63rd Primetime Emmy Awards

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2010, until May 31, 2011, were held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California.[5] Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Jane Lynch hosted the Emmys for the first time.[2] The Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held on September 10.[1]

63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
Promotional poster
Date
Location
Presented byAcademy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hosted byJane Lynch[2]
Highlights
Most awards
Most nominationsModern Family (11)
Comedy SeriesModern Family
Drama SeriesMad Men
Miniseries or MovieDownton Abbey
Reality-Competition ProgramThe Amazing Race
Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Television/radio coverage
NetworkFox
Produced by
Directed byJoe DeMaio[4]
← 62nd · Primetime Emmy Awards · 64th →

The nominations were announced live on Thursday, July 14, 2011, at 5:40 a.m. PDT (12:40 UTC) at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood, Los Angeles. The nominations were announced by Melissa McCarthy of Mike & Molly and Joshua Jackson of Fringe.

The biggest winner of the night was ABC's Modern Family. The series ended the event with five wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series for the second consecutive year. For the fourth time in history, the Outstanding Drama Series category was won for a fourth time, by AMC's Mad Men. It is also the third series to win four times consecutively in that category. Downton Abbey walked away with the award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, with four wins overall.

This year's ceremony was watched by 12.4 million people, down 8% from last year's show.[6] The ceremony received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the performance of Lynch as the host but criticizing the overall quality of the production, particularly the presenters and the orchestra.[7][8]

Beginning this year, the Outstanding Miniseries and Outstanding Television Movie categories were merged. This was due to the continuing decline in the number of miniseries being produced; the previous two ceremonies only had two miniseries nominated. The merge was short-lived however when the separate categories returned, beginning in 2014.

Winners and nominees

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Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold:[9][10]

 
Jim Parsons, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series winner
 
Melissa McCarthy, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series winner
 
Kyle Chandler, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner
 
Julianna Margulies, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series winner
 
Barry Pepper, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
 
Kate Winslet, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner
 
Ty Burrell, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series winner
 
Julie Bowen, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series winner
 
Peter Dinklage, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series winner
 
Margo Martindale, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series winner
 
Guy Pearce, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie winner
 
Maggie Smith, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie winner

Programs

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Programs

Acting

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Lead performances

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Lead performances

Supporting performances

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Supporting performances


Directing

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Directing

Writing

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Writing

Most major nominations

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Networks with multiple major nominations[note 1]
Network No. of
Nominations
HBO 29
NBC 19
CBS 14
ABC 12
AMC 11
Fox 8
Showtime 7
Programs with multiple major nominations
Program Category Network No. of
Nominations
Modern Family Comedy ABC 11
Mildred Pierce Miniseries HBO 9
Mad Men Drama AMC 7
30 Rock Comedy NBC 6
The Good Wife Drama CBS
Too Big to Fail Movie HBO
Boardwalk Empire Drama 5
Downton Abbey Miniseries PBS
Friday Night Lights Drama DirecTV 4
Game of Thrones HBO
The Kennedys Miniseries ReelzChannel
The Killing Drama AMC
Saturday Night Live Variety NBC
The Big Bang Theory Comedy CBS 3
Cinema Verite Movie HBO
The Colbert Report Variety Comedy Central
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Glee Comedy Fox
Justified Drama FX
The Office Comedy NBC
Upstairs Downstairs Miniseries PBS
American Idol Competition Fox 2
Carlos Miniseries Sundance Channel
Conan Variety TBS
Dexter Drama Showtime
Episodes Comedy
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Variety NBC
Louie Comedy FX
Parks and Recreation NBC

Most major awards

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Networks with multiple major awards[note 1]
Network No. of
Awards
ABC 5
CBS 4
HBO
PBS
Comedy Central 2
DirecTV
Programs with multiple major awards
Program Category Network No. of
Awards
Modern Family Comedy ABC 5
Downton Abbey Miniseries PBS 4
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Variety Comedy Central 2
Friday Night Lights Drama DirecTV
Mildred Pierce Miniseries HBO
Notes
  1. ^ a b "Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

Presenters

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The awards were presented by the following:[11][12][13][14][15]

Name(s) Role
Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Kimmel
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series[16]
Julianna Margulies Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series[17]
Ricky Gervais
Jane Lynch
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series[18][19]
Will Arnett
Zooey Deschanel
Presented the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series[20]
Charlie Sheen Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series[21]
Rob Lowe
Sofía Vergara
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series[22][23]
Kaley Cuoco
David Spade
Presented the awards for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series[24][25]
Lea Michele
Ian Somerhalder
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series[26]
Scott Caan
Anna Paquin
Presented the award for Outstanding Variety Series[27]
Jon Cryer
Ashton Kutcher
Presented the awards for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series[28][29]
Loretta Devine
Paul McCrane
Presented the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series[30]
Jason O'Mara
Kerry Washington
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series[31]
Bryan Cranston
Katie Holmes
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series[32]
Drew Barrymore
Annie Ilonzeh
Minka Kelly
Rachael Taylor
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series[33]
Kevin Connolly
Kevin Dillon
Jerry Ferrara
Adrien Grenier
Jeremy Piven
Presented the awards for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie[34][35]
Melissa McCarthy
Amy Poehler
Presented the awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special[36][37]
John Shaffner Presented the In Memoriam segment[38]
David Boreanaz
Anna Torv
Presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie[39]
Claire Danes
Hugh Laurie
Presented the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie[40]
Don Cheadle Presented the award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie[41]
Maria Bello
William H. Macy
Presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series[42]
Gwyneth Paltrow Presented the award for Outstanding Comedy Series[43]

In Memoriam

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The annual In Memoriam segment was presented by John Shaffner and featured the Canadian Tenors performing the song "Hallelujah".[44][45] The segment was extended for this ceremony, as executive producer Mark Burnett stated that "it [didn't] need to be a bummer... It can be a celebration".[46][47]

Memorable moments

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Opening number

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The show opened with Jane Lynch performing a pre-taped opening number which showed the TV world as being contained inside of a large building, parodying Rear Window. Lynch walked through the building and entered the universe of shows including The Big Bang Theory, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, MythBusters and Glee (the show of which Lynch is a cast member) among others. Lynch's lyrics satirized elements of each show and television in general. The ceremony culminated with Lynch entering the theatre and performing a short dance number, which ended with a fireworks show. The opening number received a standing ovation.

Emmytones

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Throughout the night, the "Emmytones" introduced each genre in the form of a short jingle. They consisted of Zachary Levi ("Chuck"), Cobie Smulders ("How I Met Your Mother"), Kate Flannery ("The Office"), Wilmer Valderrama ("Royal Pains"), Joel McHale ("Community") and nominee Taraji P. Henson ("Person of Interest"). The Emmytones received mixed to negative reviews, with many critics citing them as unimportant and others calling them "time fillers."[48]

Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

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For the presentation of the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, each of the nominees went up to the stage in the style of a beauty pageant. The orchestra played music similar to that of a pageant as the nominees went to the stage. The winner ended up being Melissa McCarthy, who mentioned that this was "her first and best pageant ever." Both the producers and the nominees in the category gave nominee Amy Poehler credit for conceiving the idea. Nominee Martha Plimpton was also credited.

The presentation was well received critically with many critics regarding it to be the best part of the night. Once all the nominees reached the stage, they received a standing ovation.[49] The pairing of Rob Lowe and Sofía Vergara, who presented the category, was also praised critically.

Criticism about the orchestra

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For the 2011 ceremony, the producers enlisted Hype Music to provide the orchestrations.[50] These orchestrations were universally hated by reviewers. The band played music from the Hype Music roster of artists as the winners walked to the stage, breaking the tradition of their respective program's theme song being played as they accepted their awards. The decision to do this received an overwhelmingly negative response from critics and enraged Emmy Award enthusiasts, many of whom felt as though a tradition observed since the 1st Primetime Emmy Awards had been broken.[51] One reviewer even called this decision "one of the biggest mistakes in the ceremony's history."[52]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Official 2011 Primetime Creative Emmy Awards Winners" (PDF). ATAS. September 10, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Jane Lynch to host 2011 Emmys". MTV. June 2, 2011. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  3. ^ Pond, Steve (July 28, 2011). "Mark Burnett Picks MTV, People's Choice Vets for Emmy Production Team". Reuters. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (September 18, 2011). "63rd Primetime Emmy Awards". Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "2011 Primetime Emmy Awards Calendar" (PDF). ATAS. January 26, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  6. ^ Emmy telecast down in overall ratings but up in key demos. Goldderby.com (2011-09-19). Retrieved on 2012-04-10.
  7. ^ Critics give mixed reviews to the Emmy telecast. Goldderby.com (2011-09-19). Retrieved on 2012-04-10.
  8. ^ "Emmy Awards show felt like a rerun". MSNBC. September 18, 2011. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  9. ^ "63rd Primetime Emmy Awards Winners" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "2011 Primetime Emmy Nominations" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  11. ^ "Kutcher, Vergara, Arnett among Emmy presenters". USA Today. Associated Press. September 6, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  12. ^ "More Presenters for 63rd Primetime Emmys Announced – Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Many More". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 15, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  13. ^ "Scott Caan, Bryan Cranston, Jon Cryer, Claire Danes, Jason O'Mara, and Kerry Washington to Present at 63rd Primetime Emmys". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 13, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  14. ^ "Emmy presenters: Lea Michele, Ian Somerhalder, Kaley Cuoco in second wave". Entertainment Weekly. September 12, 2011. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  15. ^ "Emmys: Order of category presentations". Los Angeles Times. September 16, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  16. ^ "Julie Bowen: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  17. ^ "Ty Burrell: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  18. ^ Fowler, Tara (September 19, 2011). "Primetime Emmys 2011: Ricky Gervais jokes that he is 'not allowed on American soil' in pre-taped segment". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  19. ^ "Michael Alan Spiller: Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ "Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richman: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Jim Parsons: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ Rice, Lynette (September 20, 2019). "The untold story of Emmy's 2011 comedy actress 'pageant'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  23. ^ "Melissa McCarthy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "The Amazing Race: Outstanding Reality-Competition Program". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "The Daily Show: Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ "Don Roy King: Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ "Jason Katims, Friday Night Lights: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  29. ^ "Margo Martindale, Justified: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ "Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ "Peter Dinklage: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ "Julianna Margulies: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ "Kyle Chandler: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ "Julian Fellowes: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ "Maggie Smith: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  36. ^ "Barry Pepper: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ "Brian Percival: Oustanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  38. ^ "In Memoriam". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  39. ^ "Guy Pearce: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  40. ^ "Kate Winslet: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  41. ^ "Downton Abbey: Outstanding Miniseries Or Movie". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  42. ^ "Mad Men: Outstanding Drama Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 18, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  43. ^ "Modern Family: Outstanding Comedy Series". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  44. ^ "In Memoriam: Primetime Emmys 2011 Season". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  45. ^ Dobbins, Amanda (September 19, 2011). "Who Were Those Guys Singing 'Hallelujah' at the Emmys?". Vulture. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  46. ^ Bryant, Adam (August 5, 2011). "Jane Lynch on Hosting the Emmys: We're Leaving Sue Sylvester's Tracksuit at Home". TV Guide. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  47. ^ Hibberd, James (September 18, 2011). "Emmy death reel: Was it not 'a bummer'?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  48. ^ Labrecque, Jeff (October 11, 2011). "Emmys 2011: 14 Memorable Moments". Entertainment Weekly.
  49. ^ Stanley, T.L. (September 19, 2011). "Emmys 2011: Comedy actress nominees group hug". Los Angeles Times.
  50. ^ 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards Enlists Hype Music to Bring an Adventurous New... – LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/. Prnewswire.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-10.
  51. ^ Weaver, Joshua R. (2011-09-19) Emmy Awards 2011 Recap: No Surprises Archived September 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Theroot.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-10.
  52. ^ 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards: Winners and Reactions. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2012-04-10.
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