal Heart"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story: Coven"

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch for "Sherlock: His Last Vow"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Kathy Bates, "American Horror Story: Coven"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: His Last Vow"

Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
"Sherlock: His Last Vow" (Steven Moffat)

Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
"Fargo" -- "Buridan's Ass" (Colin Bucksey)

VARIETY AWARDS

Outstanding Variety Series
"The Colbert Report"

Outstanding Variety Special
"AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Mel Brooks"

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
"The Colbert Report"

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
"Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles"

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
"Saturday Night Live" -- Jimmy Fallon (Don Roy King)

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
Glenn Weiss -- 67th Tony Awards

REALITY AWARDS

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
"The Amazing Race"

Outstanding Structured Reality Program
"Shark Tank"

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
"Deadliest Catch"

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Jane Lynch, "Hollywood Game Night"

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