"Game of Thrones" resurrected the Iron Throne at Sunday's Emmy ceremony, ruling as top drama on a night of surprises in which "Pose" star Billy Porter made history and the comedy series "Fleabag" led a British invasion that overturned expectations.
"This all started in the demented mind of George R.R. Martin," said "Game of Thrones" producer David Benioff, thanking the author whose novels were the basis of HBO's fantasy saga.
Porter, who stars in the FX drama set in the LGBTQ ball scene of the late 20th century, became the first openly gay man to win a best drama series acting Emmy.
"God bless you all. The category is love, you all, love. I'm so overjoyed and so overwhelmed to have lived to see this day," said an exuberant Porter, resplendent in a sparkling suit and swooping hat.
Amazon's "Fleabag," a dark comedy about a dysfunctional woman, was honored as best comedy and earned top acting honors for its British creator and star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and a best director trophy.
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"This is getting a ridiculous," Waller-Bridge said in her third trip to the stage to collect the top trophy.
Her acting win blocked "Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus from setting a record as the most-honored performer in Emmy history.
"Nooooo!" a shocked-looking Waller-Bridge said as Louis-Dreyfus smiled for the cameras. "Oh, my God, no. Thank you. I find acting really hard and really painful. But it's all about this," she said, her acting trophy firmly in hand.
In accepting the writing award earlier, she called the Emmy recognition proof that "a dirty, pervy, messed-up woman can make it to the Emmys."
Bill Hader won his second consecutive best comedy actor award for the hitman comedy "Barry."
Alex Borstein and Tony Shalhoub of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" won best supporting acting awards at the ceremony, which included early and varied messages of female empowerment after the host-less ceremony kicked off with Homer Simpson.
The auditorium erupted in cheers when Jharrel Jerome of "When They See Us," about the Central Park Five case, won the best actor award for a limited series movie.
"Most important, this is for the men that we know as the Exonerated Five," said Jerome, naming the five wrongly convicted men who were in the audience. They stood and saluted the actor as the crowd applauded them.
It was the only honor for the acclaimed Netflix series of the evening; "Chernobyl" won the best limited series honor.
Stars arrive at the 2019 Primetime Emmys
Here are the winners of the 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Winners will be noted in bold. This article will be updated as winners are announced:
Drama Series
"Better Call Saul"
"Bodyguard"
WINNER: "Game of Thrones"
"Killing Eve"
"Ozark"
"Pose"
"Succesion"
"This is Us"
Comedy Series
"Barry"
WINNER: "Fleabag"
"The Good Place"
"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
"Russian Doll"
"Schitt's Creek"
"Veep"
Limited Series
"WINNER: Chernobyl"
"Escape at Dannemora"
"Fosse/Verdon"
"Sharp Objects"
"When They See Us"
Television Movie
WINNER: "Bandersnatch: Black Mirror"
"Brexit"
"Deadwood"
"King Lear"
"My Dinner With Herve"
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, "Ozark"
Sterling K. Brown, "This is Us"
Kit Harington, "Game of Thrones"
Bob Odenkirk, "Better Call Saul"
WINNER: Billy Porter, "Pose"
"Milo Ventimiglia, "This is Us"
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emilia Clarke, "Game of Thrones"
WINNER: Jodie Comer, "Killing Eve"
Viola Davis, "How to Get Away with Murder"
Laura Linney, "Ozark"
Mandy Moore, "This is Us"
Sandra Oh, "Killing Eve"
Robin Wright, "House of Cards
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, "Blackish"
Don Cheadle, "Black Monday"
Ted Danson, "The Good Place"
Michael Douglas, "The Kominsky Method"
WINNER: Bill Hader, "Barry"
Eugene Levy, "Schitt's Creek"
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, "Dead to Me"
Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Natasha Lyonne, "Russian Doll"
Catherine O'Hara, "Schitt's Creek"
WINNER: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, "Fleabag"
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Mahershala Ali, "True Detective"
Benicio Del Toro, "Escape at Dannemora"
Hugh Grant, "A Very English Scandal"
Jared Harris, "Chernobyl"c
WINNER: Jharrel Jerome, "When They See Us"
Sam Rockwell, "Fosse/Verdon"
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Amy Adams, "Sharp Objects"
Patricia Arquette, "Escape at Dannemora"
Anjanue Ellis," When They See Us"
Joey King, "The Act"
Niecy Nash, "When They See Us"
WINNER: Michelle Williams, "Fosse/Verdon"
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks, "Better Call Saul"
Giancarlo Esposito, "Better Call Saul"
Alfie Allen, "Game of Thrones"
Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau, "Game of Thrones"
WINNER: Peter Dinklange, "Game of Thrones"
Michael Kelly "House of Cards"
Chris Sullivan, "This is Us"
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey, "Game of Thrones"
Sophie Turner, "Game of Thrones"
Maisie Williams, "Game of Thrones"
Gwendoline Christie, "Game of Thrones"
Fiona Shaw, "Killing Eve"
WINNER: Julia Garner, "Ozark"
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Stephen Root, "Barry"
Henry Winkler, "Barry"
Anthony Carrigan, "Barry"
Alan Arkin, "The Kominsky Method"
WINNER: Tony Shalhoub, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Tony Hale, "Veep"
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg, "Barry"
Sian Clifford, "Fleabag"
Olivia Coleman, "Fleabag"
Betty Gilpin, "GLOW"
Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live"
WINNER: Alex Borstein, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Marin Hinkle, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Anna Chlumsky, "Veep"
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Asante Blackk, "When They See Us"
Paul Dano, "Escape at Dannemora"
John Leguizamo, "When They See Us"
Stellan Skarsgard, "Chernobyl"
WINNER: Ben Whishaw, "A Very English Scandal"
Michael K. Williams, "When They See Us
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
WINNER: Patricia Arquette, "The Act"
Marsha Stephanie Blake, "When They See Us"
Vera Farmiga, "When They See Us"
Margaret Qualley, "Fosse/Verdon"
Emily Watson, "Chernobyl"
Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Michael McKean, "Better Call Saul"
Glynn Turman, "How to Get Away With Murder"
WINNER: Bradley Whitford, "The Handmaid's Tale"
Kumail Nanjiani, "The Twilight Zone"
Michael Angarano, "This is Us"
Ron Cephas Jones, "This is Us"
Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story, Apocalypse"
Carice van Houten, "Game of Thrones"
Cicely Tyson, "How to Get Away With Murder"
Laverne Cox, "Orange is the New Black"
Cherry Jones, "The Handmaid's Tale"
WINNER: Phylicia Rashad, "This is Us"
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Matt Damon, "Saturday Night Live"
Robert de Niro, "Saturday Night Live"
John Mulaney, "Saturday Night Live"
Adam Sandler, "Saturday Night Live"
Luke Kirby, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
WINNER: Rufus Sewell, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Peter MacNicol, "Veep"
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Fiona Shaw, "Fleabag"
Kristen Scott Tomas, "Fleabag"
Sandra Oh, "Saturday Night Live"
Emma Thomspon, "Saturday Night Live"
Maya Rudolph, "The Good Place"
WINNER: Jane Lynch, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Writing for a Drama Series
Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz, "Better Call Saul" - Winner
Jed Mercurio, "Bodyguard" - Episode 1
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, "Game of Thrones" - The Iron Throne
Emerald Fennell, "Killing Eve" - Nice and Neat
WINNER: Jesse Armstrong, "Succession" - Nobody is Ever Missing
Writing for a Comedy Series
Alec Berg and Bill Hader, "Barry" - ronny/lily
WINNER: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, "Fleabag" - Episode 1
Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle and Stacy Osei-Kuffour, "PEN15" - Anna Ishii-Peters
Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler, "Russian Doll" - Nothing in This World is Easy
Allison Silverman, "Russian Doll" - A Warm Body
Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan, "The Good Place" - Janet(s)
David Mandel, "Veep" - Veep
Writing in a Limited Series or Movie
Russel T. Davis, "A Very English Scandal"
WINNER: Craig Maizin, "Chernobyl"
Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin and Jerry Stahl, "Escape at Dannemora" - Episode 6
Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, "Escape at Dannemora" - Episode 7
Steven Levenson and Joel Fields, "Fosse/Verdon"
Ava DuVernay and Michael Starrbury, "When They See Us" - Part Four
Directing for a Drama Series
Miguel Sapochnik, "Game of Thrones" - The Long Night
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, "Game of Thrones - The Iron Throne
David Nutter, "Game of Thrones" - The Last of the Starks
Lisa Bruhlmann, "Killing Eve" - Desperate Times
WINNER: Jason Bateman, "Ozark" - Reparations
Adam McKay, "Succession" - Celebration
Daina Reid, "The Handmaid's Tale" - Holly
Directing for a Comedy Series
Alec Berg, "Barry" - The Audition
Bill Hader, "Barry" - ronny/lily
WINNER: Harry Bradbeer, " Fleabag" - Prime Video
Mark Cendrowski, "The Big Bang Theory" - The Stockholm Syndrome
Amy Sherman-Palladino, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" - All Alone
Daniel Palladino, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" - We're Going to the Catskills!
Directing in a Limited Series or Movie
Stephen Frears, "A Very English Scandal"
WINNER: Johan Renck, "Chernobyl"
Ben Stiller, "Escape at Dannemora"
Jessica Yu, "Fosse/Verdon" - Glory
Thomas Kail, "Fosse/Verdon" - Who's Got the Pain
Ava DuVernay, "When They See Us"
Variety Talk Series
"The Daily Show with Trevor Noah"
"Full Frontal with Samantha Bee"
"Jimmy Kimmel Live"
WINNER: "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"
"The Late Late Show with James Corden"
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"
Variety Sketch Series
"At Home With Amy Sedaris"
"Documentary Now!"
"Drunk History"
"I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman"
WINNER: "Saturday Night Live"
"Who Is America?"
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
"Documentary Now!"
"Drunk History"
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"
WINNER: "Saturday Night Live"
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"
"Who Is America?"
Competition Program
"American Ninja Warrior"
"Nailed It!"
WINNER: "RuPaul's Drag Race"
"The Amazing Race"
"The Voice"
"Top Chef"