Jimmy Fallon sings goodbye to ‘24,’ ‘Law & Order’ and ‘Lost’

“Law & Order,” “24” and “Lost” seldom had lighthearted moments. But Emmy host Jimmy Fallon gave them a comedic poke in the funnybone Sunday night to mark the end of their distinctive runs this year.

Fallon channeled Elton John and “Candle in the Wind” for his tribute to “24,” noting how Special Agent Jack Bauer never went to the bathroom during all the time he was trying to save the world. His version of Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” saluted “Law & Order,” complete with him pouring from a 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor on the stage to mark the passing of the police/legal drama.

And Fallon parodied Green Day’s “Time of Your Life,” donning a Billie Joe Armstrong look for an acoustic guitar goodbye to “Lost,” concluding with: “The island, it was mythical, and in the end they died / I didn’t understand it, but I tried.”

ABC’s “Lost” was the only one of those departing series to score any marquee nominations. It was nominated for drama series, lead actor (Matthew Fox) and supporting actor (Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn). But by show’s end, “Lost” could not find an Emmy, and it was left with only the one award for picture editing that it received at the creative arts ceremony the previous weekend.

Fans of the series tweeted condolences and regrets to executive producer Damon Lindelof.

The producer had his own tweet about the loss, which he sent during the announcement of the series award: “For the love of God do NOT…oh. Wait. Damn. Okay, fine. It is now okay to give up. Thank you for your energy, guys. We felt it.”

Emmy farewells to other series that made distinctive marks in the last few years have varied in prominence.

“The Sopranos,” HBO’s groundbreaking drama about a mobster and his family, won an Emmy in 2007 for best dramatic series in its final season, a milestone it achieved only once in six previous tries. The series also won for writing and directing.

Though “The Sopranos” was hailed during the ceremony as one of the top dramas in TV history, a cloud was cast that evening when the two acclaimed leads, James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, as well as nominated supporting cast members Michael Imperioli, Lorraine Bracco and Aida Turturro, all went home empty-handed.

David Chase, creator of “The Sopranos,” expressed his disappointment in his acceptance speech. James Spader of “Boston Legal,” who beat out Gandolfini in the outstanding lead actor in a drama category, said, “I feel like I stole a pile of money from the Mob.”

The Emmy sendoff for NBC’s “The West Wing” was far more low key than “The Sopranos.” The series scored four consecutive best drama awards in its first four seasons. But though it was nominated each season for best drama, it lost out in its final season in 2007, and scored only one marquee award that year – for best supporting actor (Alan Alda).

When “Frasier” ended its 11-year run in 2004, that year’s Emmys paid tribute to the comedy, which has won more Emmys (37) than any other series. Kelsey Grammer scored his fourth consecutive Emmy for playing the title role, while co-star David Hyde Pierce won his fourth consecutive Emmy for supporting actor. “Frasier” won five consecutive Emmys starting in 1994 for best comedy series, but was not nominated in the category in its last season.

greg.braxton@latimes.com