‘Breaking Bad’ wins top Emmy

Cult show Breaking Bad and hit sitcom Modern Family were the big winners at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards last night, taking home the best drama and best comedy awards respectively.

Breaking Bad, about chemistry teacher turned drug lord Walter White, won the award for best drama only a weekend before its series finale next week after five seasons, while Anna Gunn, who plays Skyler White, picked up the best supporting actress trophy.

Breaking Bad producer and writer Vince Gilligan was shocked as he took to the stage to pick up the best drama Emmy, saying: "I did not see this coming. I thought this was going to be House of Cards."

House of Cards – a political drama starring Kevin Spacey – had hoped to make history by becoming the first online series to land a major award. While it was beaten to the best drama prize, it did land Netflix its first ever Emmy for best drama series director for David Fincher.

Meanwhile, Modern Family scooped the top comedy prize for a fourth year running, while Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons took the best comedy actor Emmy for a third time for his role as Dr Sheldon Cooper on the hit comedy.

Perhaps the biggest upset of the night came at the hands of Jeff Daniels, who won the best drama actor award for his role as Will McAvoy in HBO’s The Newsroom, bumping out frontrunners Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Kevin Spacey (House of Cards).

Claire Danes won the best drama actress for the second year in a row for her role as bipolar CIA agent Carrie Mathison in Homeland, beating Scandal’s Kerry Washington – who fans had hoped would become the first African-American to win the role for best drama actress.

Meanwhile, Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra picked up three Emmys: For best miniseries or TV movie, best actor in a miniseries or TV movie for Michael Douglas, and best director for Steven Soderbergh.

Douglas had the crowd in stitches when accepting his Emmy, paying tribute to co-star Matt Damon, who plays Liberace’s gay lover Scott Thorson.

"This is a two-hander," he said. "And Matt, you’re only as good as your other hand … The only reason I’m standing here is because of you."

He said he’d have to share the statuette with Damon – who was nominated in the same category – asking: "You want the bottom or the top?"

List of winners in major Emmy categories:

Best drama series: Breaking Bad

Best comedy series: Modern Family

Best miniseries or movie: Behind the Candelabra

Best actor, drama: Jeff Daniels, Newsroom

Best actress, drama: Claire Danes, Homeland

Best supporting actor, drama: Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire

Best supporting actress, drama: Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad

Best writing, drama: Henry Bromell, Homeland

Best directing, drama: David Fincher, House of Cards

Best actor, comedy: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best actress, comedy: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Best supporting actor, comedy: Tony Hale, Veep

Best supporting actress, comedy: Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie

Best comedy writer: Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield, 30 Rock

Best directing, comedy: Gail Mancuso, Modern Family

Best actor, movie or miniseries: Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra

Best actress, movie or miniseries: Laura Linney, The Big C: Hereafter

Best supporting actor, movie or miniseries: James Cromwell, American Horror Story: Asylum

Best supporting actress, movie or miniseries: Ellen Burstyn, Political Animals

Best director, movie or miniseries: Steven Soderbergh, Behind the Candelabra

Best writing, movie or miniseries: Abi Morgan, The Hour

Best variety series: The Colbert Report

Best reality competition: The Voice