HBO claimed the hardware at the annual Emmy Awards. Viola Davis, Jon Hamm and Tracy Morgan captured the hearts.

In the 67th edition of the television awards show Sunday, Davis became the first woman of color to win best actress in a drama series. Hamm was a sentimental favorite for winning best actor in his last chance with “Mad Men,” and Morgan was an emotional surprise in appearing onstage following his traumatic brain injury in an auto accident last year.

For sheer awards tonnage, it was a triumph for HBO. The pay cable network won 14 awards Sunday night, with “Game of Thrones” named best drama, “Veep” best comedy and the miniseries “Olive Kitteridge” best limited series.

The next closest network was Comedy Central with four. Add in the creative arts Emmys awarded a week ago and HBO took a total of 43 awards (NBC was second with 12). The fantasy drama “Game of Thrones” was the most-honored program in any single year, with a total of 12 awards.

“Thanks again, HBO, for believing in dragons,” said David Benioff, producer of “Game of Thrones.” The show’s Peter Dinklage won a best supporting actor award.

Davis won for her portrayal of a lawyer and professor in the ABC freshman drama “How to Get Away With Murder.” She invoked the words and spirit of 19th-century American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in accepting the award.

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” Davis said. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”

“Empire” star Taraji P. Henson, another black nominee in the category, stood and applauded Davis’ win. Other African-American actresses who prevailed Sunday were Uzo Aduba of “Orange is the New Black” and Regina King of “American Crime.”

Hamm had been nominated seven times before for his portrayal of Don Draper in the AMC drama and hadn’t won. The series ended this past year, with Hamm featured in a memorable scene parodied by Emmys host Andy Samberg earlier in the show. It has been a rough year for the actor, who underwent a stint in rehab and broke up with a longtime girlfriend, and the emotion showed on his face.

“I turned around and realized that people were clapping for me,” he said later backstage. “I was mortified. It’s been so nice, all of it. This is sort of the culmination of that wonderful feeling.”

Morgan, the former “Saturday Night Live” star whose limousine was struck by a Wal-Mart truck in June 2014, presented the best drama award and got a warm welcome from the audience.

“It’s been a long road back,” Morgan said. “I suffered a traumatic brain injury that put me in a coma for eight days. When I finally regained consciousness, I was just ecstatic to learn that I wasn’t the one who messed up.”