Emmys pick Judy Davis over Emma Thompson

The 53rd Annual Prime Time Emmy awards, twice-cancelled in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, finally went ahead Nov. 4. There were no great surprises in terms of network television series ' NBC's White House fiction The West Wing won its second consecutive award for best drama series while HBO's Sex And The City earned best comedy honours ' but there was something of an upset in the telefilm awards. HBO's widely-acclaimed production Wit was awarded best telefilm but lead actress Emma Thompson was overlooked in favour of Judy Davis for her lead role in Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows (pictured), produced by Canadian production company Alliance Atlantis.

There was some consolation in the fact that another HBO production finally got some respect. James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, the two leads from its mob drama The Sopranos, earned best actor and best actress accolades while writers Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess won for their work on the show, beating out The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, who won the same award last year. At the 52nd awards, The Sopranos received only one Emmy out of 18 nominations.

It was a good year for Alliance Atlantis, which saw its productions win two other acting gongs: Tammy Blanchard won best supporting actress in a miniseries or telefilm for the Garland biopic and Brian Cox won best supporting actor in a miniseries or telefilm for his portrayal of Hermann Goering in Nuremberg.

Cox was the second UK actor to win for the portrayal of a Nazi. UK actor Kenneth Branagh won for his role of Reinhard Heydrich in another HBO-produced work, Conspiracy.

The West Wing ' NBC

John Wells Prods. in association with Warner Bros. Television. Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, John Wells, executive producers; Kevin Falls, co-executive producer; Michael Hissrich, Lawrence O'Donnell Jr., Kristin Harms, Llewellyn Wells, producers.

Sex And The City ' HBO

Darren Star Prods. in association with HBO Original Programming. Darren Star, Michael Patrick King, executive producers; Jenny Bicks, Cindy Chupack, John Melfi, co-executive producers; Sarah Jessica Parker, producer.

Anne Frank ' ABC

Milk & Honey Prods. in association with Dorothy Pictures. Hans Proppe, executive producer; David Kappes, producer.

Wit ' HBO

Avenue Pictures in association with HBO Films. Mike Nichols, Cary Brokaw, executive producers; Simon Bosanquet, producer.

Eric McCormack, Will & Grace ' NBC

Komut Entertainment in association with Three Sisters Entertainment and NBC Studios.

James Gandolfini, The Sopranos ' HBO

Chase Films/Brad Grey Television in association with HBO Original Programming.

Kenneth Branagh, Conspiracy ' HBO

HBO Films.

Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond ' CBS

HBO Independent Prods. and Worldwide Pants in association with Where's Lunch.

Edie Falco, The Sopranos ' HBO

Chase Films/Brad Grey Television in association with HBO Original Programming.

Judy Davis, Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows ' ABC

Alliance Atlantis, IN-motion in association with Storyline Entertainment.

Peter MacNicol, Ally McBeal ' Fox

David E. Kelley Prods. in association with 20th Century Fox TV.

Bradley Whitford, The West Wing ' NBC

John Wells Prods. in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Brian Cox, Nuremberg ' TNT

Alliance Atlantis, La Fete in association with TNT, British American Entertainment and Cypress Films.

Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond ' CBS

HBO Independent Prods. and Worldwide Pants in association with Where's Lunch.

Allison Janney, The West Wing ' NBC

John Wells Prods. in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Tammy Blanchard, Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows ' ABC

Alliance Atlantis co-production with IN-motion in association with Storyline Entertainment.

Barbra Streisand, Barbra Streisand: Timeless ' Fox,

Todd Holland, Malcolm In The Middle ' Fox

Thomas Schlamme, The West Wing ' NBC