Showtime series Homeland swept the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards netting popular awards for Damien Lewis (Best Actor), Claire Danes (Best Actress), and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Best Drama Series.
The Primetime wins helped Homeland secure its place as the Emmy's surprise hit of 2012. Lewis beat out Emmy favourites Jon Hamm and Bryan Cranston, who himself won the award twice for his role as Walter White in AMC’s Breaking Bad.
HBO’s Game Change tied with Homeland with four awards won, including Jay Roach’s Best Director for a Miniseries and Outstanding Miniseries. Combined with the Creative Arts Emmy wins, Homeland won a collective six awards this Emmy season.
Despite Showtime’s popular wins, HBO came out on top earning six awards in total for their programs nominated. ABC came soon after with five awards with its flagship show Modern Family earning an Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series award for Steven Levitan and Outstanding Comedy Series.
Aussie actors Nicole Kidman and Judy Davis missed out on Emmys this year. Kidman was nominated for Lead Actress in Miniseries or Movie Emmy for her role as Martha Gellhorn in Hemingway & Gellhorn but lost out to Julianne Moore and her performance of Sarah Palin in Game Change. Davis as Jill Tankard in Page Eight was nominated for Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie but lost out to Jessica Lange’s turn as Constance Langdon in American Horror Story.
Louis C.K. won for Best Writing for a Comedy Series for his FX show Louie, and Best Writing for a Variety Special for his Live at the Beacon Theatre special. The Mexican-American comedian performed a variation of this set while at the Just For Laughs Festival at the Opera House last year. Live at The Beacon was released online through his website for $5 and proved a big success, netting C.K. over $US1 million in 12 days.
The Creative Arts and Primetime Emmy winners are:
COMEDY SERIES
– "Modern Family" (ABC)
COMEDY ACTOR
– Jon Cryer as Alan Harper in "Two and a Half Men"
COMEDY ACTRESS
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer in "Veep"
SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
– Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker in "Modern Family
SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
– Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy in "Modern Family"
DRAMA SERIES
– "Homeland" (Showtime)
DRAMA ACTRESS
– Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in "Homeland"
DRAMA ACTOR
– Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody in "Homeland"
SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
– Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey"
SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
– Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in "Breaking Bad"
MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
– "Game Change" (HBO)
LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
– Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in "Game Change"
LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
– Kevin Costner as 'Devil' Anse Hatfield in "Hatfields & McCoys"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
– Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon in "American Horror Story"
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
– Tom Berenger as Jim Vance in "Hatfields & McCoys"
VARIETY SERIES
– "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central)
REALITY PROGRAM
– "Undercover Boss" (CBS)
REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
– "The Amazing Race" (CBS)
HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
– Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With the Stars"
ANIMATED PROGRAM
– "The Penguins of Madagascar: The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole" (Nickelodeon)
SHORT-FORMAT ANIMATED PROGRAM
– "Regular Show" (Cartoon Network)
CHILDREN'S PROGRAM
– "Wizards of Waverly Place" (Disney Channel
CHILDREN'S NONFICTION, REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
– "Sesame Street: Growing Hope Against Hunger" (PBS)
GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
– Kathy Bates as Charlie Harper in "Two and a Half Men"
GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
– Jimmy Fallon, host in "Saturday Night Live"
GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
– Martha Plimpton as Patti Nyholm in "The Good Wife"
GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
– Jeremy Davies as Dickie Bennett in "Justified"
VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE
– Maurice LaMarche as Clamps, Donbot, Hyperchicken, Calculon, Hedonismbot, Morbo in "Futurama"
DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
– Steven Levitan, "Modern Family"
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
– Louis C.K., "Louie"
DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
– Tim Van Patten, "Boardwalk Empire"
WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
– Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff, "Homeland"
DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
– Jay Roach, "Game Change"
WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
– Danny Strong, "Game Change"
SPECIAL-CLASS SHORT-FORMAT LIVE-ACTION ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMS
– "Childrens Hospital" (Cartoon Network)
DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
– Glenn Weiss, "65th Annual Tony Awards"
WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES
– "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Tim Carvell (head writer), Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Steve Bodow, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, & Jon Stewart
WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
– "Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre," Louis C.K.
NONFICTION SERIES
– "Frozen Planet" (Discovery Channel)
NONFICTION SPECIAL
– "George Harrison: Living in the Material World" (HBO)
SPECIAL-CLASS SHORT-FORMAT NONFICTION PROGRAM
– "DGA Moments in Time" (dga.org)
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING
– "Have You Heard From Johannesburg (Independent Lens)" (PBS)
DIRECTING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
– Martin Scorsese, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World"
WRITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
– Geoffrey C. Ward, "Prohibition"
ART DIRECTION FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
– "2 Broke Girls," Glenda Rovella & Amy Feldman
ART DIRECTION FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
– "Boardwalk Empire," Bill Groom, Adam Scher & Carol Silverman
– "Game of Thrones," Gemma Jackson, Frank Walsh & Tina Jones
ART DIRECTION FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
– "Great Expectations," David Roger, Paul Ghirardani & Jo Kornstein
ART DIRECTION FOR VARIETY OR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
– "The 54th Annual Grammy Awards," Brian Stonestreet, Alana Billingsley & Matt Steinbrenner
– "65th Annual Tony Awards," Steve Bass & Seth Easter
"The Voice," Anton Goss, James Connelly & Zeya Maurera
CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
– "Girls," Jennifer Euston
CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
– "Homeland," Junie Lowry Johnson, Libby Goldstein, Judy Henderson, Craig Fincannon, & Lisa Mae Fincannon
CASTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
– "Game Change," David Rubin, Richard Hicks, Pat Moran, & Kathleen Chopin
OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
– "Smash" (Routines: "Let's Be Bad"/"Never Met A Wolf"), Joshua Bergasse
CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES
– Steven V. Silver, "Two and a Half Men"
CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
– Jonathan Freeman, "Boardwalk Empire"
CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
– Florian Hoffmeister, "Great Expectations"
CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
– Cinematography team, "Frozen Planet"
CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
– Cinematography Team, "Deadliest Catch"
COMMERCIAL
– "Best Job" (Procter & Gamble Corporate Brand), Wieden + Kennedy & Anonymous Content
COSTUMES FOR A SERIES
– "Game of Thrones," Michele Clapton, Alexander Fordham & Chloe Aubry
COSTUMES FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
– "Great Expectations," Annie Symons & Yvonne Duckett
SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
– "Homeland," Jordan Goldman & David Latham
SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
– "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Steven A. Rasch, A.C.E.
MULTI-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
– "How I Met Your Mother," Sue Federman
SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
– "Hatfields & McCoys," Don Cassidy
PICTURE EDITING FOR SHORT-FORM SEGMENTS AND VARIETY SPECIALS
– "2012 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony," Bill DeRonde, Chris Lovett, Mark Stepp, Pi Ware, John Zimmer & Ben Folts
PICTURE EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
– "Frozen Planet," Andy Netley
PICTURE EDITING FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING
– "Deadliest Catch," Josh Earl (supervising editor) & Alex Durham
HAIRSTYLING FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
– "Downton Abbey," Anne "Nosh" Oldham & Christine Greenwood
HAIRSTYLING FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES OR SPECIAL
– "Saturday Night Live," Bettie O. Rogers, Jodi Mancuso, Inga Thrasher, Jennifer Stauffer, Cara Hannah Sullivan & Christal Schanes
HAIRSTYLING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
– "American Horror Story," Monte C. Haught, Samantha Wade, Melanie Verkins, Natalie Driscoll & Michelle Ceglia
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
– "The Team Coco Sync App" (TBS)
INTERACTIVE MEDIA – ORIGINAL INTERACTIVE TELEVISION PROGRAMMING
– "Dirty Work" (rides.tv)
LIGHTING DESIGN/LIGHTING DIRECTION FOR A VARIETY SERIES
– "So You Think You Can Dance," Robert Barnhart, Matt Firestone, Pete Radice & Patrick Boozer
LIGHTING DESIGN/LIGHTING DIRECTION FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
– "The 54th Annual Grammy Awards," Robert A. Dickinson, Jon Kusner, Travis Hagenbuch & Andy O'Reilly
MAIN TITLE DESIGN
– "Great Expectations," Nic Benns, Rodi Kaya & Tom Bromwich
MAKEUP FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES (NON-PROSTHETIC)
– "Game of Thrones," Paul Engelen & Melissa Lackersteen
MAKEUP FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES OR SPECIAL (NON-PROSTHETIC)
– "Dancing With the Stars," Zena Shteysel, Angela Moos, Patti Ramsey Bortoli, Barbara Fonte, Sarah Woolf & Nadege Shoenfeld
MAKEUP FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
– "Hatfields & McCoys," Mario Michisanti & Francesca Tampieri
PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
– "The Walking Dead," Greg Nicotero, Jake Garber, Andy Schoneberg, Kevin Wasner, Gino Crognale & Carey Jonse
MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A SERIES (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)
– "Downton Abbey," John Lunn
MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
– "Hemingway & Gellhorn," Javier Navarrete
MUSIC DIRECTION
– "The Kennedy Center Honors," Rob Berman & Rob Mathes
ORIGINAL MUSIC AND LYRICS
– "65th Annual Tony Awards" (song: "It's Not Just For Gays Anymore"), Adam Schlesinger & David Javerbaum
ORIGINAL MAIN TITLE THEME MUSIC
– "Page Eight," Paul Englishby
SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES
– "Game of Thrones," Peter Brown, Kira Roessler, Tim Hands, Paul Aulicino, Stephen P. Robinson, Vanessa Lapato, Brett Voss, James Moriana, Jeffrey Wilhoit & David Klotz
SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL
– "Hemingway & Gellhorn," Douglas Murray, Peter Horner, Kim Foscato, Steve Boeddeker, Casey Langfelder, Andrea Gard, Pat Jackson, Daniel Laurie, Goro Kayama, Andy Malcom & Joanie Diener
SOUND EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
– "Frozen Planet," Kate Hopkins, Tim Owens & Paul Fisher
SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR)
– "Game of Thrones," Matthew Waters, Onnalee Blank, Ronan Hill & Mervyn Moore
SOUND MIXING FOR MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
– "Hatfields & McCoys," Dragos Stanomir
SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (HALF-HOUR)
– "Modern Family," Stephen A. Tibbo, Dean Okrand, & Brian R. Harman
SOUND MIXING FOR A VARIETY SERIES OR SPECIAL
– "84th Annual Academy Awards," Paul Sandweiss, Tommy Vicari, Pablo Munguia & Kristian Pedregon
SOUND MIXING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
– "Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies," Tom Paul
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
– "Game of Thrones," Rainer Gombos, Juri Stanossek, Sven Martin, Steve Kullback, Jan Fiedler, Chris Stenner, Tobias Mannewitz, Thilo Ewers & Adam Chazen
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
– "Boardwalk Empire," Dave Taritero, Robert Stromberg, Richard Friedlander, Eran Dinur, David W. Reynolds, Matthew Conner, Austin Meyers, Jonathan Dorfman & Steve Kirshoff
STUNT COORDINATION
– "Southland," Richard "Peewee" Piemonte
TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO CONTROL FOR A SERIES
– "Saturday Night Live," Steven Cimino, John Pinto, Paul Cangialosi, Len Wechsler, Barry Frischer, Eric A. Eisenstein, Susan Noll & Frank Grisanti
"30 Rock," Steven Cimino, Barry Frischer, John Pinto, Charlie Huntley, Tim Quigley, Eric A. Eisenstein, Richard B. Fox, Marc Bloomgarden, Gerard Sava, Jeffrey Dutemple, Susan Noll & Frank Grisanti
TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO CONTROL FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE
– "Memphis (Great Performances)," Steven Cimino, Paul J. Cangialosi, John Pinto, Chuck Goslin, Barry Frischer, Jeff Latonero, Len Wechsler, Susan Noll & J.M. Hurley