Primetime Emmys: Surprises, Upsets and the Changing Tide of How We Watch TV

The 2013 Emmy’s was brimming with talent and humor, as well as surprises and heart-touching tributes. Neil Patrick Harris hosted the show for a second time in his career. He hosted without being too overbearing, knowing when to let the stars shine and when to entertain. He had his own moment halfway through the show with a funny song and dance number ironically titled, “The Song in the Middle of the Show.”

As the show kicked off, it became clear that the acceptance speeches were an entertainment in themselves. The audience applauded and even laughed when appropriate, as the accepted their awards. The actors and actresses appeared sometimes awkward (Merrit Wever: “Um thank you so much! I gotta go, bye.”), sometimes hilarious (Julia-Louis Dreyfus: delivered speech with co-star Tony Hale holding her purse) and sometimes shocked (Jeff Daniels: didn’t even prepare a speech).

This year’s Emmy’s were more unpredictable than ever. While “Breaking Bad” fans were relieved to finally see the show win Best Drama, there were more than a few surprised faces when Jeff Daniels took the prize for Lead Actor, Drama. Some other surprise wins were Merritt Wever, Bobby Cannavale and The “Colbert Report.” Claire Danes won against Kerry Washington for Lead Actress in a drama series. Many were disappointed in Kerry’s loss because if had won, she would have been the first African American woman to win that title.

An interesting trend for readers to watch out for is maverick shows, such as “House of Cards,” which won an Emmy for best director. This show, like many others, started out on a network but was cancelled. Netflix then funded the money for the show to continue to air, but exclusively on Netflix. The fact that this show won an Emmy may indicate a growing trend in the television business as more and more viewers are turning to Netflix to keep up with their shows.

Some of the notable winners for this year were:

Drama Series: “Breaking Bad”

Lead Actor, Drama: Jeff Daniels (“Newsroom”)

Lead Actress, Drama: Claire Danes (“Homeland”)

Comedy Series: “Modern Family”

Lead Actor, Comedy: Jim Parsons (“Big Bang Theory”)

Lead Actress, Comedy: Julia Loius-Dreyfus (“Veep”)

Miniseries or Movie: “Behind the Candelabra”

Lead Actor, Miniseries/Movie: Michael Douglas (“Behind the Candelabra”)

Lead Actress, Miniseries/Movie: Laura Linney (“The Big C: Hereafter”)

The list of all of the nominees and winners can be found here.