Glitz. Glamour. Neil Patrick Harris.

The How I Met Your Mother star hosted the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 20th on CBS, bringing a sense of class and sophistication. 

Suave, humorous, and just downright cool, Harris opened the televised event with a song-and-dance number that had everyone from Tina Fey, to Jon Hamm, to Sigourney Weaver smiling and applauding in their seats.

While the focus of the evening was on awarding television’s finest actors, actresses, writers, and producers, the buzz surrounding Harris was evident. 

Those who watched the event might agree with me in saying that Harris is the main reason the three-hour long telecast was not only quite tolerable, but extremely enjoyable. Most major award shows are time-consuming, unbearable, and unfunny—then again, most major award shows aren’t led by the charisma of a guy who co-starred in the Harold and Kumar films. 

Harris, who was also an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy nominee, kept the show alive with his quick wit and comical gags. Even after losing the award in his category to Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer, Harris kept the laughs coming by pretending to be irritated and bitter. 

When Harris wasn’t joking about his loss and presenting pre-taped musical skits, John Hodgman, better known as the PC in the PC/Mac commercials, was giving his delightful take on Emmy winners. Hodgman’s partially made-up color commentary had the audience laughing throughout the night. But it was one of the few things could take the spotlight away from Harris. 

When the big night came to an end, Alec Baldwin, Toni Collette, Bryan Cranston, and Glenn Close all boasted Outstanding Actor and Actress trophies; 30 Rock and Mad Men won Outstanding Comedy and Drama Series.

The biggest prize, however, went to Neil Patrick Harris, whose attempts at becoming one of the most appealing and entertaining Emmy hosts was highly successful. As Jon Stewart said to Harris during the telecast, “You’re doing such a wonderful job.” And a wonderful job it was.