Top Emmys clinched by 24, The Office

LOS ANGELES - The Emmy Awards paid a long-overdue tribute today to the heart-pounding espionage thriller 24 by crowning it US television's best drama series, while welcoming new workplace satire The Office as best comedy series.

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The spy drama finished the night with the most Emmys for a series, five in all, including best lead actor in a drama for its Canadian-bred star Kiefer Sutherland, who battles international terrorism on the show as fearless government agent Jack Bauer.

Both 24 and its star were nominated five years in a row before winning -- a losing streak that dismayed some critics.

Emmy voters also decisively broke the so-called Seinfeld curse as Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who co-starred on the long-running "show about nothing" for nine years, was named best comedy actress for her new sitcom, The New Adventures of Old Christine.

"I'm not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this baby!" an exultant Louis-Dreyfus said on stage as she held up her Emmy trophy, referring to the streak of past sitcom flops she and fellow Seinfeld co-stars had suffered in their initial prime-time comeback bids.

Louis-Dreyfus plays a divorced mom looking for love on her latest show, now headed into its second season. Her first TV solo turn as a nightclub singer on Watching Ellie failed to get off the ground, as did shows starring Seinfeld cohorts Michael Richards and Jason Alexander.

As expected, The Office, adapted from a popular British series of the same name, was named best TV comedy in its first nomination.

But Office star Steve Carell, widely expected to win as best comedy actor for playing clueless boss Michael Scott, was upset by Tony Shalhoub, who clinched his third prize in that category for his role as an obsessive-compulsive detective on the USA cable network's Monk.

The winner for best actress in a drama was also a surprise -- Mariska Hargitay, star of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, who triumphed on her third nomination over presumed front-runners Allison Janney for NBC political drama The West Wing and Kyra Sedgwick for cop show The Closer.

"When I named my son August, I had no idea the month would end like this," said Hargitay, who gave birth recently to her first child.

All four awards in the supporting acting categories went to performers with established careers, three of them past winners and co-stars of shows that have already gone off the air.

Veteran Alan Alda, who sprang to fame as Hawkeye Pierce on the long-running TV classic M*A*S*H, was named best supporting actor in a drama for his role as a Republican senator running for president on the final season of The West Wing. The celebrated political drama ended its seven-year run in May.

Alda's victory, the sixth Emmy award of his career, pushed West Wing into a tie with the landmark police show Hill Street Blues for the most prime-time Emmys overall, 26, amassed by a single drama during its run.

Blythe Danner was named best supporting actress in a drama for her work as the mother on the now-cancelled Showtime cable series Huff. Megan Mullally clinched the supporting comedic actress prize for playing the boozy, tart-tongued Karen Walker on Will & Grace, which bowed off in May after eight years on the air. It was the second Emmy win for both actresses.

Jeremy Piven, who got his big break playing Ellen DeGeneres' brother on Ellen, was named best supporting actor for his role as a shark-like Hollywood agent on the satire Entourage.

As for long-form programming, historical production Elizabeth I won for best miniseries or TV movie, while British performer Helen Mirren claimed the prize as best actress in that category, the third Emmy of her career.

Elizabeth I was the biggest winner of any programme overall, grabbing a total of nine Emmys when combining last week's non-televised Creative Arts. HBO led the network tally with 26 prizes, followed by NBC with 14.

- REUTERS