U.S. television honored its best programs Sunday at the annual Emmy awards in Los Angeles. Mad Men was named best dramatic series. Modern Family was named best comedy. Key Emmys also went to television movies and a mini-series based on real-life stories.
Mad Men, (1)________________________________, won its third consecutive Emmy as best drama series. And a satirical look at the American family, Modern Family was named best comedy and earned Emmys for its writing and for supporting actor Eric Stonestreet.
The musical-comedy series Glee had 19 nominations heading into the awards, but the series won just 2 Emmys, for supporting actress Jane Lynch and series creator and director Ryan Murphy. Bryan Cranston was honored for his portrayal of a drug dealer in the series Breaking Bad and Kyra Sedgewick for her role as a deputy police chief in The Closer. Top comic acting honors went to Edie Falco of Nurse Jackie and Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory, a series about nerdy scientists.
Temple Grandin, a TV film about a noted animal scientist who has struggled with autism, was named best television movie, and (2)________________________________Claire Danes, who portrays Grandin. Supporting performers Julia Ormond and David Strathairn and director Mick Jackson also earned Emmys.
Autism is a developmental disorder that causes problems in communicating with others, but Grandin has overcome her disability to become a respected author and advocate for the humane treatment of livestock. Producer Emily Gerson Saines, who is herself the mother of an autistic child, thanked Grandin for her work in spreading knowledge about the condition. "Autism has reached epidemic proportions, so (3)____________________with autism, Temple Grandin, you are our hero."