66th Primetime Emmys 2014 Winners and Highlights [Recap]

Tonight’s the night when the stars come out at the 66th Primetime Emmys 2014! The Primetime Emmys were held this year at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California, on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT. Comedian and Late Night host Seth Meyers was the host of the Primetime Emmys for the first time and it also marks the first time that the Emmys were on a Monday night since 1976. Billy Crystal is going to do a tribute to actor and comedian Robin Williams that is sure to be one of the highlights of the evening. Read on, to find out who were the winners and what the highlights were at the 66th Primetime Emmys 2014!

The 66th Primetime Emmys 2014 began with the host, Seth Meyers, doing a monologue. He cracked jokes about the VMAs, why the Emmys was being held both a month earlier than usual, and ones explaining why it was the first Monday Emmys since 1976.

“We had comedies that made you laugh and dramadies that made you cry, because they were submitted as comedies,” Meyers said, referring to Orange is the New Black (Netflix) which was placed in the category of Outstanding Comedy Series.

“Congratulations to HBO. They have 99 nominations, the most of any network. Not to be outdone, NBC is also a network,” he quipped.

Meyers also mentioned that Netflix had been nominated for 33 Emmys. “Game of Thrones was the most pirated show, and Duck Dynasty was the most VCR taped,” Seth continued.

Seth said “Please welcome my beautiful and talented friend, Beyonce,” but it was really Amy Poehler. She presented the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy. The Emmy went to Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy on Modern Family (Episode: “Spring-a-Ding-Fling”)(ABC). His acceptance speech was, he said, written by the kids from Modern Family.

The next presenters were the new Peter Pan, Allison Williams, from Girls (HBO), and Zooey Deschanel from New Girl. They presented the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Writing in a Comedy Series. The Emmy went to Louis C.K., his sixth win and 30th nomination. It was for Louie (Episode: “So Did the Fat Lady”)

The next presenter was Jimmy Kimmel. He presented the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. It was won by Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett on Mom (Episode: “Estrogen and a Hearty Breakfast”)(CBS). It was her sixth Emmy win.

Uzo Aduba presented the Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series. The Emmy went to Gail Mancuso for Modern Family (Episode: “Las Vegas”)(ABC). She wore a beautiful blue evening gown.

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Bryan Crandel presented the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The Emmy went to Jim Parsons as Dr. Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory (Episode: “The Relationship Diremption”)(CBS). It is his fourth Emmy.

Jimmy Fallon was the next presenter of the evening. He presented the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss won for VEEP as Vice President Selina Meyer (Episode: “Crate”)(HBO). It is her third consecutive win. “It was a huge labor of love,” she said in her acceptance speech.

Mindy Kaling and John Mulaney presented the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program. The Emmy was won by The Amazing Race. It is the show’s 10th win in this category.

Seth then answered some questions from the audience about the Emmys. Jon Hamm wondered when the Emmys would be televised, and Seth said they were being televised right now. Melisa McCarthy wondered if she would have her car towed. Seth said “Yes.”

Fred Armisen wondered if “this was a thing that should be done every year.” Seth said “It already is being done every year.”

The Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama. It was won by Steven Moffat for Sherlock, “His Last Vow.” It is his first Emmy. He is a lifelong fan of Dr. Who. He said “Thank you so much; this is utterly thrilling.”

The Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie was the next Emmy presented. It went to Kathy Bates as Delphine LaLaurie for American Horror Story: Coven.

Steven Colbert presented the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. He said that he was “miffed” that his “imaginary friend, Roscoe, standing right on the stage beside me,” was overlooked and was not nominated. The winner of the Emmy was Martin Freeman, as Dr. John Watson, for Sherlock, “His Last Vow.”

Scott Bakula and Kate Walsh then came onstage to present the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie. The director who won the Emmy was Colin Bucksey for Fargo (Episode: “Buridan’s Ass”). “It was such a surprise. I got back from the lou just in time,” he said.

Seth and Amy Poehler introduced Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Woody imitated Matthew, saying “Alright, alright, alright!” Matthew asked Woody what he did when he had a problem or conflict. He said that Woody told him “I just forget about it.” They presented the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. Benedict Cumberbatch won the award for Sherlock “His Last Vow.”

Liev Schreiber and Kerry Washington presented the Emmy for Outstinding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. The Emmy was won by Jessica Lange for American Horror Story: Coven. It is the third time she has won an Emmy. “I’m profoundly surprised by this — but very grateful,” she said.

Andy Samberg joined Seth onstage, saying “It’s an honor to be co-hosting the Emmys tonight!” Seth told him that he was not co-hosting the Emmys tonight. Weird Al came onstage and did a revamped version of TV theme songs. It was very cool, definitely one of the highlights so far on the Emmys. Talk about “Must See TV!”

Next up was the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. The Emmy went to Fargo (FX). It received 8 Emmy nominations this year.

Julianna Margulies was the next presenter. She presented the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. The Emmy went to The Normal Heart (HBO). It received 9 nominations this year. Brian Murphy accepted the Emmy. The audience gave him a standing ovation. “This is for the hundreds of thousands of artists who have passed away from AIDS since 1991,” he said.

Ricky Gervais said he was nominated 21 times and lost every time. He said that Jim Parsons wining four times in a row “just wasn’t fair.” Gervais presented the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Special. The Emmy was won by Sarah Silverman for “We Are Miracles.” Sarah said “We are all just made of molecules and we’re hurling through space right now.”

The next Emmy was for Outstanding Director for Variety Show. The Emmy was won by Glenn Weiss for the 67th Tony Awards (CBS).

Gwen Stefani and Adam Levine were the next presenters. They presented the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Show. The Emmy went to The Colbert Report. It received six nominations and it is the second win for the show in this category. Steven came onstage to accept it, but Fallon gave the speech, saying that, since the name of the show was mispronounced by the presenters, it must not be for The Colbert Report. But, then, after Steven whispered something in Fallon’s ear, Colbert took over and gave a brief acceptance speech.

Lucy Liu then presented the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The Emmy was won by Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad (Episode: “Confessions”)(AMC). “Oh, wow, uh, I feel like I’m going to throw up,” Aaron Paul said. “I am standing up here because of one man — Vince Gilligan,” he added. He also thanked Bryan Cranston and his wife, among others.

The song Smile When Your Heart is Breaking was sung as photos and scenes of the actors, actresses, directors who passed away this past year were shown. Far too many talented individuals were included in the tribute. Maya Angelou said in a clip “I am grateful to be loved.”

Then, Billy Crystal gave a very touching and heart-felt tribute to his friend, Robin Williams. He told about going to see the New York Mets with Robin one time. “He could be funny anywhere,” Crystal said. He added “He was the greatest friend that you could ever imagine. For almost 40 years, he was the brightest star in the celestial galaxy.” Then, behind Billy Crystal, scenes of Robin Williams were shown. Robin will be sorely missed.

Debra Messing and Jim Parsons were the next presenters. The Emmy that they presented was for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series. The Emmy was won by Cary Joji Fukunaga for True Detective (Episode: “Who Goes There”)(HBO).

The same presenters then presented the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The Emmy went to Anna Gunn from Breaking Bad (Episode: “Ozymandias”)(AMC). It marked her second consecutive win for the role of Skyler White.

Then, the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series went to Breaking Bad (Episode: “Ozymandias”), Written by Moira Walley-Beckett (AMC). “Vince Gilligan, this is your fault!” she said “Thank you for your mentorship and mad skills, yo!” she said.

Viola Davis then presented the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The Emmy went to Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife (Episode: “The Last Call”)(CBS). It was her third Emmy win.

Then, Julia Roberts presented the Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. There were a lot of very talented actors nominated. The winner of the Emmy was Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad. It is his fifth Emmy win.

“Even I thought about voting for Matthew,” he said. “I was a kid who always looked for the short cut. My own family nicknamed me ‘Sneaky Pete’ — my own family,” he continued. He called the role of Walter White “the role of a lifetime.” He added “Don’t settle for mediocrity.”

Jay Leno was the next presenter. He presented the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. It was won by Modern Family (ABC). Modern Family was nominated 10 times and it is the 6th win in this category.

Halle Berry presented the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series after a commercial break. It was the final Emmy award presented. The Emmy was won by Breaking Bad! WOO-HOO! It received seven nominations this year. Vince Gilligan accepted the Emmy.

The 66th Primetime Emmys was definitely a night when the stars came out. The winners of the Emmys deserve the awards, though all of the people and shows nominated were also extremely good. Billy Crystal’s heart-felt tribute to Robin Williams and Weird Al coming onstage to sing his version of TV theme songs were two of the highlights of the Emmys. Breaking Bad was one of the big winners of the evening, with Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston winning Emmys and the show, itself, taking the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

Written By Douglas Cobb