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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- HBO's "Veep" and "Game of Thrones" continue to rule the U.S. television Emmys awards on Sunday, thanks to repeat Emmy wins for outstanding comedy and drama series.
"Veep" and "Game of Thrones," the wins at the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were their second in a row. "Game of Thrones" also won Emmys for directing for Miguel Sapochnik and writing for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Combined with its wins at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremonies a week ago, "Game of Thrones" won a total of 12 Emmys.
But dominating the evening was FX's "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," the limited series recreating the Los Angeles arrest and double-murder prosecution of O.J. Simpson, which took home five Emmys, including the prize for outstanding limited series. It won nine Emmys overall, including its four Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Courtney B. Vance, 56, won his first career Emmy for best actor in a limited series for his role as famed Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochran.
When Vance was a kid, O.J. Simpson was also a hero. "I was a big O.J. Simpson fan and I remember him at USC," Vance said, "I was a big football fan at 7 and 8."
The series was a chance "to educate myself," Vance said after he got award, "I made a decision not to watch footage of Cochran" , "I did not want to view that footage and be 'in my head.'"
Instead, he read Jeffrey Toobin's book "The Run of His Life: The People versus O. J. Simpson" -- which was the basis for the series -- over and over again. "I just needed a kernel," Vance said, "As an actor sometime all you need is something to give you the confidence to grow."
Sarah Paulson also won her first career Emmy for her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark in "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story". She brought lead prosecutor Marcia Clark as her guest to Emmy ceremony.
"Playing a real person while they're still living is a big responsibility," said Paulson, who won the Emmy for lead actress in a limited series.
Paulson hailed "this incredible group of actors, these magicians," particularly praising co-star Sterling K. Brown, who won a supporting actor Emmy for his work portraying co-prosecutor Christopher Darden.
"I am holding this because of you," she said on stage at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Paulson, 41, also said she learned a lot about Clark in preparing for the role, and it changed her opinion of her. She said the more she learned, "the more I had to recognize that I, along with the rest of the world, had been superficial and careless in my judgment and I am glad to be able to stand here today in front of everyone and tell you I'm sorry."
The series also won a writing Emmy for D.V. DeVincentis. The series had three nominations for directing for a limited series, movie or dramatic special, but it lost to Susanne Bier for "The Night Manager."
Rami Malek and Tatiana Maslany each collected their first career Emmys Sunday night for their leading roles in the drama series "Mr. Robot" and "Orphan Black," respectively. But on the comedy side, there were no surprises, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus ( "Veep" ) and Jeffrey Tambor ( "Transparent" ) repeating their Emmy wins from last year. Louis-Dreyfus has won the Emmy for lead actress in a comedy five years in a row.
Malek, 35, took home his first career Emmy for best dramatic actor for his role as socially awkward computer hacker Elliot Alderson, who goes to work for an anarchist in the USA series "Mr. Robot."
"I play a young man who is, I think, like so many of us, profoundly alienated," Malek said. "And the unfortunate thing is, I'm not sure how many of us would want to hang out with a guy like Elliot. But I want to honor the Elliots, right? Because there's a little bit of Elliot in all of us, isn't there?"
Maslany, 30, also took home her first Emmy for her role as a woman who discovers she is a clone with "sisters" scattered across the world in "Orphan Black."
She thanked the show's producers "for this incredible dream job." "I feel so lucky to be on a show that puts women at the center," she said.
Maggie Smith won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama for "Downton Abbey." It was her third win in five nominations for the role. The prize for supporting actor in a drama went to Ben Mendelsohn of "Bloodline."
The comedy-actress win for Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her leading political satire "Veep".t was her second consecutive win for best comedy and it was her eighth Emmy overall, having previously won prizes for her work in "Seinfeld" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine."
"I'd like to personally apologize for the current political climate," she joked. "I think that 'Veep' has torn down the wall between comedy and politics. Our show started out as a political satire, but it now feels more like a sobering documentary."
Jeffrey Tambor, 72, won his second straight Emmy for lead actor in a comedy for his transgender role in the Amazon series' "Transparent."
"There is no best actor, all right? I'm so honored to be in this category with these artistic killers," he said in recognition of his co-nominees. He also hailed series creator Jill Soloway, saying, "You changed my life, you changed my career. You changed everything."
He also reached out to show runners and network executives, asking them to "please give transgender talent a chance," he said. "Give them an audition. Give them their stories. Do that."
Jill Soloway won her second consecutive Emmy for comedy series directing for her work on "Transparent."
NBC's "The Voice" won its second consecutive Emmy for outstanding reality-competition program. It was the show's third win overall.
