Television's most meta night — where TV stars gather on TV to give each other TV awards — went down on Sunday evening, and the biggest story of the Emmys wasn't who won, but who didn't win. AMC's "Mad Men," which went into the show with 17 nominations — the most of any show — walked away with nothing, while a familiar awards powerhouse and a newcomer dominated the prizes.
The industry showed their love for Showtime's "Homeland," which after only one season walked away with four prizes including Best Drama Series, Best Writing and statues for its two leads, Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. Meanwhile, on the comedy end of the spectrum, "Modern Family" once again ruled the roost. Not even the critical acclaim of "Girls" or outsider favorites like "30 Rock" could stop ABC's crown jewel from landing Best Comedy Series, Supporting honors for Julie Bowen and Eric Stonestreet and Best Directing. But "Mad Men" wasn't alone in its drought — "Breaking Bad" also mostly went home empty handed, except for Aaron Paul's second Emmy win for Best Supporting Actor.
Full list of winners below. Who deserved a win and who missed out? Did you like Jimmy Kimmel as the host? Weigh in below.
Emmy Award Winners 2012
— Drama Series: "Homeland," Showtime.
— Actress, Drama Series: Claire Danes, "Homeland," Showtime.
— Actor, Drama Series: Damian Lewis, "Homeland," Showtime.
— Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad," AMC.
— Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey," PBS.
— Writing, Drama Series: Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff, "Homeland," Showtime.
— Directing, Drama Series: Tim Van Patten, "Boardwalk Empire," HBO.
— Comedy Series: "Modern Family," ABC.
— Actor, Comedy Series: Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men," CBS.
— Actress, Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep," HBO.
— Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Julie Bowen, "Modern Family," ABC.
— Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family," ABC.
— Writing, Comedy Series: Louis C.K, "Louie," FX Networks.
— Directing, Comedy Series: Steven Levitan, "Modern Family," ABC.
— Miniseries or Movie: "Game Change," HBO.
— Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Julianne Moore, "Game Change," HBO.
— Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys," History.
— Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story," FX Networks.
— Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys," History.
— Directing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Jay Roach, "Game Change," HBO.
— Writing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Danny Strong, "Game Change," HBO.
— Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race," CBS.
— Host, Reality-Competition Program: Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With the Stars," ABC.
— Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.
— Writing for a Variety Special: Louis C.K., "Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre," FX Networks.
— Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Special: Glenn Weiss, 65th Annual Tony Awards, CBS.
