Emmy Awards 2011 Winners: The Night’s Biggest Shockers

Most Glamorous Celebrities at Emmy Awards 2011 — Actress Melissa McCarthy poses backstage with her Emmy award after winning for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for "Mike & Molly," at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles September 18, 2011 REUTERS

While Mad Men and Modern Family predictably snagged top honors at the 2011 Emmy Awards, the 63^rd annual awards show had its share of surprises, upsets, and snubs.

Kyle Chandler

Who could have predicted that Kyle Chandler, of the now-defunct Friday Night Lights would beat out the talent-heavy competitors for lead actor in a drama series? Not us!

Several critics predicted a win for Connie Britton, the other star of Friday Night Lights. But few, if any, saw a win for Chandler.

Most critics thought Jon Hamm, of Mad Men, had this one in the bag after three-time winner Bryan Cranston, of AMC's Breaking Bad, was left out of the running due to his show's timing. Not so. Hamm goes another year without the award.

Melissa McCarthy

In another surprising twist, first-time nominee Melissa McCarthy of Mike & Molly became a first-time winner.

Holy smokes, she exclaimed as she accepted the award for lead actress in a comedy series. McCarthy beat heavyweights Amy Poehler of Parks and Recreation and Tina Fey of 30 Rock.

McCarthy thanked her parents and her suburban Chicago hometown as she donned a tiara on stage. She neglected to mention her famous cousin, Jenny McCarthy, whose short-lived series Jenny provided McCarthy with her first TV spot in 1997.

Jim Parsons

Though he won the award last year, most didn't expect The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons to win back-to-back gold. It was widely believed that Steve Carell would be recognized for his final season as Michael Scott on NBC's The Office.

The world of TV should be ashamed of itself that Steve Carell never won an Emmy for Michael Gary Scott. Former co-star Rain Wilson tweeted after Sunday night's telecast.

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Barry Pepper

Barry Pepper's win for lead actor in a miniseries was another shocker. The win was a surprise for two reasons. Firstly, Pepper's Robert F. Kennedy beat out Greg Kinnear's JFK. Secondly, it means that Academy members actually tuned in to the widely-panned Kennedys miniseries.

Either way, a victory over Edgar Ramirez of Carlos was an astonishing feat, no matter who won.

Other not-so-surprising wins included Modern Family's Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen for supporting actor and supporting actress in a comedy.

While Kate Winslet could barely contain her shock, viewers had long expected an Emmy win for the actress after her riveting performance in HBO's Mildred Pierce.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Amazing Race unsurprisingly took home the Emmys for variety, music or comedy series and reality-competition program respectively.

Here's a look at the full list of winners at the 63^rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards:

Drama Series: Mad Men, AMC.

Actress, Drama Series: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife, CBS.

Actor, Drama Series: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights, DirecTV/NBC.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones, HBO.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Margo Martindale, Justified, FX.

Writing, Drama Series: Jason Katims, Friday Night Lights, NBC.

Directing, Drama Series: Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire, HBO.

Comedy Series: Modern Family, ABC.

Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, CBS.

Actress, Comedy Series: Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly, CBS.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Julie Bowen, Modern Family, ABC.