It's a wrap for the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards. TV's brightest stars all gathered at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles last night to celebrate their work in the television industry.
New York Times noted that it was a night of firsts for many, including Jon Hamm, who finally bagged his first best lead actor in a drama series. Hamm has been nominated seven times in the past for his work in "Mad Men," but he hasn't taken home the trophy until now.
"There's been a mistake, clearly," the actor jokingly said as he accepted his award. "It's impossible to be named with all of those extraordinary gentlemen. It's impossible to have done this show with this incredible cast, these incredible people, our incredible writers, our incredible crew. And it's incredible and impossible for me, personally, to be standing up here."
"How to Get Away With Murder" actress Viola Davis also made a historical first, when she won best lead actress in a drama series, the first African-American woman to have done so.
"Let me tell you something: the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there," Davis said in her emotional speech. She also acknowledged fellow black actresses Kerry Washington, Taraji P. Henson and Gabrielle Union.
The director of "Transparent," Jill Soloway, won her first Emmy and discussed the issues hounding the transgender community in her speech, saying, "We don't have a trans tipping point yet. We have a trans civil rights problem." Jeffrey Tambor, the show's lead star, also won best actor in a comedy series.
While there were indeed many firsts, there were also repeat victories. For the fourth consecutive year, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won best actress in a comedy series for "Veep." The show bagged three other major awards, including most outstanding comedy series.
The biggest and most talked-about winner of the night was "Game of Thrones." HBO's most watched series took home a total of 12 trophies, including the eight they won at recent Creative Arts Emmys. According to Entertainment Weekly, "GoT" broke a major record previously held by "The West Wing," taking home more Emmys in a single year than any other show.
Peter Dinklage was hailed as most outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his role as Tyrion Lannister, his second Emmy for the said role. The show's controversial finale episode, where Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) walked the streets of King's Landing naked, won for its outstanding direction. Writers David Benioff and Dan Weiss also won in the outstanding writing for a drama series category. "Game of Thrones" took home the final award of the night, as it was crowned most outstanding drama series. Benoiff and Weiss took to the stage and thanked HBO for "believing in dragons."
CNN has a complete list of winners.
