Seth Meyers started off the 2014 Emmy Awards by joking about the new air date of the show, saying airing the Emmys on a Monday night in August means it will soon be canceled. Meyers also targeted the cable vs. networks Emmy win ratio, dramas submitted in the comedy category, and poked fun at Jim Parsons’ new contract for The Big Bang Theory.
Meyers did a decent job of warming up the audience, but when Jimmy Kimmel took the stage shortly thereafter, the laughter kicked up a notch.
Not every joke worked, and a few actually completely bombed, including a bit combining the last names of presenters Debra Messing and Jim Parsons into a new series titled Messing Parsons. But the show was fairly swiftly paced and there were some incredible stand-out moments that will be talked about for days.
Bryan Cranston, sporting a mustache that was the subject of hundreds of tweets, swallowed Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ face as she approached the stage to accept her Emmy for Veep. Sara Bareilles delivered a stunning performance of “Smile” during the In Memoriam segment of the broadcast. She was followed to the stage by Billy Crystal who was charged with the difficult task of remembering his good friend Robin Williams.
Also getting emotional was Aaron Paul who took home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for the final season of Breaking Bad. On the lighter side, Gwen Stefani John Travolta-ized The Colbert Report when announcing the show’s win for Outstanding Variety Series and that led to Jimmy Fallon accepting for Stephen Colbert who whispered his speech into Fallon’s ear.
As for the actual awards, for the most part, it was a night of wins by the usual suspects. Modern Family continued its streak and Emmy voters sent Breaking Bad off with six wins (only Sherlock received more with seven). Meanwhile, much was made of Matthew McConaughey being up for an Emmy following his Oscar win but he went home empty-handed as Bryan Cranston earned his final Emmy for Breaking Bad over McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, and Jeff Daniels.
66th Primetime Emmys Winners:
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy
Modern Family
Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Louis C.K., Written by
Louie
So Did The Fat Lady
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Allison Janney as Bonnie
Mom
Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
Gail Mancuso, Directed by
Modern Family
Vegas
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
The Big Bang Theory
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer
Veep
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Outstanding Writing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
Steven Moffat, Written by
Sherlock: His Last Vow
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Kathy Bates as Madame Delphine LaLaurie
American Horror Story: Coven
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Martin Freeman as John Watson
Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece)
Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
Colin Bucksey, Directed by
Fargo
Buridan’s Ass
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Jessica Lange as Fiona Goode
American Horror Story: Coven
Outstanding Miniseries
Fargo
Outstanding Television Movie
The Normal Heart
Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special
Sarah Silverman, Written by
Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles
Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special
Glenn Weiss, Directed by
67th Annual Tony Awards
Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
Breaking Bad
Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Directed by
True Detective
Who Goes There
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Anna Gunn as Skyler White
Breaking Bad
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Moira Walley-Beckett, Written by
Breaking Bad
Ozymandias
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick
The Good Wife
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Bryan Cranston as Walter White
Breaking Bad
Outstanding Comedy Series
Modern Family
Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad
Including awards that were handed out prior to the telecast, the total wins per show for the 2014 Emmys stands at:
Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece) – 7
Breaking Bad – 6
Saturday Night Live – 5
True Detective – 5
American Horror Story: Coven – 4
COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey – 4
Game Of Thrones – 4
67th Annual Tony Awards – 3
Deadliest Catch – 3
Disney Mickey Mouse – 3
Fargo – 3
Modern Family – 3
Orange Is The New Black – 3
The Simpsons – 3
The Square – 3
American Masters – 2
Black Sails – 2
The Big Bang Theory – 2
The Colbert Report – 2
Dancing With The Stars – 2
The Normal Heart – 2
So You Think You Can Dance – 2
