Heartbreak, triumph and Gilligan. The 2014 Primetime Emmys were very much an exercise in nostalgia, from the rousing memorial service to Robin Williams, delivered by his good friend and fellow comedian Billy Crystal, to the tremendous performance by Vince Gilligan’s gone-but-never-forgotten “Breaking Bad.”
The perennial Emmy star-child shone as brightly as ever in its final season, bidding a graceful farewell to a faithful audience on its way to a sweep of all three acting nominations it received.
Bryan Cranston (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series), Anna Gunn (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series) and Aaron Paul (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series) were joined onstage first by writer Moira Walley-Beckett, who won Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for “Ozymandias,” otherwise known as the greatest forty-odd minutes of television ever produced, and then finally by the remainder of their cast and crew as “Breaking Bad” took home its final Emmy ever, for Outstanding Drama Series.
“Modern Family” once again won Outstanding Comedy Series, tying it for the most consecutive wins in that category all-time with “Frasier,” and Ty Burrell notched his second win for his portrayal of the goofy, but well-meaning dad, Phil Dunphy. As expected, Jim Parsons defended his Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” as the cherry on top of the cake that was his and his costars’ recent pay raise.
Cary Joji Fukunaga’s generously lauded “True Detective,” considered a favorite for several top awards, didn’t quite go home empty-handed, as its episode “Who Goes There” won for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Among movies and miniseries, “Sherlock: His Last Vow” was tops, taking home trophies for lead actor and supporting actor by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, respectively, as well as writing for Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Martin Freeman’s other major foray into television, FX’s miniseries “Fargo,” won for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie and Oustanding Direction of a Miniseries or Movie, beating out locally-filmed “American Horror Story: Coven” for both. Not to be outdone, however, “Coven” boasted five female acting nominations, for Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, Frances Conroy, Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange, the latter two of which won for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie, respectively.
Amidst the bright lights and the big city, the most special moment of the night belonged to Robin Williams, as Crystal calmly related some of the funnier moments the two shared together before Williams’ untimely passing.
“He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him,” Crystal said, echoing the sentiments of so many in the audience. Preceding the memorial service to Williams was a series of tributes to the other giants of the film and television industry who had passed in the last twelve months, accompanied by Sara Bareilles’ lovely rendition of “Smile.”
Among the show’s most memorable moments included an awards presentation by Cranston and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in “Veep,” during which the two shared a sultry stage kiss in a clever tribute to the brief time they shared together on “Seinfeld,” in which Cranston played Elaine’s dentist love interest.