Breaking Bad wins best drama at Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES — “Breaking Bad,” the brutal, drug-fueled saga of an everyman’s ambition turned evil, captured its first best drama Emmy Award, denying the online series “House of Cards” a history-making honor.

“I did not see this coming,” Vince Gilligan, “Breaking Bad” creator, said Sunday night, tipping his hat to Netflix’s political thriller “House of Cards,” the first digital contender for top Emmy honors.

Attention and acclaim for the AMC cable channel’s “Breaking Bad” has built as it nears the end of its five-season run, with the final eight-episode arc eligible for next year’s Emmys.

“Modern Family” won its fourth consecutive trophy for top comedy series Sunday even though its oft-honored cast was shut out this time.

Jeff Daniels won the Emmy for best drama series actor for his portrayal of an idealistic TV anchorman in “The Newsroom,” with Claire Danes capturing top actress honors for her troubled CIA agent in “Homeland.”

Daniels noted that he’d also received an age 50-plus acting honor from AARP, which represents the interests of older Americans.

“With all due respect to the AARP, this is even better,” Daniels said.

Danes, who captured her second trophy for the terrorism drama, paid tribute to one of the series’ writers, Henry Bromell, who died last March and who received a writing Emmy posthumously.

Danes’ win ended the hopes that “Scandal” best actress nominee Kerry Washington would become the first African-American to win in the category.

Washington received attention for her nomination for outstanding lead actress in a drama series. She was the first African-American actress nominated for the category since 1995.

Washington was accompanied on stage by Diahann Carroll, who was the first African American to be nominated ever for an Emmy for her work in “Naked City,” in 1963.

In a special presentation, Carroll touched on her own career, the progress of minorities in the television industry and on Washington herself.

“She is talented, she is lovely and she better get this award,” Carroll said.

However, this place in history remains up for grabs, as Danes won.

Will Ferrell appeared near the end of the show to present the final awards, wearing shorts, a T-shirt and sandals. His children accompanied him, and he said he had been contacted to fill in 45 minutes prior, but was unable to find childcare.