[ot-caption title=”Anthony Anderson, an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Black-ish, poses at the 67th Emmy Awards Performers Nominee Reception in West Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)”]

On September 20^th, the 67^th annual Emmy Awards were broadcasted from the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. The hilarious Andy Samberg, star of Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, hosted the show. It was a night of laughter, emotion, and record-breaking performances. While Andy Samberg had the audience laughing out loud all night, some of the winners’ speeches drove the entire crowd to tears.

This year’s Emmy Awards was particularly historic, as Game of Thrones won a record-breaking twelve awards from their twenty-four nominations. HBO left triumphant with a total of fourteen victories, including Game of Thrones winning best drama, Veep winning the outstanding comedy series award, and Olive Kitteridge winning the majority of the awards in the limited series category.

Other memorable moments included John Hamm crawling onto the stage to receive his first exclusive Emmy award for his role in Mad Men from his sixteenth nomination. The Emmys’ most emotional moment goes to How to Get Away with Murder’s Viola Davis’ impassioned acceptance speech after she became the first African American to win the outstanding lead actress in a drama series award. She drove the audience to tears, quoting Harriet Tubman, paying tribute to other black actresses before her, and standing up against Hollywood’s tendency to racially cast.  She said, “the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.”

While it was a night of firsts, it was also a night of lasts. The Daily Show won its eighteenth and final Emmy with host, Jon Stewart, saying, “Thank you very much. You will never have to see me again”. In addition, Amy Poehler was nominated for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her portrayal of Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation’s final season. She did not in fact take home the Emmy, as Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the award for the fourth time in a row.

Through the ups and downs, this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards was a joy to watch.  Whether  through a hysterical monologue, a tear-jerking speech, or a moment that will go down in television history, the show tried to keep spectators on the edge of their seats, their living room couches, and constantly entertained.