2009 Primetime Emmy Awards Winners List: A Few Surprises in the Mix

The 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2009) were handed out at the Nokia Theatre in Hollywood, California, Sunday evening and, although it was no surprise when another Emmy was given to Alec Baldwin for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, many were shocked when the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series went to Toni Collette of "United States of Tara" instead of Baldwin's "30 Rock" colleague, Tina Fey. But Tina Fey was still one of the big winners at the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards. Tina Fey received an Emmy for her guest appearances on "Saturday Night Live" as Sarah Palin. As surprising as it was, Toni Collette's win wasn't the only surprise of the night.

Ken Howard won for Best Supporting Male Actor in a Made for TV Movie for "Grey Gardens." This may have been the biggest shocker at the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards. "Little Dorrit" actors were supposed to win that category, according to the L. A. Times, and the miniseries still walked away with seven 2009 Primetime Emmys before all was said and done. But the Charles Dickens adaptation "Little Dorrit" won Best TV Mini-Series over HBO's "Generation Kill." It would be one of the few times HBO lost, since the cable network walked away with 21 Emmys.

Cherry Jones was a surprise win as well, winning Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. She played the president in this past season's "24" and was considered a longshot behind two-time Oscar-winner Dianne Wiest ("In Treatment") and Rose Byrne ("Damages").

Brendan Gleason's win for Best Lead Actor in a TV movie/miniseries for his role as Winston Churchill in "Into The Storm" was another surrprise. Many considered him a close second to Ian McKellan's "King Lear" because Albert Finney won the Emmy for playing Churchill in 2002.

Jon Cryer also won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, which might not be so shocking considering that his role really isn't a supporting one. Usually when the committees miscategorize actors, they do so to the actor's detriment. Not so for the "Two and a Half Men" co-star (co-biller Charlie Sheen lost to the aforementioned Alec Baldwin).

Kristin Chenoweth's brilliant performance in "Pushing Daisies" was a winner for surprising Best Supporting Comedy Actress over Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock"), Elizabeth Perkins ("Weeds"), and Amy Poehler ("Saturday Night Live").

But even with all the surprises, there were a few repeat winners as well at the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards. Best Actor and Actress in Drama series went to Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") and Glenn Close ("Damages"). Best Drama Series and Comedy Series ("Mad Men" and "30 Rock") grabbed their consecutive Emmys, too.

Another non-shocker: Neil Patrick Harris as a great host. For those who thought he did surprisingly well, you must have missed him as host for this year's Tony Awards.

For those keeping score, NBC won the most 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards from amongst the big four (traditional) networks with 16. CBS, which has been the ratings leader among all networks for years, only took home 9.

List of 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2009) Winners:

Best Series, Drama
"Mad Men"

Best Series, Comedy
"30 Rock"

Best Actor, Drama
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Best Actress, Drama
Glenn Close, "Damages"

Best Supporting Actor, Drama Series
Michael Emerson, "Lost"

Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series
Cherry Jones, "24"

Best Actor, Comedy
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Best Actress, Comedy
Toni Collette, "United States Of Tara"

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy Series
Jon Cryer, "Two And A Half Men"

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies

Best Reality-Competition Program
"The Amazing Race"

Best Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Jeff Probst, "Survivor"

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"

Best Made For Television Movie
"Grey Gardens"

Best Made For Television Miniseries
"Little Dorrit"

Best Actor, Made For Television Movie/Miniseries
Brendan Gleeson, "Into The Storm"

Best Actress, Made For Television Movie/Miniseries
Jessica Lange, "Grey Gardens"

Best Supporting Actor, Made For Television Movie/Miniseries
Ken Howard, "Grey Gardens"

Best Supporting Actress, Made For Television Movie/Miniseries
Shohreh Aghdashloo, "House of Saddam"

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Sources:

LATimes.com
Emmys.tv
"61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards," CBS