'Game of Thrones,' 'Veep' take top honors at Emmys

LOS ANGELES -- "Game of Thrones" conquered the Emmy kingdom Sunday, honored as top drama for the second consecutive year and becoming the most honored prime-time TV series on a night of surprises and political jabs.

"Veep" repeated as best comedy series, and its star, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, won a record-breaking sixth Emmy as best comedy actress. Jeffrey Tambor's trophy as top comedy actor for "Transparent" also was his second.

But the top drama acting trophies were far from predictable: Rami Malek of "Mr. Robot" and Tatiana Maslany of "Orphan Black" were the winners, both overcoming heavyweight competition.

"Oh, my God. Please tell me you're seeing this, too," said a stunned Malek, who plays an emotionally troubled engineer caught up in a dangerous hacking conspiracy.

"Game of Thrones," the fantasy saga based on George R.R. Martin's novels, received a total of 12 awards Sunday and at last weekend's technical arts ceremony for a cumulative 38, besting "Frasier" by one to claim most prime-time series awards.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus accepts the award Sunday for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for "Veep" at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.Chris Pizzello ~ Invision/AP

The Emmys proved more adroit than the Oscars at recognizing and honoring diversity in Hollywood's top ranks, with trophies going to minority actors and behind-the-scenes artists, including writers Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang of "Master of None."

But Viola Davis of "How to Get Away with Murder" failed to repeat her 2015 best drama actress win, the first for a woman of color.

Louis-Dreyfus used her victory to take a dig at GOP contender Donald Trump in a ceremony loaded with election-year asides.

Jeffrey Tambor captured his second consecutive best comedy actor trophy for "Transparent," in which he plays a transgender character.

He called for Hollywood to make him the last non-transgender actor to get such a role.

A shaking Louis-Dreyfus ended her speech by dedicating the trophy to her father, who she said died Friday. Before that, she honed in on GOP contender Donald Trump's campaign.

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to personally apologize for the current political climate," she said. "I think that 'Veep' has torn down the wall between comedy and politics. Our show started out as a political satire, but it now feels more like a sobering documentary."

She promised to "rebuild that wall and make Mexico pay for it."

Her victory gave her six best comedy wins -- five for "Veep," one for "The New Adventures of Old Christine" -- and broke her tie with Candice Bergen and Mary Tyler Moore.

Maggie Smith was honored as best supporting actress in a drama series for the final season of "Downton Abbey." It was her third win for playing the formidable dowager. As became her custom, she didn't attend the ceremony.

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Emmy Award winners

Emmy Award winners

List of winners at the annual Primetime Emmy Awards, announced Sunday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Drama Series: “Game of Thrones.”

Directing, Drama Series: Miguel Sapochnik, “Game of Thrones”

Actor, Drama Series: Rami Malek, “Mr. Robot.”

Actress, Drama Series: Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black.”

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Ben Mendelsohn, “Bloodline.”

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Writing for a Drama Series: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss “Game of Thrones.”

Comedy Series: “Veep.”

Directing, Comedy Series: Jill Soloway, “Transparent.”

Actor, Comedy Series: Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent.”

Actress, Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep.”

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Louie Anderson, “Baskets.”

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live.”

Writing for a Comedy Series: Alan Yang and Aziz Ansari, “Master of None.”

Limited Series: “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Drama: Susanne Bier, “The Night Manager.”

Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Courtney B. Vance, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Sarah Paulson, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Sterling K. Brown, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Regina King, “American Crime.”

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special: D.V. BeVincentis, “The People v. O.J. Simpson American Crime Story.”

Variety Talk Series: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

Variety Sketch Series: “Key & Peele.”

Directing for a Variety Special: Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinskifor “Grease Live.”

Writing for a Variety Special: Patton Oswalt, “Talking for Clapping.”

Television Movie: “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride.”

Reality-Competition Program: “The Voice.”