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Comedy 'Modern Family' Captures Multiple Emmys

DAVID GREENE, Host:

This is pretty much how it went on the 63rd annual Emmy Awards last night.

(SOUNDBITE OF TELEVISION CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: And the Emmy goes to "Modern Family."

GREENE: The sitcom about an extended family won five awards from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, more than any other show. The first award - for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy - went to Julie Bowen. She plays the neurotic mother Claire Dunphy on "Modern Family."

(SOUNDBITE OF EMMY AWARDS)

JULIE BOWEN: Oh, I don't know what I am going to talk about in therapy next week now. This is - I won something.

STEVE INSKEEP, Host:

Ty Burrell won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for playing her husband. The writing and directing comedy awards went the same way.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMMY AWARDS)

WOMAN: Michael Allen Spiller, "Modern Family."

WOMAN: Steven Levitan?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: And Jeffrey Richman.

WOMAN: "Modern Family."

JANE LYNCH: Welcome back to the "Modern Family" Awards. You know, we decided to throw them into the drama category just to see what happens.

INSKEEP: That was Jane Lynch, in her first time hosting the Emmys.

GREENE: A lot of "Modern Family," but there were a few surprises last night - like the Best Actor win for Kyle Chandler. He played a high school football coach on the critically acclaimed drama "Friday Night Lights," which was canceled this year.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMMY AWARDS)

KYLE CHANDLER, Host:

I knew for a fact that I would not be standing here, so I did not worry about writing anything. And now, I am starting to worry.

GREENE: See, you heard an actor saying she'd have nothing to discuss with the therapist after winning. Turns out winning creates its own anxiety.

INSKEEP: Other surprises: Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, Margo Martindale for "Justified"; and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, Peter Dinklage for "Game of Thrones."

GREENE: In the show categories, "Mad Men" won Best Drama for the fourth year in a row. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" won its category for the ninth straight year.

INSKEEP: The last award of the night went back to "Modern Family" - Best Comedy, just like last year. Here's executive producer Steven Levitan.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMMY AWARDS)

STEVEN LEVITAN: Last season we were on location, and a gay couple came up to us and said, you're not just making people laugh; you're making them more tolerant. And I thought to myself, they're right. We are showing the world that there's absolutely nothing wrong with a loving, committed relationship between an old man and a hot, young woman. And looking around this room tonight, I see many of you agree.

GREENE: The Emmys had some controversy. Fox dropped a pre-taped joke Alec Baldwin made about phone hacking. Fox is owned by News Corp., which is in the middle of hacking scandal. Baldwin boycotted the awards as a result.

INSKEEP: Fox, after all, was trying to use the Emmy broadcast to promote its slate of new shows for the fall.

(SOUNDBITE OF TELEVISION CLIP)

MAN: Premieres this Tuesday after?

MAN: ?two-night premiere begins this Wednesday?

MAN: ?World premiere, Monday, September 26, on Fox. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.