Emmy Awards attract record low audience figures

Viola Davis accepts the award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series for her role in ABC’s “How To Get Away With Murder” during the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards in LA on September 20, 2015.

In addition to top comedy series honors, “Veep” – the story of a female United States vice president who rises to the presidency and her bumbling staff – saw its star Julia Louis-Dreyfus win for the fourth time in a row.

Frances McDormand kept things succinct when she scored outstanding lead actress in a limited series or a film for her performance in the title role of Olive Kitteridge.

Davis, who plays a driven attorney in the ABC series “How To Get Away With Murder“, quoted Harriet Tubman in her acceptance speech and called for more diversity casting, saying, “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there”.

The biggest surprise of the night may have been the dominance of “Game of Thrones“, which set an Emmy record for the most wins by a programme in a single year, besting the mark of nine previously held by NBC’s “The West Wing”.

Sentiment appears to favour stylish 1960s-era advertising show “Mad Men” as it bids for a record fifth drama series win to crown its final season.

Here’s Jeffrey Tambor, the victor for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Limited Series: “Olive Kitteridge“, HBO.

Inside Amy Schumer, the no-holds-barred female comedy which is written and directed by Schumer, proved a popular first-time victor in the variety sketch series category.

HBO took home a total of 14 Emmy’s, including the statues for best drama, comedy, movie and miniseries.

There’s been major discussion around John Hamm, whose series “Mad Men” came to an end this year.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black“, Netflix.

The producer added that in the beginning they knew there would be resistance to a fantasy series getting the same Emmy consideration as a serious drama as, say, crime series or a Western. After four seasons, Veep finally kicked Modern Family to the curb and won Outstanding Comedy Series.

“To everybody on television, I just want to tell you, cling to it as long as you can”, joked Stewart, who’s turning over “Daily Show” to Trevor Noah.