Emmys 2012 recap: “Homeland,” “Modern Family” win big

Jon Hamm is a loser.

It’s not often you can write a story with that line in it, but when you’re talking about the Emmys, it’s a fact. Despite being the driving force behind one of the most acclaimed series in TV history, Don Draper has yet to take him Emmy gold. At the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Hamm ran into a buzz saw headed up by Showtime’s terrorist drama Homeland, which finally unseated Mad Men as Outstanding Drama Series, and also secured Showtime’s first win in that prestigious category.

Beyond that, however, the night went mostly according to form, with Modern Family once again being an Emmy magnet, with Julie Bowen and Eric Stonestreet beating out fields of competitors that mostly included their costars, while creator Steven Levitan also took home gold. The Homeland coming out party also included wins for stars Damien Lewis and Claire Danes, who despite an often-businesslike acceptance speech did eke out the one of the night’s most memorable lines (“Mandy Patinkin, holla!”).

Host Jimmy Kimmel (who perhaps did too well in accomplishing his goal of not getting in the way of the proceedings) had quipped that movie stars have tended to win a disproportionate amount of Emmys in the past, simply because the TV industry was so thankful to have them deign to appear on the small screen. He was proven prophetic with wins by Kevin Costner, Jessica Lange, Tom Berenger and Julianne Moore.

Jon Stewart cracked about the predictability of the ceremony — The Daily Show won its freaking 10th Emmy in a row — by saying aliens would one day come to Earth and discover a bunch of these strange statues in a box and wonder what was going on. He also said a 10th victory should have netted his team a sandwich. Elsewhere in comedy, Louis C.K. took home a writing award for Louie, as well as one for his groundbreaking (by means of streaming it live online and making a bundle) Live from the Beacon Theatre special.

Here’s a complete list of winners from TV’s big night, with the winners in bold.

DRAMA SERIES

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Mad Men (AMC)

Claire Danes and Damian Lewis won Emmys for "Homeland"DRAMA ACTRESS

Glenn Close (Damages)
Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law)
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)

DRAMA ACTOR

Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey)
Damian Lewis (Homeland)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)

SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS

Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey)
Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)

SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR

Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad)
Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey)
Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Jared Harris (Mad Men)

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Girls (HBO)
Modern Family (ABC)
30 Rock (NBC)
Veep (HBO)

COMEDY ACTOR

Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Don Cheadle (House of Lies)
Louis C.K. (Louie)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)

COMEDY ACTRESS

Lena Dunham (Girls)
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly)
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)

Eric Stonestreet wins Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 64th Annual Primetime EmmysSUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Ed O’Neill (Modern Family)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Max Greenfield (New Girl)
Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live)

SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS

Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)
Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives)
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie)
Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)

MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE

American Horror Story (FX)
Game Change (HBO)
Hatfields & McCoys (History)
Hemingway & Gellhorn (HBO)
Luther (BBC America)
Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (PBS)

Julianne Moore wins an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Movie for "Game Change"LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Connie Britton (American Horror Story)
Julianne Moore (Game Change)
Nicole Kidman (Hemingway & Gellhorn)
Ashley Judd (Missing)
Emma Thompson (The Song of Lunch)

LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Woody Harrelson (Game Change)
Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys)
Bill Paxton (Hatfields & McCoys)
Clive Owen (Hemingway & Gellhorn)
Idris Elba (Luther)
Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Frances Conroy (American Horror Story)
Jessica Lange (American Horror Story)
Sarah Paulson (Game Change)
Mare Winningham (Hatfields & McCoys)
Judy Davis (Page Eight)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Denis O’Hare (American Horror Story)
Ed Harris (Game Change)
Tom Berenger (Hatfields & McCoys)
David Strathairn (Hemingway & Gellhorn)
Martin Freeman (Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia)

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)

"The Amazing Race" wins for Reality-Competition Series at the 64th Annual Primetime Emmys

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)

HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM

Phil Keoghan (The Amazing Race)
Ryan Seacrest (American Idol)
Betty White (Betty White’s Off Their Rockers)
Tom Bergeron (Dancing With the Stars)
Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can Dance)

Photos: ABC/RICK ROWELL