The cast and crew of Breaking Bad celebrate their wins. Photo: IC

Claire Danes shows her Emmy for best actress in a drama. Photo: IC

The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was held in Los Angeles on September 22, 2013.

Cult favorite Breaking Bad won the best drama Emmy, but there was disappointment for House of Cards, which had hoped to win the first major award for an online-only series.

The best comedy award went to Modern Family, the fourth year in a row it has topped the category, while The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons took the best comedy actor prize for a third time at the Emmys, TV's version of the Oscars.

Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra was the other big winner of the night, taking home prizes for best miniseries/TV movie, best actor for Michael Douglas as the flamboyant gay piano icon and best director Steven Soderbergh.

Online loses to Breaking Bad

The critically-acclaimed Breaking Bad, about a chemistry teacher turned drug lord Walter White, won the top drama prize only a weekend before its series finale next week after five seasons.

Show producer and writer Vince Gilligan looked shocked as he took the stage at the climax of the 65th Primetime Emmy awards show in Los Angeles. His show had been nominated for the top prize three times before.

"I thought this was going to be House of Cards," he said, before adding that it could have been one of the other four shows nominated: Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland or Mad Men.

The biggest loser of the night was House of Cards, which had hoped to symbolize the direction the TV industry is going - online.

The Netflix political drama aimed to become the first online-only series to win in major categories, but only took home a prize for best directing for David Fincher.

The series' success highlights the changes underway in the industry, with more and more viewers "cutting the cable" and watching favorite shows via the Internet on cellphones, tablets and so-called "smart TVs."

Emmys host Neil Patrick Harris joked about the TV industry's radically changing formats in his opening monologue, saying: "For our younger audiences, that's the thing you watch on your phones."

Kevin Spacey contributed to a hilarious opening skit, as the camera cut away from the stage to him in the audience, deadpanning: "It's all going to my plan," in character as scheming House of Cards congressman Francis Underwood.

Daniels, Danes top drama acting

Jeff Daniels, who plays a jaded anchorman in HBO's The Newsroom, scored an upset win for the best actor in a drama.

Daniels beat front-runner Bryan Cranston, who was looking for his fourth best actor Emmy in his role as Walter White, and Kevin Spacey, who made waves as a cutthroat congressman in House of Cards, from online streaming company Netflix.

"I didn't expect this," Daniels said. "I usually don't win anything. The last thing I won was for The Squid and the Whale, best actor over 50 from the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). With all due respect to the AARP, this is better."

Claire Danes won best drama actress for the second year in a row for her turn as bipolar CIA agent Carrie Mathison in Homeland, besting rivals including House of Cards co-star Robin Wright, who plays Spacey's character's wife Claire.

Disappointed fans of Kerry Washington had hoped she would become the first African American to win best actress in a drama for her role in ABC's political thriller Scandal. She was the first nominated in the category since 1995.

The lead comedy acting awards were less of a surprise than the drama category.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the best comedy actress Emmy for the second year in a row for her role as hapless US Vice President Selina Meyer on HBO's Veep.

Parsons picked up his third lead comedy actor win for his role as the nerdy and neurotic Sheldon Cooper on CBS' The Big Bang Theory.

But the awards kicked off with upsets in the two supporting actor awards in comedy going to first-time Emmy winners.

Merritt Wever, who plays a quirky nurse on Showtime's dark comedy Nurse Jackie, won best supporting actress in a comedy series and gave a novel acceptance speech.

"Thank you so much. I've got to go, bye," she said.

Liberace film wins Emmys glory

Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra won three Emmys on Sunday, including one for best TV movie, as British pop king Elton John sang a tribute to the flamboyant gay entertainer.

The movie - made for the small screen rather than the cinema, reportedly partly due to the frank depiction of gay sex - also took home awards for best actor Michael Douglas, who starred as the flashy pianist and TV personality Liberace, and best director Steven Soderbergh.

The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May, but did not win. It is not eligible for the Oscars because it was released on TV first.

This year's winners

The Emmys, which honor outstanding US TV programs, were handed out by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in a televised ceremony from Los Angeles Sunday. Here are the top winners.

Best drama series

Breaking Bad (AMC)

Actor in a drama series

Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)

Actress in a drama series

Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)

Supporting actor in a drama series

Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Supporting actress in a drama series

Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)

Best comedy series

Modern Family (ABC)

Actor in a comedy series

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Actress in a comedy series

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)

Supporting actor in a comedy series

Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)

Supporting actress in a comedy series

Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)