Articles

July 19, 2012
 

THE SKED: THE EMMY NOMINATIONS

 

Nominations have just been announced for the 64th annual Emmy Awards.  The full list is here; below is a rundown of some of the major categories and early thoughts:

BEST DRAMA

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

Downton Abbey

Game Of Thrones

Homeland

Mad Men

This is the first time in memory that no Drama nominee has come from any of the major broadcast television networks, with only PBS and Downton Abbey representing the non-cable world.  Mad Men led the way with 17 total nominations (tied with American Horror Story), with Abbey and Hatfields & McCoys right behind with 16.  The Good Wife, which has been nominated in each of the past several years, turned out to be the main victim of Downton‘s decision to run as a regular Drama series rather than a Miniseries.  The idea–fear?–that Smash might find its way in turned out to be unfounded.

BEST COMEDY

The Big Bang Theory

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Girls

Modern Family

30 Rock

Veep

A great day for HBO, which got both its freshman comedies Girls and Veep into the race.  Modern Family had the most nominations with 14.  Notably excluded:  New Girl, Louie and Parks & Recreation.  There was no valedictory nomination for Desperate Housewives, and Glee didn’t make it in.

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS

Zoey Deschanel, New Girl

Lena Dunham, Girls

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly

Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

7 nominees means some very close choices in the nomination voting.  Modern Family places its ensemble acting nominees in the Supporting category, where Sofia Vergera and Julie Bowen are nominated.  Lena Dunham has nominations as a producer, director and writer of Girls to go along with her acting nomination.

BEST COMEDY ACTOR

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Louis C.K., Louie

Jon Cryer, 2 1/2 Men

Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Showtime did well by pulling a nomination for Cheadle.  Modern Famliy‘s actors had 4 of the 6 Supporting Actor nominations, with Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson all in.  Louis C.K. is also nominated as writer and director of his show.

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS

Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law

Glenn Close, Damages

Claire Danes, Homeland

Michele Dockery, Downton Abbey

Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Glenn Close’s star power is such that she continues to be nominated even though Damages is seen only on DirecTV (and on Academy member DVDs, of course). Maggie Smith’s required Downton nomination is for Supporting Actress

BEST DRAMA ACTOR

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Damian Lewis, Homeland

Every nominee for this category is again from either cable or PBS.  Giancarlo Esposito’s and Aaron Paul’s nominations for Breaking Bad are for Supporting Actor.

BEST MOVIE OR MINISERIES

American Horror Story

Game Change

Hatfields & McCoys

Hemingway & Gellhorn

Luther

Sherlock

Downton Abbey‘s exit from this category helped BBCAmerica’s Luther find a way in.  The nominations are considerably dispersed from the days when HBO completely controlled this category.

BEST REALITY COMPETITION

The Amazing Race

Dancing With the Stars

Project Runway

So You Think You Can Dance

Top Chef

The Voice

NBC managed to inject a little new blood here with the inclusion of The Voice.

The Emmys will be handed out on September 23 on ABC.

 

 

 



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."