“Modern Family” and “Mad Men” once again claimed top honors at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, though there were plenty of surprise winners as the TV academy honored the best in shows.
“Modern Family” won in almost every category in which it contended. Its tally stood at four wins before the first commercial break. Host Jane Lynch opened the next act by joking, “Welcome back to the ‘Modern Family’ awards.”But once the trophies for drama started being handed out, the choices became more interesting. “Friday Night Lights,” a drama about high school life in small-town Texas, was beloved by critics but so low-rated that NBC split the costs for the show’s final seasons with DirecTV. It broke through Sunday night as Jason Katims, the show’s creative soul, won for best writing, and Kyle Chandler took the best acting award.Margo Martindale’s memorable turn as a pot-growing hillbilly on FX’s “Justified” was rewarded with an Emmy. So was Peter Dinklage’s outsized performance as the caustic Tyrion on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” won eight Emmys, most of them at last week’s Creative Arts ceremony, but was shut out of major categories. By contrast, “Mad Men” won just two Emmys; the other was for hairstyling. A recurring theme during the night was winners not expecting to win. Even Kate Winslet, who could have a walk-in closet built just for her trophies, was at a loss for words as she accepted her Emmy for HBO’s “Mildred Pierce.” “I didn’t think we were going to win anything,” Winslet gushed.Barry Pepper didn’t bother showing up to claim his Emmy for playing Bobby Kennedy on “The Kennedys,” a hot potato of a miniseries that wound up on something called Reelzchannel after History dropped it.Melissa McCarthy scored an upset in best actress in a comedy for “Mike & Molly,” affirming the buzz in recent days that her role in the movie “Bridesmaids” might help her candidacy for an Emmy.Even categories that had gotten predictable over the years saw a shakeup. “Mildred Pierce” captured most of the wins for movies and miniseries, also known as the HBO categories. But PBS’ “Downton Abbey” bested it for top miniseries.The writing on the telecast was dreary, even by the lower standards of awards shows, so the surprises were much needed. And there were a couple of meta-moments. Charlie Sheen showed up to give an award to Jim Parsons in a category Sheen had won before — but not before wishing his former colleagues on “Two and a Half Men,” with abject sincerity, “nothing but the best this upcoming season.”And “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, in his quickie acceptance speech, alluded to the show’s protracted contract negotiations that have pushed its fifth season well into 2012.Read more Aaron Barnhart
Posted on Mon, Sep. 19, 2011 01:56 AM
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