(See TheWrap's complete Emmys coverage.)
Give the folks at the TV Academy credit: They learn from their mistakes.
Now, if only Emmy voters were as ambitious as the show's producers. The safe, utterly predictable choices once again sucked much of the life out of what was otherwise a brilliantly executed three-hour broadcast.
Of course, it would have been hard for Emmy not to improve on its recent past.
Last year's ceremony was a low-point for the industry, a bloated bore of a show that seemed to symbolize everything that's wrong with show business these days. From the indecisiveness of having multiple hosts to the boring clip packages, virtually nothing about the 2008 Emmys worked.
The disaster of last year prompted much soul-searching at the Academy. For a few minutes, there was even a plan to pre-tape some categories in order to give more time to entertainment elements.
But guess what? Even with a full roster of 245 awards, it turns out you can produce a great awards show if you have the right elements.
And this year, the key ingredient for success was the casting of Neil Patrick Harris in the role of host.
From the moment he stepped on stage, Harris elevated this year's show high above last year's debacle.
His opening song and dance was sly, subtle and spectacular all at once. It avoided the camp of a Rob Lowe/Snow White misfire, but also offered some clever inside jokes for the industry crowd ("Put down that remote," he sang, as if praying for a return to the good old days of three networks and no DVRs).
Production numbers have been all but banned from awards shows in recent years, but Harris and the Emmy producers proved they can still work when done right. (As with a later segment featuring hoofers from "Dancing with the Stars").
Overall, Harris was exactly what you want from an emcee: He gave the show an emotional core, popping up every so a with a well-written aside or a clever intro.
And yet, he never made the show about him. When a joke or bit bombed -- and more than a few did -- he quickly found a way to move on, making fun of himself or the joke.
How good was NPH? So excellent that several winners and presenters took time from their acceptance speeches to praise his skills.
"This is how you host the Emmys," said "Survivor's" Jeff Probst, one of last year's unfortunate gang of five hosts.
But as good as Harris was, he wasn't the only reason this year's show worked so well.
Producer Don Mischer, perhaps sensing that this might be a do-or-die year for the notion of Emmys on broadcast TV, wasted no opportunity to fill each minute of the show with some new, interesting element.
The reading of nominees' names, usually a snooze, this year featured actors comically sporting eyewear (the supporting comedy women), or writers joking about the secrets to their craft.
