{alltv} 'Mad Men,' 'Modern Family' capture top series Emmys

AMC's period drama Mad Men claimed its third straight Emmy and ABC's hit comedy Modern Family got its first in a night that honored stalwarts and newcomers alike.

Jim Parsons won the Emmy for best actor in a comedy, his first, for playing lovable nerd Sheldon in CBS' hit The Big Bang Theory, while Edie Falco, who won three Emmys for playing a Mob wife on The Sopranos, took home a fourth, for Showtime comedy Nurse Jackie.

HBO claimed every award in the movies and miniseries category: The Pacific won best miniseries and Temple Grandin won best movie and awards for best actress Claire Danes, supporting actors David Strathairn and Julia Ormond.

Al Pacino won the best-actor Emmy for portraying assisted-suicide expert Dr. Jack Kevorkian in HBO's You Don't Know Jack.

AMC, with four awards, had more than any broadcast network: Bryan Cranston won his third consecutive Emmy for playing teacher-turned-meth dealer Walter White in AMC's twisted drama Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul won for his supporting role in that series and Mad Men won for writing.

Elsewhere, Kyra Sedgwick was a first-time winner as best actress for her Southern detective in TNT drama The Closer, and Archie Panjabi of CBS' freshman hit The Good Wife won for supporting actress in a drama.

Eric Stonestreet, the flamboyant Cameron on Modern Family, won best supporting actor in a comedy, and Jane Lynch, the conniving cheerleading coach of Fox's musical Glee, won best supporting actress in a comedy.

Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart won its seventh consecutive Emmy as best variety/music/comedy series. And in the reality-competition series category, Bravo's Top Chef broke the seven-year winning streak of CBS' The Amazing Race, which has won every year since the category was created in 2003.

In other honors, Modern Family and Mad Men won top comedy and drama-writing Emmys, while Glee and Dexter won for directing. George Clooney won the TV Academy's fourth Humanitarian Award. And CBS' Tony Awards and NBC's Winter Olympics opening ceremonies won Emmys for writing and directing, respectively, in the variety/music/comedy specials category.

The 62nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards were presented at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, with Jimmy Fallon hosting on NBC.