HBO claimed the hardware at the annual Emmy Awards. Viola Davis, Jon Hamm and Tracy Morgan captured the hearts.
In the 67th edition of the television awards show Sunday, Davis became the first woman of color to win best actress in a drama series. Hamm was a sentimental favorite for winning best actor in his last chance with "Mad Men," and Morgan was an emotional surprise in appearing onstage following his traumatic brain injury in an auto accident last year.
For sheer awards tonnage, it was a triumph for HBO. The pay cable network won 14 awards Sunday night, with "Game of Thrones" named best drama, "Veep" best comedy and the miniseries "Olive Kitteridge" best limited series.
The next closest network was Comedy Central with four. Add in the creative arts Emmys awarded a week ago and HBO took a total of 43 awards (NBC was second with 12). The fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" was the most-honored program in any single year, with a total of 12 awards.
Davis won for her portrayal of a lawyer and professor in the ABC freshman drama "How to Get Away With Murder." She invoked the words and spirit of 19th-century American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in accepting the award.
Hamm had been nominated seven times before for his portrayal of Don Draper in the AMC drama and hadn't won. The series ended this past year, with Hamm featured in a memorable scene parodied by Emmys host Andy Samberg earlier in the show. It has been a rough year for the actor, who underwent a stint in rehab and broke up with a longtime girlfriend, and the emotion showed on his face.
Morgan, the former "Saturday Night Live" star whose limousine was struck by a Wal-Mart truck in June 2014, presented the best drama award and got a warm welcome from the audience.
Samberg was a witty host, with an on-point opening montage that touched on the latest worry among television executives: that there are just too many shows out there for people to keep track of.
"Veep" claimed the top comedy award that ABC's "Modern Family" had won for five straight years. In fact, it's only the third different comedy to win an Emmy in nine years; "30 Rock" had won for the three years before that.
"Transparent" captured a best comedy actor award for Jeffrey Tambor.
List of Emmy winners
Drama Series: Game of Thrones," HBO.
Actor, Drama Series: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men," AMC.
Actress, Drama: Viola Davis, "How to Get Away With Murder," ABC.
Supporting Actor, Drama: Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones," HBO.
Supporting Actress, Drama: Uzo Aduba, "Orange is the New Black," Netflix.
Directing, Drama: David Nutter, "Game of Thrones," HBO.
Writing, Drama: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, "Game of Thrones," HBO.
Comedy Series: "Veep," HBO.
Actor, Comedy: Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent," Amazon Instant Video.
Actress, Comedy: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep," HBO.
Supporting Actor, Comedy: Tony Hale, "Veep," HBO.
Supporting Actress, Comedy: Allison Janney, "Mom," CBS.
Directing, Comedy: Jill Soloway, "Transparent," Amazon Instant Video.
Writing, Comedy Series: Simon Blackwell, Amando Iannucci, Tony Roche, "Veep," HBO.
Limited Series: "Olive Kitteridge," HBO.
Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Richard Jenkins, "Olive Kitteridge," HBO.
Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Frances McDormand, "Olive Kitteridge," HBO.
Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Bill Murray, "Olive Kitteridge," HBO.
Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Regina King, "American Crime," ABC.
Directing, Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special: Lisa Cholodenko, "Olive Kitteridge," HBO.
Writing, Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special: Jane Anderson, "Olive Kitteridge," HBO.
Variety Talk Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.
Directing, Variety Series: Chuck O'Neil, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."
Variety Sketch Series: "Inside Amy Schumer," Comedy Central.
Writing, Variety Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.
Reality-Competition Program: "The Voice," NBC.