(Reuters)
It was a nice run while it lasted, but all good things must come to an end.
After four straight years of winning the Emmy for Outstanding Drama, "Mad Men" has been defeated -- in a shutout. The new drama favorite is the Showtime series "Homeland," which completed a sweep, taking home Emmys for Lead Actress Claire Danes, Lead Actor Damian Lewis, and Best Writing in a Drama Series. Meanwhile, "Mad Men" nominees -- Christina Hendricks, Jon Hamm, Ben Feldman and Elisabeth Moss -- faced defeat in each of their categories.
AMC's "Mad Men" was seeking its fifth-straight win in the Outstanding Drama category, which would have given the show sole possession of most consecutive wins in the category, to pull ahead of "Hill Street Blues" and "The West Wing." Also winning four times, but not consecutively, was "L.A. Law." All three were NBC programs.
Here are five things you should know about "Homeland:"
- President Barack Obama has publicly expressed that he is a fan of the show.
- Claire Danes plays Carrie Mathison, a CIA agent with mental health issues who is investigating Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine played by Damian Lewis.
- Season two of the Showtime series will premiere Sept. 30.
- The show was based on an Israeli TV show called "Hatufim" ("Prisoners of War"), created by Gideon Raff.
- Opening credits of the show feature actual photographs of Danes as a child.
