In case you missed it, last Sunday night marked the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, one of the biggest events in television. Hosted by the multi-talented, hilarious and irresistibly charming Neil Patrick Harris at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, the night was filled with jokes, upsets and somber tributes to the television stars we’ve lost over the past year. While NPH didn’t show off his amazing singing and dancing skills during the opening, viewers did get a taste of this later with his ironic “performing a number in the middle of a show” song, along with a delightful amount of awkwardness and laughs that go along with any awards show.

As far as the actual awards go, let’s start with the big winners. “Breaking Bad” took home the coveted Best Drama Series award over “Downton Abbey,” Game of Thrones,” “Homeland,” “House of Cards” and “Mad Men.” While I absolutely think this series deserved its win, its competition was exceptionally steep and a tribute to the incredibly high caliber of television this year. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I’ve ever watched “Mad Men” or “Downton Abbey” as there isn’t much time left in the day when one is binge-watching “Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad,” all while trying to still function in the real world. However, I can attest to the originality and extraordinary writing that “Homeland” has displayed in the one season I have seen. In the other nominated political drama “House of Cards,” Kevin Spacey executes his role as a U.S. House Representative flawlessly.

The biggest upset of the night, in my opinion, was Jeff Daniels of “The Newsroom” beating out Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad” as Best Actor in a Drama Series because, let’s be honest, nobody ever expected to be watching (and thoroughly enjoying) “Malcolm in the Middle’s” dorky dad cooking meth in one of the most distressing and addicting shows on TV. Best Actress in a Drama Series went to Claire Danes for her stunning performance in “Homeland” while Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama Series went to Bobby Cannavale for “Boardwalk Empire” and Anna Gunn for “Breaking Bad,” respectively.

On the comedy front, Best Comedy Series went to ABC’s “Modern Family” while Best Comedy Series Actor and Actress went to “The Big Bang Theory’s” Jim Parsons and “Veep’s” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, respectively. Don’t get me wrong, I think “Modern Family” is charming, cute and fun for all ages. However, “Girls” and “Louie” are absolutely brilliant and hilarious shows that, in my opinion, tend to lack proper recognition due to their specific and more mature demographic.

There is no doubt in my mind that television has surpassed movies this year, as exemplified by the tumultuous and heartbreaking “Game of Thrones” season, the revival of a cult-classic and personal favorite “Arrested Development,” the launch of incredibly impressive Netflix original series such as “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” and of course, the always amazing “Breaking Bad” – get ready for the series finale next Sunday!

Television is looking better than ever, while more and more movies are beginning to rely on overwhelming visual stimulation and 3-D technology, lacking any interesting plot, characters or acting (Pacific Rim, anyone?). In addition to this, their two-and-a-half-hour-plus running time isn’t helping get people into the theaters with our deteriorating attention span and lack of time. With popular attractions such as the seven-second long “Vine” video phenomenon, the desire for instant gratification is becoming more and more prevalent and shorter, weekly primetime television shows are becoming more and more appealing. But I must say, with shows beginning to emerge as amazing as “Breaking Bad,” I just can’t bring myself to complain.

Contact Nicole Fasola at nfasola@colgate.