Game of Thrones was the big winner of the night at the Emmys – TV’s version of the Oscars. It won twelve awards, including best drama series, taking its all-time total to 38 wins, one more than the Emmy record held by the comedy classic Frasier.
Another record-winner at the ceremony in Los Angeles was former Seinfeld star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won her fifth consecutive Emmy for best actress in a comedy, for Veep. “Our show started out as a political satire, but now it seems like a documentary,” she joked, as she collected her award. Her show was also named best comedy series.
Another of the big winners of night was the dramatisation of the OJ Simpson trial. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story was named the best limited series, as well as collecting acting awards for Sarah Paulson and Courtney B Vance.
Despite a large number of British stars peppering the nominations list, winners were few and far between, but Dame Maggie Smith – in her absence – was named the best supporting actor in a drama series for the final season of Downton Abbey, while Sherlock: The Abominable Bride was named the best TV movie and the Danish director Susanne Bier won the Emmy for the best director of a limited series, movie or dramatic special, for The Night Manager. Beating off competition for the directors of Fargo, All The Way and three episodes of The People v O.J. Simpson – all of them men – she said she hoped her success would lead to more women helming shows that aren’t traditionally directed by women.
With other awards going to shows including Mr Robot and Transparent, the winners show a continuing shift away from the major American broadcast networks towards smaller broadcasters and online-only platforms.