First-time winners rule Emmys

The Sopranos hit a high note at the end of the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, winning the coveted award for outstanding drama series to put a fitting coda on its swan-song season.

The Sopranos‘s win marked the first time in more than 30 years that a retired program has won the Emmy for best drama series. The win came after an evening of shocks and surprises, however, in which the highly vaunted mob drama’s actors and actress all lost in their respective categories.

On a night that veered unevenly between certainty and surprise, James Spader won his third Emmy in four years, topping favoured James Gandolfini for the win.

“I feel like I just stole a pile of money from the mob,” Spader said. “And they’re all sitting over there.”

Sally Field was named best actress for Brothers & Sisters, denying Edie Falco her bid at Emmy posterity. Field admitted surprise in accepting the award many thought would go to Falco.

30 Rock was anointed best comedy, over a field that included last year’s winner The Office and first-time nominees Entourage and Ugly Betty.

Throughout the evening, first-time winners found themselves basking in the spotlight at the expense of established veterans. Ricky Gervais was a surprise winner as best actor in a comedy, for Extras. In an ironic twist, The Office star Steve Carell accepted on Gervais’ behalf. The Office was based on a U.K. original, created by Gervais and featuring Gervais in the role Carell plays in the U.S. spin-off.

America Ferrara won the Emmy for lead comedy actress, for Ugly Betty. It was her first Emmy win, and caps a year in which she won the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. Ugly Betty also won for comedy directing. Last year’s comedy-series winner, The Office, won for comedy writing.

HBO’s filmed-in-Alberta Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee won the Emmy for best TV movie, to go with the five Emmys it won in last weekend’s technical and creative arts categories. Wounded Knee joined Tony Bennett: An American Classic to lead all programs with six awards apiece.

Another filmed-in-Alberta project, Robert Duvall’s Broken Trail, won five Emmys. Broken Trail won for its writing, casting, best actor (Duvall) and supporting actor, Thomas Haden Church.

Helen Mirren proved a popular winner for her farewell performance as Jane Tennison in the aptly named Prime Suspect: The Final Act. Mirren won the Emmy for best lead actress in a miniseries or movie.

“I’m so proud to be here,” Mirren said, after a long, emotional speech in which she talked about the American character. “Come on music, where are you?”

Prime Suspect: The Final Act also won the Emmy for best miniseries.

The Amazing Race continued its remarkable streak, winning its fifth consecutive Emmy for outstanding reality competition program over a field that included Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, first-time nominee Top Chef and the program many assumed would finally win, American Idol.

Despite leading all series with 15 nominations, The Sopranos did not win a single Emmy until Sopranos veteran Alan Taylor won the award for directing, midway through the three-hour ceremony. Sopranos creator David Chase then won the Emmy for best writing. The Sopranos won three Emmys in all.

Supporting actor awards favoured the new over the tried-and-true. First-time nominee Katherine Heigl was a surprise winner for Grey’s Anatomy, over a field that included The Sopranos’ Turturro and Bracco.

Heigl was visibly startled by her win, despite appearing in one of TV’s most popular dramas. Heigl bested her Grey’s Anatomy colleagues Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson for the win.

“My own mother told me I didn’t have a shot in hell of winning tonight, so I had nothing prepared,” Heigl said, before crediting Grey’s creator Sondra Rhimes and her female castmates for her success.

Jaime Pressly also won her first Emmy, for My Name Is Earl. It was that series’ first acting award. And Terry O’Quinn took home his first Emmy, for his performance as John Locke in Lost.

The award for supporting actor in a comedy went to a more familiar face: Jeremy Piven won his second Emmy in as many years, for his colourful performance as talent agent Ari Gold in Entourage.

Here’s the full list of Emmy winners:

Outstanding Supporting Actor (Comedy): Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Outstanding Supporting Actor (Drama): Terry O’Quinn, Lost
Outstanding Supporting Actress (Comedy): Jamie Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Outstanding Supporting Actress (Drama): Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy
Outstanding Supporting Actor (Mini-series): Thomas Hayden Church, Broken Trail
Outstanding Writing (Variety, Music or Comedy): Late Night with Conan O’Brian
Outstanding Directing (Variety, Music or Comedy): Rob Marshall, Tony Bennett: An American Classic
Outstanding Actor (Mini-series): Robert Duvall, Broken Trail
Outstanding Mini-series: Broken Trail
Outstanding Directing (Drama): Alan Taylor, The Sopranos
Outstanding Writing (Drama): David Chase, The Sopranos
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special: Tony Bennett: An American Classic
Outstanding Made-for-TV Movie: Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Outstanding Supporting Actress (Mini-series or Movie): Judy Davis, The Starter Wife
Outstanding Actress (Mini-series or Movie): Helen Mirren, Prime Suspect: The Final Act
Outstanding Directing (Mini-series or Movie): Philip Martin, Prime Suspect: The Final Act
Individual Performance in a Variety or Musical Program: Tony Bennet, Tony Bennett: An American Classic
Outstanding Directing (Comedy): Richard Sheppard, Ugly Betty
Outstanding Writing (Comedy): Greg Daniels, The Office
Outstanding Reality Program: The Amazing Race
Outstanding Actor (Comedy): Ricky Gervais, Extras
Outstanding Actress (Drama): Sally Field, Brothers and Sister
Outstanding Actress (Comedy): America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Outstanding Actor (Drama): James Spader, Boston Legal
Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Outstanding Drama Series: The Sopranos