Jonathan Storm: 5 Emmys for 'Modern Family'

ABC's Modern Family, the show which has revived the family sitcom on TV, was the big winner Sunday night at the 63d annual Primetime Emmy Awards, grabbing five awards, including its second consecutive prize as outstanding comedy. "Downton Abbey," an entry on PBS's Masterpiece, won four, including the Emmy for best movie or mini-series.

Proving the old saw that Emmy loves a winner, Mad Men - what else? - won its fourth straight Emmy, and its only award Sunday night, for outstanding drama. It was the most-nominated show this year, with 19. HBO's Boardwalk Empire won seven so-called creative-arts Emmys, awarded Sept. 10, but Sunday, its only award went to Martin Scorsese, who was finally honored for TV directing after eight nominations.

As usual, the awards were maddeningly inconsistent, sometimes honoring excellent and deserving but obscure shows, sometimes just traveling the same old roads.

Friday Night Lights, a low-rated series loved by many TV insiders, got some wonderful, and surprising, parting gifts after five years. Kyle Chandler won as outstanding dramatic actor, and Jason Katims was named for outstanding writing in a drama series.

In the show's first half-hour, it appeared there was only one series on television. "Welcome back to the Modern Family awards," host Jane Lynch said after the commercial break just past 8:30 p.m., which followed four consecutive Emmys for the show.

Jaws dropped across the country as the show's first Emmy, for best supporting actress in a comedy, went to Julie Bowen, the glue in the goofy sandwich that is the sitcom. She thanked her TV husband, Ty Burrell, among others. Minutes later, Burrell was named best supporting actor in a comedy.

Modern Family director Michael Spiller took the Emmy in his category, and the show's Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, were named best comedy writers.

Two distinguished Brits won Emmys for work on "Downton Abbey." Double Oscar-winner (California Suite, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) Dame Maggie Smith was named outstanding supporting actress in a movie or mini-series, and single Oscar-winner (Gosford Park) Julian Fellowes, Baron of West Stafford, was named for best writing for a movie or mini. Director Brian Percival also won.