Emmy history was made 10 years ago when Netflix became the first online streaming service to receive major nominations — and this wasn’t the only indication that TV viewing was changing. ABC, CBS and NBC had dominated the awards since the beginning, with HBO becoming a major contender over the previous decade; other networks like Fox, PBS and Showtime would occasionally receive bids as well. However, that year, major nominations were split between a dozen sources, including the Big Four networks, premium networks, cable networks and Netflix. Despite the shakeups, many of the victors were repeat winners, although a highly acclaimed series and a veteran comedian each received overdue Emmys. On September 22, 2013, Neil Patrick Harris hosted the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards on CBS for the second time. Read on for our Emmys flashback 10 years ago to 2013.
AMC network produced two shows that competed with each other for Best Drama Series and Best Drama Actor many times between 2008 and 2014. “Mad Men” took home Best Drama every year from 2008-2011, and both series lost to “Homeland” in 2012. However, “Breaking Bad” finally got its first series win this year, and would go on to win for the second half of its final season the following year. Netflix achieved its first major nomination in this category, for “House of Cards.” None of the Big Three networks garnered nominations in this category. The final nominees were PBS’s “Downton Abbey,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and Showtime’s “Homeland.”
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While “Mad Men” had the most wins for Best Drama with four, “Breaking Bad” had already earned three Best Drama Actor wins for Bryan Cranston, who was up for the fifth time for this role, while Jon Hamm was looking at his sixth nomination with no wins for “Mad Men.” At this ceremony, both were bested by first-time nominee Jeff Daniels, who won for the HBO series “The Newsroom.” Also in contention were Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”), Damian Lewis (“Homeland”) and Kevin Spacey (“House of Cards”). Cranston would go on to win one more time, and Hamm would finally get his Emmy in 2015 on his eighth nomination for his role as Don Draper.
Claire Danes earned her second Best Drama Actress statue in a row for her role as Carrie Mathison on “Homeland.” Also competing in the category were Connie Britton (“Nashville”), Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”), Vera Farmiga (“Bates Motel”), Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”), Kerry Washington (“Scandal”) and Robin Wright (“House of Cards”).
Four dramas received nominations in both Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Anna Gunn won on the actress side, for “Breaking Bad,” while her costars Jonathan Banks and Aaron Paul each received a bid for supporting actor. However, the victor in that category was Bobby Cannavale for “Boardwalk Empire.” The other series earning bids for both were “Downton Abbey” (Jim Carter, Maggie Smith), “Game of Thrones” (Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke) and “Homeland” (Mandy Patinkin, Morena Baccarin). Also receiving noms for supporting actress were Christine Baranski (“The Good Wife”) and Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”).
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While “Breaking Bad” finally earned its first Emmy for Best Drama Series, ABC’s “Modern Family” was continuing its winning streak, with its fourth consecutive Emmy for Best Comedy Series. And while none of the Big Three networks were represented for Best Drama and had very few drama acting noms, they showed they were still in the game with their comedies. NBC was represented by “30 Rock” and CBS by “The Big Bang Theory.” FX had one show in the running, “Louie,” while HBO had two series in contention, “Girls” and “Veep,” the latter of which scored a big win.
While “Modern Family” was on its downward winning streak (it would win once more), Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ was beginning. She won her second of six consecutive Best Comedy Actress statues for “Veep,” and would eventually become the most nominated and most awarded actress in this category. Her fellow nominees were Laura Dern (“Enlightened”), Lena Dunham (“Girls”), Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie”), Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”) and Tina Fey (“30 Rock”). Although Fey lost this category, she won for for Best Comedy Writing for the last episode of the series (shared with Tracey Wigfield).
Best Comedy Actor also had a repeat winner, with Jim Parsons receiving his third statue for his role as Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory.” Also competing were Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”), Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development), Don Cheadle (“House of Lies”) and Matt LeBlanc (“Episodes”). The final nominee was Louis C.K., who earned a total of nine nominations at this ceremony, winning for Best Writing for a Variety Special (“Louis C.K. Oh My God”).
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The cast from “Modern Family” always competed in the supporting categories, and dominated those ballots with a total of five bids: Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ed O’Neill were up for Best Supporting Actor, while Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara received bids for Best Supporting Actress. However, the champs were two first-time champs, with Tony Hale (“Veep”) winning for actor, and Merritt Wever (“Nurse Jackie”) prevailing for actress.
Finally, a TV legend finally received an Emmy at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards that had occurred the week before. After three series and six failed nominations over five decades, 84-year-old Bob Newhart won Best Comedy Guest Actor for his appearance as Sheldon Cooper’s idol Professor Proton on “The Big Bang Theory.”
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