Emmys 2008 Red Carpet Best Dressed

Millions watched "Mad Men" make history on ABC as basic cable's first show to win a best drama award at the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Way up the tuner on AMC, a tiny sliver of that audience watched the most recent "Mad Men."

Same scenario for "30 Rock," which nabbed four trophies Sunday night, including the NBC show's second consecutive nod for best comedy series. Tina Fey used her moment in the spotlight to beg for more viewers.

"'30 Rock' is available to be viewed on NBC.com, Hulu.com, iTunes, Verizon phones, United Airlines and occasionally on actual television," Fey quipped.

Bryan Cranston won best actor in a drama series for "Breaking Bad," while Glenn Close won best actress for her role on "Damages."

Neither show is burning up the Nielsen ratings, either.

On a night when TV salutes its biggest talent, the glory went to the little guys.

Even the reality-show category went to a ratings struggler that's dominated the category for years: "The Amazing Race" took its sixth award for best reality-competition program, beating out ratings bullies "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars."

But the night's biggest prize belonged to the sleek '60s drama "Mad Men," set in the advertising world of Madison Avenue. Such an honor for a show that's lucky to draw 2 million viewers on a good night signaled that Sunday truly belonged to boutique TV.

"I want to thank all the people that went before us in television to make a show like this because we're just channeling it every day and we love going to work," said "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner, who also was honored for drama series writing for the show's pilot.

But any of these shows hoping for an Emmy-related ratings bump can get a dose of reality from the folks of "30 Rock," which won top comedy series honors last year, too — yet still struggled to get traction in its most recent season.

Sunday's big winners further illustrated the disconnect between critical acclaim and what Americans are watching — much like this year's Oscars, where the quirky crime saga "No Country for Old Men" won a leading four awards, including best picture, and the top four acting prizes went to Europeans.