“Modern Family,” Neil Patrick Harris among winners of inaugural Critics’ Choice Television Awards

Earlier today in Beverly Hills, the first annual Critics Choice Awards were held which take place during the Emmy nominating process.

It remains to be seen how much impact they will have on the Emmy nominations which will be announced next month.

Some of the Critics winners mirrored the Emmys last year with Modern Family winning best comedy, Mad Men taking best drama, Jim Parsons best actor in a comedy (The Big Bang Theory) and Tina Fey best actress in a comedy (30 Rock).

But it was great to see Neil Patrick Harris, a four-time Emmy nominee for How I Met Your Mother but never a winner, take home the Critics prize for best supporting actor. (His two Emmy wins are for a guest spot on Glee and for hosting the 2009 Tony Awards).

“Thank you for treating us more like Lost and less like According to Jim,” Neil said in his acceptance speech.

Other winners: Julianna Margulies best actress in a drama for The Good Wife, Busy Philipps best supporting actress in a comedy for Cougar Town,  and John Noble best supporting actor in a drama for Fringe. There was a tie in the supporting-actress in a drama category between Christina Hendricks of Mad Men and Margo Martindale of Justified.