2012 Emmy Award Winners Include Homeland, Modern Family And Game Change

Since 2008, Mad Men has won the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy Award, and a fifth straight award would have been a record for the category. However, Homeland swooped in to take the prize this year, breaking the AMC drama's streak. The Showtime drama won a number of awards at the 64th Annual Emmy Awards, and it was also a good night for the History miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, ABC's Modern Family, and the HBO TV movie Game Change.



Among the dramas and comedies, Homeland and Modern Family came out on top. The Showtime drama won for Outstanding Drama Series, and took the Lead Actor and Actress awards for Damian Lewis and Claire Danes' fantastic performances as Nicholas Brody and Carrie Matthison. Meanwhile, Modern Family won for Outstanding Comedy series and won for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress (Eric Stonestreet and Julie Bowen). While I'm happy to celebrate both series, considering Modern Family's past wins, I wouldn't have minded another show taking that prize this year. Though Veep did manage to win one award, as Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy.

Jon Cryer seemed flabbergasted by his win tonight when he took the stage to accept Outstanding Actor in a Comedy series. He's been nominated numerous times and won once when he was up for it in the Supporting Actor category for CBS' Two and a Half Men. This was the first year he was up for Lead Actor for his role as Alan Harper. The category is apparently a better fit for him, as he beat out Jim Parsons, Larry David, Don Cheadle, Louis C.K. and Alec Baldwin. Steep competition!



Louis C.K. may not have won for lead actor, but he was recognized for his writing abilities, winning the writing award in the Comedy Series category and also for Variety Special. His writing is where he really shines, so it's great that he was recognized for his talent there, if not for his acting. Speaking of actors who are also writers, Danny Strong took the stage tonight to accept the Outstanding Writing award for Miniseries/TV movie, for Game Change. As a fan of Strong from when he played Jonathan in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I was especially glad to see him win tonight. Game Change also won for Outstanding miniseries and Outstanding Lead Actress. When Julianne Moore accepted her award, she pointed out that Sarah Palin gave her the thumbs down for her portrayal of her. Apparently, she got the thumbs up from the Academy.

Tom Berenger and Kevin Costner both won for Hatfields & McCoys, and Jessica Lange won for American Horror Story. All deserving candidates, though I would've loved to have seen Alan Cumberbatch win for Sherlock, which also lost out to Game Change in the Miniseries/TV Movie category.

Below is the full list of winners…. Winners in RED

Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory • CBS
Curb Your Enthusiasm • HBO
Girls • HBO
Modern Family • ABC
30 Rock • NBC
Veep • HBO

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Chris McKenna, Written by - Community • Remedial Chaos Theory
Lena Dunham, Written by - Girls • Pilot • HBO
Louis C.K., Written by - Louie • Pregnant - FX Network
Amy Poehler, Written by - Parks And Recreation • The Debate • NBC
Michael Schur, Written by - Parks And Recreation • Win, Lose, Or Draw • NBC

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
Robert B. Weide, Director - Curb Your Enthusiasm • Palestinian Chicken • HBO
Lena Dunham, Director - Girls • She Did • HBO
Louis C.K., Director - Louie • Duckling • FX Networks
Jason Winer, Director - Modern Family • Virgin Territory • ABC
Steven Levitan, Director - Modern Family • Baby On Board • ABC
Jake Kasdan, Director - New Girl • Pilot • FOX

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath - Girls • HBO
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn - Mike & Molly • CBS
Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day - New Girl • FOX
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton - Nurse Jackie • Showtime
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope - Parks And Recreation • NBC
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon - 30 Rock • NBC
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer - Veep • HBO

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper - The Big Bang Theory • CBS
Larry David as Himself - Curb Your Enthusiasm • HBO
Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan - House Of Lies • Showtime
Louis C.K. as Louie - Louie • FX Networks
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy - 30 Rock • NBC
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper - Two And A Half Men • CBS

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler - The Big Bang Theory • CBS
Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey - Desperate Housewives • ABC
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy - Modern Family • ABC
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - Modern Family • ABC
Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow -Nurse Jackie • Showtime
Kristen Wiig as various characters - Saturday Night Live • NBC

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett - Modern Family • ABC
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett - Modern Family • ABC
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy - Modern Family • ABC
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker - Modern Family • ABC
Max Greenfield as Schmidt - New Girl • FOX
Bill Hader as various characters - Saturday Night Live • NBC

Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire • HBO
Breaking Bad • AMC
Downton Abbey • PBS
Game Of Thrones • HBO
Homeland • Showtime
Mad Men • AMC

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Julian Fellowes, Written by - Downton Abbey • Episode 7 • PBS
Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff - Homeland • Pilot • Showtime
Semi Chellas, Matthew Weiner, Written by - Mad Men • The Other Woman • AMC
Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Written by - Mad Men • Commissions And Fees • AMC
Erin Levy, Matthew Weiner, Written byMad Men • Far Away Places • AMC

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Glenn Close as Patty Hewes - Damages • DirecTV
Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley - Downton Abbey • PBS
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick - The Good Wife • CBS
Kathy Bates as Harriet Korn - Harry's Law • NBC
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison - Homeland • Showtime
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson - Mad Men • AMC

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson - Boardwalk Empire • HBO
Bryan Cranston as Walter White - Breaking Bad • AMC
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan - Dexter • Showtime
Hugh Bonneville as Robert, Earl of Grantham - Downton Abbey • PBS
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody - Homeland • Showtime
Jon Hamm as Don Draper - Mad Men • AMC

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series Anna Gunn as Skyler White - Breaking Bad • AMC
Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham - Downton Abbey
Joanne Froggatt as Anna - Downton Abbey • PBS
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma - The Good Wife • CBS
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart - The Good Wife • CBS
Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway Harris - Mad Men • AMC

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman - Breaking Bad • AMC
Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo 'Gus' Fring - Breaking Bad - AMC
Brendan Coyle as John Bates - Downton Abbey • PBS
Jim Carter as Mr. Carson - Downton Abbey • PBS
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister - Game Of Thrones • HBO
Jared Harris as Lane Pryce - Mad Men • AMC

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Tim Van Patten, Director - Boardwalk Empire • To The Lost • HBO
Vince Gilligan, Director - Breaking Bad • Face Off • AMC
Brian Percival, Director - Downton Abbey • Episode 7 • PBS
Michael Cuesta, Director - Homeland • Pilot • Showtime
Phil Abraham, Director - Mad Men • The Other Woman • AMC

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
American Horror Story • FX Networks
Game Change • HBO
Hatfields & McCoys • HISTORY
Hemingway & Gellhorn • HBO
Luther • BBC America
Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece) • PBS

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Connie Britton as Vivien Harmon - American Horror Story • FX Networks
Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin - Game Change • HBO
Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn - Hemingway & Gellhorn • HBO
Ashley Judd as Rebecca Winstone - Missing • ABC
Emma Thompson as She - The Song Of Lunch (Masterpiece) • PBS

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt - Game Change • HBO
Kevin Costner as 'Devil' Anse Hatfield - Hatfields & McCoys • HISTORY
Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy - Hatfields & McCoys • HISTORY
Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway - Hemingway & Gellhorn • HBO
Idris Elba as John Luther - Luther • BBC America
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece) • PBS

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or A Movie
Frances Conroy as Moira - American Horror Story • FX Networks
Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon - American Horror Story
Sarah Paulson as Nicolle Wallace - Game Change • HBO
Mare Winningham as Sally McCoy - Hatfields & McCoys • HISTORY
Judy Davis as Jill Tankard - Page Eight (Masterpiece) • PBS

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Denis O'Hare as Larry Harvey - American Horror Story • FX Networks
Ed Harris as John McCain - Game Change • HBO
Tom Berenger as Jim Vance - Hatfields & McCoys • HISTORY
David Strathairn as John Dos Passos - Hemingway & Gellhorn • HBO
Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson - Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece) • PBS

Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report • Comedy Central
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live • ABC
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon • NBC
Real Time With Bill Maher • HBO
Saturday Night Live • NBC

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special
84th Annual Academy Awards • ABC
Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute To America's Golden Girl • NBC
The Kennedy Center Honors • CBS
Louis C.K. Live At The Beacon Theatre • FX Networks
65th Annual Tony Awards • CBS

Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special
Don Mischer, Director - 84th Annual Academy Awards • ABC
Louis J. Horvitz, Director - The 54th Annual Grammy Awards • CBS
Louis C.K., Director - Louis C.K. Live At The Beacon Theatre • FX Networks Alan Skog, Director - New York City Ballet George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (Live From Lincoln Center) • PBS
Glenn Weiss, Director - 65th Annual Tony Awards • CBS

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race • CBS
Dancing With The Stars • ABC
Project Runway • Lifetime
So You Think You Can Dance • FOX
Top Chef • Bravo
The Voice • NBC

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Phil Keoghan, Host - The Amazing Race • CBS
Ryan Seacrest, Host - American Idol • FOX
Betty White, Host - Betty White’s Off Their Rockers • NBC
Tom Bergeron, Host - Dancing With The Stars • ABC
Cat Deeley, Host - So You Think You Can Dance • FOX

Photo credit: ©ABC