Harris is Dr. Not-So-Horrible

"The 61st Annual Emmy Awards," originally scheduled to air Sunday night, was preempted by a rerun. At least it felt like a rerun.

"Mad Men" and "30 Rock" once again sauntered into the winner's circle, as did last year's champs Alec Baldwin, Glenn Close, "The Amazing Race," Jeff Probst, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and Bryan Cranston. The only major performer not to repeat in her category? Tina Fey. But don't shed any tears. She shared in award for best comedy, home hardware last week for her Sarah Palin impression and got a chance to flirt with both Jon Hamm and Bob Newhart.

Despite the Academy's effort to embrace more populist shows (they even expanded some major categories in hopes that something like "Family Guy" might give anyone under 25 reason to celebrate), voters went primarily for critically acclaimed series, but nothing resembling a ratings juggernaut. That doesn't mean there weren't some top-notch talent on the stage.

The first half of Sunday night's ceremonies reminded us that even couch potatoes really love their movie stars. In addition to Baldwin and Close, fellow Oscar nominee Toni Collette was honored for her work in in Showtime's Diablo-Cody created "The United States of Tara," while Jessica Lange was chosen over co-star Drew Barrymore in "Grey Gardens."

"I'm just glad Glenn Close is a woman," said Cranston, selected once again for his work in the little seen gem, "Breaking Bad." Other character actors that got a chance to rub shoulders with marquee names included Michael Emerson for "Lost" and Cherry Jones for "24." Jon Cryer, nominated for the fourth time for putting up with Charlie Sheen's antics on "Two and a Half Men," finally broke through. Loser Kevin Dillon looked so shocked, his face seemed to say: "I lost to Duckie?" We sympathize.

Kristin Chenoweth's win for supporting actress was more gratifying, but even more unlikely because her show "Pushing Daisies" has been canceled.

"I'm unemployed now, so I just want to say, I love 'Mad Men,' 'The Office' and '24,'" said Chenoweth when she wasn't blubbering.

Other honorees included "30 Rock" writer Matt Hubbard, "Mad Men" writer Matthew Weiner, "Into the Storm" actor Brendan Gleeson, "The Office" director Jeffrey Blitz -- and anyone inclined to make a joke about Kanye West.

"I'll keep this as brief as possible in hopes that it won't be interrupted by a congressman or a rapper," said Ken Howard, a winner for his contributions to "Grey Gardens."

No one tried harder to be funny than host Neil Patrick Harris, whose eagerness to be loved was largely successful.

From his cheesy opening number, "Don't Touch That Remote," to a reprisal of his online character, Dr. Horrible -- who interrupted the accountants -- Harris toiled too much for anyone to take potshots. The "How I Met Your Mother" star's loss to Cryer inspired a running bit that included Harris interrupting the winner's backstage press conference.

Special kudos to the female nominees who contributed shtick from the audience. Amy Poehler's suggestion that all the contenders in her category wear funny eyewear drew big laughs; even Vanessa Williams' refusal to play along was hilarious. Also, a big shout-out to Sarah Silverman for sporting a fake mustache and fake disgust when she lost in her category.

The comedy bits, which played throughout the evening, were often quickly accompanied by clips with an emphasis on popularity rather than critical acclaim. When it came time to give out praise, however, lesser-seen fare could not be ignored. "The Amazing Race" won for the 706th time in a row (actually, it's really the sixth) despite the fact that it's not a ratings juggernaut. PBS' "Little Dorrit," which lacked any big-name stars, won three awards Sunday, adding to the four it won last week, including best mini-series. "Grey Gardens" won as best TV movie.

Writers and directors who earlier complained about the proposal to shorten their speeches, provided little justification for their hissy fit. Perhaps the best line of the evening came from one of the writers of the opening number for the Academy Awards., who apologized that someone "sexier," like Justin Timberlake, didn't win for best lyrics and music. ""We're the least televisable people you could give this award to," said the man, whose name is too trivial to mention.

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431