Monday's ceremony took a sombre turn as Robin Williams was remembered with restraint and grace by his longtime friend, Billy Crystal.
"He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him," Crystal said of Williams at the conclusion of a tribute to industry members who died last year.
Bryan Cranston was honoured as best actor in a drama for Breaking Bad, proving that True Detective nominee Matthew McConaughey's movie-star appeal couldn't conquer all.
"I have gratitude for everything that has happened," Cranston said. His victory ties him with four-time best drama actor champ Dennis Franz.
Cranston's co-stars Aaron Paula and Anna Gunn were honoured in categories for best supporting acting in a drama series.
Bryan Cranston accepting his award at the 2014 Emmys (AAP)
"Thank you for this wonderful farewell to our show," Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan said of the series about a teacher-turned-drug kingpin that ended with a bang.
The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies won the Emmy for best lead actress in a drama series.
"What a wonderful time for women on television," Margulies said.
McConaughey was the object of too-handsome jokes by presenter Jimmy Kimmel and adoration by winner Gail Mancuso, honoured as best director for an episode of Modern Family.
"If you don't mind, Matthew McConaughey, I'm gonna make eye contact with you right now," she said from the stage, making good by holding the actor's gaze for much of her speech.
The ceremony honouring the best of TV wasn't shy about playing the movie-star card. "Six minutes to Woody Harrelson" flashed on screen during Colin Bucksey's acceptance speech for best miniseries direction for Fargo.
Harrelson and his True Detective co-star were given time to banter before announcing that Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock: His Last Vow was the winner of the best miniseries actor award.
"So you won Oscar, (People magazine's) Sexiest Man Alive and now you want an Emmy, too. Isn't that a little bit greedy?" Harrelson teased his fellow nominee.
Fargo was named best miniseries, and the award for best miniseries actress went to Jessica Lange for American Horror Story: Coven.
The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons was crowned as best comedy series actor, giving him his fourth Emmy and putting him in league with all-time sitcom winners Kelsey Grammer and Michael J. Fox.
Modern Family, which tied Frasier as the all-time comedy champ with five statuettes, also captured a best comedy supporting actor trophy for Ty Burrell.
Allison Janney was honoured as best supporting comedy actress for Mom, adding to the trophy she'd already picked up as guest actress on Masters of Sex.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who received her third consecutive best comedy actress Emmy for the political comedy Veep, drew big laughs as she stopped to exchange a heated kiss with Cranston, who once appeared with her on Seinfeld.
Host Seth Meyers kicked off the ceremony by twitting his home network, NBC, and other broadcasters for being eclipsed in the awards by cable series and online newcomers like Orange Is the New Black.
Noting that the Emmys moved to Monday night to avoid a conflict with Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, he said that MTV doesn't really specialise in videos anymore.
"That's like network TV holding an awards show and giving all the trophies to cable and Netflix. That would be crazy," Meyers joked.
The ceremony's traditional "in memorian" tribute to industry members who have died in the past year flashed images of stars including James Garner, Ruby Dee, Sid Caesar, Carmen Zapata and Elaine Stritch as singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles sang Smile. It concluded with the tribute to Williams.
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