The Emmys Screw Up a Lot of Awards But At Least Finally Give 'Breaking Bad' Outstanding Drama

Apparently actually watching the shows you're voting on isn't a prerequisite for being an Emmy voter. Or, at least that's the best possible explanation for some of the awards handed out during the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night.

How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris hosted the ceremony, navigating his way through the show both effortlessly and without any real risk. The Emmys have had a good string of noncontroversial hosts — Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Jane Lynch — and they all came back to give Harris some advice during the opening bit.

The Emmys continued to give awards to shows and actors that are popular, but not necessarily stellar in quality, allowing Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons to notch additional Emmy victories.

The oddest pairing of the night took us beyond the Emmys themselves, as AMC began airing the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad an hour into the ceremony. Minutes after viewers who love quality TV switched to Breaking Bad, Anna Gunn won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Within five minutes after the Emmys snubbed Aaron Paul for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Breaking Bad fans got a harsh reminder about how good Paul is. (Thanks, Todd.) By the time Breaking Bad had wrapped things up, the Emmys had also shockingly awarded Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series to Jeff Daniels for his work on The Newsroom. Guys, Daniels is fun to watch on The Newsroom, but Bryan Cranston. BRYAN. CRANSTON. Thankfully, the Emmys saved some face by closing out the night by giving Breaking Bad the award for Outstanding Drama Series.

Head past the jump to check out the full list of winners with thoughts on a few of the awards. Winners are in bold.

DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mad Men

Whew. If the Emmy had gone to any show but Breaking Bad, I would've probably started a Twitter riot. It's not every day the Emmys are airing against the shows they're snubbing.

COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory
Girls
Louie
Modern Family
30 Rock
Veep

It makes sense that Modern Family keeps winning this award. The show won Outstanding Comedy Series for its first season, and it's stuck to repeating those storylines every since.

VARIETY SERIES
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

Kind of an upset, right? The Daily Show with Jon Stewart had a ten-year run going in this category.

MINISERIES OR MOVIE
American Horror Story: Asylum
Behind the Candelabra
The Bible
Phil Spector
Political Animals
Top of the Lake

Behind the Candelabra is this year's Game Change.

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef
The Voice

ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Louis CK, Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Someday, Earth will be conquered by aliens. As they dissect our history and culture, they'll demand to know how Parsons repeatedly beat Alec Baldwin and Louis CK for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy. What will we tell the aliens? What will we tell them?

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

I would've loved to seen Amy Poehler finally win an Emmy, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus is good. Nice bit with Veep co-star Tony Hale too.

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom

Mind. Blown. If this one wasn't going to Cranston, it should have been Jon Hamm or Kevin Spacey.

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Claire Danes, Homeland
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Connie Britton, Nashville
Kerry Washington, Scandal

So many names, so few opinions on who should've won this award.

ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Toby Jones, The Girl
Benedict Cumberbatch, Parade's End
Al Pacino, Phil Spector

ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR TV MOVIE
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
Laura Linney, The Big C
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Adam Driver, Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
Tony Hale, Veep

Thank you, Emmys, for not giving Modern Family another award.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang
Theory
 Jane Lynch, Glee 

Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie

Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Anna Chlumsky, Veep

I have a theory that Nurse Jackie isn't a real show, instead being an elaborate prank. If you tell everyone that a show is real but no one actually watches that show, does that show exist?

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire
Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland

JOKE.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Morena Baccarin, Homeland
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Out of Breaking Bad's nominations in three acting categories, this would've been the one I could've seen going to someone else. Well-deserved by Gunn, though.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
James Cromwell, American Horror Story: Asylum
Zachary Quinto, American Horror Story: Asylum
Scott Bakula, Behind the Candelabra
John Benjamin Hickey, The Big C: Hereafter
Peter Mullan, Top of the Lake

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Asylum
Imelda Staunton, The Girl
Ellen Burstyn, Political Animals
Charlotte Rampling, Restless
Alfre Woodard, Steel Magnolias

I met Sigourney Weaver at a Political Animals-related party. She's very tall. That has nothing to do with this award.

CHOREOGRAPHY
Derek Hough and Allison Holker,  Dancing with the Stars
Derek Hough, Dancing with the Stars
Warren Carlyle, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel (Live From Lincoln Center)
Mandy Jo Moore, So You Think You Can Dance
Napoleon and Tabitha, So You Think You Can Dance
Travis Wall, So You Think You Can Dance
Sonya Tayeh, So You Think You Can Dance

DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Lena Dunham, Girls
Paris Barclay, Glee
Louis CK, Louie
Gail Macuso, Modern Family
Beth McCarthy-Miller, 30 Rock

It's easy to direct Modern Family episodes. "Hey, guys, here's what we're doing: Cam and Mitchell hate each other, Phil is a Moron and no one can understand what Gloria is saying. Roll tape!"

DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Tim Van Patten, Boardwalk Empire
Michelle MacLaren, Breaking Bad
Jeremy Webb, Downton Abbey
Lesli Linka Glatter, Homeland
David Fincher, House of Cards

House of Cards become the first Web-only series to win an Oscar.

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES
James Hoskinson, The Colbert Report
Chuck O'Neil,  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Andy Fisher, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jerry Foley, Late Show with David Letterman
Jonathan Krisel, Portlandia
Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live

DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Steven Soderbergh, Behind the Candelabra
Julian Jarrold, The Girl
David Mamet, Phil Spector
Allison Anders, Ring of Fire
Jane Campion and Garth Davis, Top of the Lake

WRITING, COMEDY SERIES
Jeffrey Klarik, Episodes, Episode 209 (Showtime)
Louis CK and Pamela Adlon, Louie, “Daddy’s Girlfriend (Part 1)” (FX)
Greg Daniels, The Office, Finale (NBC)
Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock, 30 Rock, “Hogcock!” (NBC)
Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield, 30 Rock, “Last Lunch” (NBC)

WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
George Mastras, Breaking Bad
Thomas Schnauz, Breaking Bad
Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones
Henry Bromell, Homeland

WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Portlandia
Real Time with Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

WRITING, MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Richard LaGravenese, Behind the Candelabra
Abi Morgan, The Hour
Tom Stoppard, Parade's End
David Mamet, Phil Spector
Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, Top of the Lake

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory
Nathan Lane, Modern Family
Bobby Cannavale, Nurse Jackie
Louis CK, Saturday Night Live
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live
Will Forte, 30 Rock

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Molly Shannon, Enlightened
Dot-Marie Jones, Glee
Melissa Leo, Louie
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock