Los Angeles - Medieval fantasy Game of Thrones lead the winners at the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday in a ceremony that also honoured Kathy Bates for channelling Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men but shut out Emmy darling Mad Men.
On a night that rewarded guest actors, choreographers, musicians and editors of the year's leading TV shows, Game of Thrones on HBO won six awards, including costumes, make-up and special visual effects.
Sketch show Saturday Night Live took home four - including a best guest actor trophy for comedian Jimmy Fallon as host - tying for second place with the Charles Dickens drama Great Expectations on PBS and Discovery Channel's nature documentary Frozen Planet.
Bates, 64, was a popular winner for her guest actress turn as Charlie Sheen's killed-off bad boy Charlie Harper in CBS comedy Two and a Half Men.
The Oscar-winning Bates, who this week revealed she had recently undergone a double mastectomy, played the ghost of Sheen/Harper complete with cigar and trademark bowling shirt.
In a night of surprises, 1960s advertising show and four times best drama series Emmy winner Mad Men was shut out of the creative arts portion of the biggest honours in the TV industry.
Mad Men will still hope to capture the top prize next week at the Primetime Emmys, which honours the best dramas, comedies, writers and actors and take place on 23 September at a televised ceremony in Los Angeles, hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
On Saturday, the Nickelodeon animated show about a group of commando penguins, The Penguins of Madagascar, beat popular Fox comedies The Simpsons, American Dad, and Bob's Burgers.
HBO finished Saturday night as the channel with the most Emmys - 17 - followed by CBS with 13 and 11 for PBS.
A complete list of winners can be seen at website Emmys.com