Vincent Kartheiser

Established dramas like Lost and Boston Legal were upstaged this year by Mad Men, the drama about a 1960s ad agency that airs on AMC, a basic-cable channel that didn’t even have a drama series on its roster before it started airing Mad Men last summer.

The series ended up with six Emmys (four at last week’s Creative Arts ceremony, and the Best Writing and Best Drama Series prizes.) The admen and adwomen of Sterling Cooper may be a cynical bunch, but series creator Matthew Weiner seemed genuinely moved as he and his cast and crew took the night’s top prize for their labor of love.