The Most Surprising Emmys Yet, in 10 Minutes: Every Highlight and Every Tear

This year's Emmys seem to have dropped a good many of their prejudices: a fantasy series has finally won Outstanding Drama Series.

"Happy birthday, George. Thank you for telling me during the commercial break that Jon Snow isn't dead."

Don't get excited. That was only a joke from host Andy Samberg, nicknamed "Third Cousin" by Chinese fans, at the 67th Emmy Awards, which have just ended.

But one thing is true: Game of Thrones was the undisputed star of the night, with 12 awards, including Best Drama Series. Fans can set aside the life-or-death question of Jon Snow for now and celebrate.

This year's Emmys broke a number of conventions. The Emmys are the most authoritative awards in American television, and their voters follow some unwritten rules. They favor "meaningful," serious work, for example, and while they make a show of looking after LGBT-themed series, they have always kept a line between the mainstream and the niche. Game of Thrones collects plenty of nominations every year, but because it is a fantasy series it had never won a major award, apart from Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for "the Imp" four years ago.

Now series and actors who spent years as also-rans have finally broken through. Besides Game of Thrones, the star of Mad Men won his first Emmy after 16 nominations. The first Black woman to win Best Actress in a Drama was crowned: Viola Davis of How to Get Away with Murder. And the field of contenders has shifted a little now that streaming sites have joined in.

After Snow's "departure," Game of Thrones, the perennial runner-up, breaks out with 12 Emmys

Calling Game of Thrones the Emmys' perennial runner-up is no exaggeration. It had 19 nominations in 2014 and 24 in 2013, and both times it came away with nothing.

This year, Game of Thrones finally turned things around. The series won Best Drama Series, Directing, Writing and Supporting Actor. Add the 8 technical Emmys it won earlier, and its haul of 12 broke the record The West Wing set 15 years ago, when it took 9 awards in one night.

The Game of Thrones winners were low-key and modest on stage, though. The show's directors and writers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, thanked the entire crew and the network, HBO. Peter Dinklage, "the Imp," who won Best Supporting Actor, hadn't even prepared a speech. After his thanks he praised his rivals, especially Jonathan Banks, who plays the hit man in Better Call Saul. Twelve awards: the best consolation there could be for the death of Jon Snow.

HBO is this year's biggest winner, with 43 Emmys, enough to fill a truck

HBO swept the important awards in nearly every category and took home 43 Emmys. NBC came second with 12, Comedy Central and FX won 8 each, and ABC had 6. Add all their trophies together and they still don't exceed HBO's total. By any measure, HBO is this year's biggest winner.

Let's go through them one by one. In drama, HBO's fantasy series Game of Thrones took four major awards: Best Series, Directing, Writing and Supporting Actor. In comedy, Veep came from behind as a dark horse and unseated Modern Family, which had won the category five years running; it took not only Best Series but also Best Actress, Supporting Actor and Writing. In limited series and TV movies, apart from Best Supporting Actress, which went to ABC's American Crime, every award was split between HBO's Olive Kitteridge and the TV movie Bessie. Olive Kitteridge alone took Best Limited Series, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Directing and Best Writing.

When Simon Blackwell, one of the writers of Veep, went up to accept, he made a point of thanking HBO for airing the show: "Thank you, HBO, for letting us make fun of American politicians, and for letting us make piles of shiny cash (dollars) while we're at it!"

Game of Thrones

With Transparent, Amazon showed everyone what the television industry's new force can do

The Emmys used to be an arena for TV networks alone, but now disruptors such as Netflix and Amazon have joined the fight. This year their standard-bearer was not Netflix but Amazon's Prime service, and it owes that entirely to Transparent. Jeffrey Tambor, who plays the show's transgender lead, won Best Actor, and right after him the director, Jill Soloway, won an award too.

Transparent tells the story of an odd family. A father who has lived with a secret for many years finally decides one day to tell his three children that he is transgender. Everyone seems to take the news calmly, but the balance of their lives slowly breaks down, and each of them gradually reveals a selfish, cowardly side.

Transparent's win is no surprise. The series was one of the year's hits: funny and witty, and with subject matter bold and unusual enough to draw attention from every part of society. At the Golden Globes in January it had already taken home Best Series and Best Actor.

Jeffrey Tambor had been nominated six times for the Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy and lost every time. With Transparent he finally got his wish. His co-stars Amy Landecker, who plays his "eldest daughter," and Judith Light, who plays his "ex-wife," both called his performance "stunning, and deep, with real weight."

"I feel honored to play this (transgender) role. It is a role with enormous influence. I want to dedicate this performance and this trophy to the transgender community. Thank you for sharing such good stories with us," Tambor said in his acceptance speech.

Olive Kitteridge, the show with the most awards, is one you may never have heard of

In TV movies and limited series, Olive Kitteridge took nearly everything: 5 major awards in one go, for Best Limited Series, Best Actor and Actress, Best Directing and Best Writing. Yet when it aired, apart from some criticism from professional critics over how the script adapted the book, it generated no buzz on social media and has stayed quiet ever since. So it's no wonder we don't know this miniseries.

Olive Kitteridge is adapted from Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Olive Kitteridge, a middle-school teacher in a small Maine town, has a fierce temper and speaks with sharp, merciless cruelty to family and strangers alike. Her overbearing manner draws harsh words back from others, and in the end she wounds others and herself, born alone and dying alone.

The talent in front of and behind the camera is impressive: Oscar-nominated director Lisa Cholodenko directed, Lost in Translation star Bill Murray made a guest appearance, and Oscar winner Frances McDormand and Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins played the leads.

After 16 nominations, Jon Hamm of Mad Men finally wins Best Actor; and our favorite, "the Imp," walks to the podium in tears

After 16 nominations, Jon Hamm finally won the first Emmy of his life: Best Actor in a Drama, for playing Don Draper in Mad Men. The show is set in 1960s New York and boldly depicts the brutal business competition of American advertising's golden age. Don Draper is the kind of ad man who is brilliant but never out of trouble.

After waiting so many years for the trophy, Hamm was overjoyed. He didn't bother with the stairs to the stage; he scrambled straight up.

The 44-year-old actor said: "This is a mistake, of course. I can't believe I won among so many outstanding gentlemen. I can't believe I got to make this show with so many excellent people, especially our excellent writers and crew. For me personally, standing here is just as hard to believe. It's wonderful."

This year's winners also include another actor Chinese viewers love: Peter Dinklage, Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. For playing "the Imp" in Game of Thrones he has been nominated for the award five years in a row and has won once before (in 2011). Over the past three years the award went twice to others: Bobby Cannavale of Boardwalk Empire and Aaron Paul, "Pinkman" of Breaking Bad. This year the Emmys suddenly dropped their prejudices and gave the most honors to the fantasy series Game of Thrones.

The strongest contender of all: Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Veep, Best Actress in a Comedy four years running

Because a successful TV series often runs for years, we see actors nominated again and again without winning, and we also see actors win repeatedly for a single role. At this year's Emmys, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won Best Actress in a Comedy for Veep for the fourth time.

Veep is HBO's political comedy, and its appeal lies in its sharp, everyday mockery of politicians. Louis-Dreyfus plays Senator Selina Meyer, who is suddenly made vice president and finds the job nothing like she expected. She and her staff run around in circles every day, trying not to get caught up in political games.

Louis-Dreyfus is a legendary contender. This was her fourth Emmy nomination as the vice president, and she has won all four times. She has also won Emmys for Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine. With 16 Emmy nominations in all, she is one of the most nominated people in Emmy history.

A comedy star can't go up to the microphone without telling a joke. She quoted a line from her own show: "It is a great honor for you all to share my honor here tonight." She also joked about the presidential race: "Wait, oh no, no, no. Sorry. Donald Trump already said that. Satire is getting harder and harder."

Other nominees, Amy Poehler of Parks and Recreation and Edie Falco of Nurse Jackie, have also been nominated often for this award, and never won, because of Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

A bit of gossip: Louis-Dreyfus was born into great wealth. Her father, Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, was a billionaire who ran Louis Dreyfus Energy Services. But all she wanted was to act. After high school she studied comedy at Northwestern University, then dropped out to pursue her acting career.

The Daily Show wins Best Variety Talk Series again, the best parting gift for "Uncle Jiong"

Jon Stewart, known to Chinese fans as "Jiong Stewart," hosted The Daily Show for 16 years before deciding in early August this year to step down. Just over a month after he left, the Emmys gave him the best parting gift of his hosting career: one more award for Best Variety Talk Series.

The Daily Show has now won Best Variety Talk Series 12 times. Apart from 2013, when The Colbert Report "snatched" the award once, it has won it every year. This time it again beat strong rivals including The Colbert Report, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

"I've been off television for six or seven weeks now. This is the first time I've heard applause again," Stewart said in his acceptance speech. "Thank you so much. Now you never have to see me again."

The Daily Show, now hosted by his successor, Trevor Noah, premieres on September 28.

An excited "Jiong Stewart"