Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Homeland tops Emmys

Updated at 1:22 pm on 25 September 2012

American television drama Homeland has taken out the top prizes at the annual Emmy awards in Los Angeles.

Among Homeland's awards were best drama series, beating American series Mad Men and British period drama Downton Abbey.

British actor Damian Lewis has won an Emmy for best actor in a drama for his performance in the Homeland series.

Lewis plays an American soldier who returns home after spending years in captivity in Iraq, and who is suspected of becoming an al-Qaeda agent, the BBC reports.

Fellow Briton Dame Maggie Smith won best supporting actress in a drama series, winning Downton Abbey's only award.

Homeland, Game Change, HBO's story of Sarah Palin's entry into the 2008 US vice presidential race; and US comedy Modern Family won the most awards, with four each.

All of the nominees for best drama were broadcast on cable TV channels rather than any of the main US networks, says the BBC.

Homeland also won outstanding drama, meaning that Mad Men failed to set a record by winning its fifth best drama award.

Kevin Costner was named best actor for the history-based miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.

The series, on a family feud, won a total of five awards for The History Channel - the most in the network's history.

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