FX’s six Golden Globe nominations last week set a basic-cable record and helped add credence to the network’s aspiration to become the next HBO.
Though the premium network HBO, predictably, led the pack with 20 nominations-the same number as last year-FX’s half-dozen nods raised the bar for basic cable.
Among FX’s mentions: Surgical drama “Nip/Tuck” was heralded as among the best drama series, while the show’s Joely Richardson was nominated for best actress in a drama series. In another basic-cable first, the network snagged three of the five slots for best actor in a drama series-with Michael Chiklis in “The Shield,” Denis Leary in “Rescue Me” and Julian McMahon in “Nip/Tuck” getting noticed.
“Nip/Tuck” creator Ryan Murphy said the nominations represented a signal that the show has staying power.
“I thought the nominations were a real verification that we’re not just a flavor of the month, that people have gotten beyond the shocking content of the show and recognized we have authentic drama,” Mr. Murphy said. “The big surprise was Julian. It’s a little bittersweet because I tend to think of him and [Dylan Walsh] the same, but it was a celebration of his imminent stardom, and I thought that was pretty nifty.”
Another big winner was HBO’s “Entourage,” a show whose cast of Hollywood hipsters has left critics and viewers divided. The nominations for comedy series and supporting actor for Jeremy Piven was a “huge surprise,” creator Doug Ellin said.
“It’s really good for us, since it’s a small show, we only did eight episodes, and to get that kind of recognition can really help,” he said.
In some ways, Golden Globes voters seemed intent on providing a countermeasure to this year’s Emmy Awards.
While James Gandolfini won the best actor Emmy in September, his name was absent from the Golden Globes nominations. Likewise, while “Deadwood” was graced with seven Emmy nominations, many thought the series was snubbed in the best drama and best actor (for Ian McShane) categories. The Globes nominated “Deadwood” in those two categories.
“Deadwood” co-executive producer Greg Fienberg said he couldn’t be sure whether the Hollywood Foreign Press Association intended to compensate for the Emmy oversight by nominating his show, but said the Golden Globes nominations “certainly do that for us.”
The rest of the cable nominations contained few surprises. HBO’s “The Sopranos” and “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” garnered four nominations each. TNT received nods for the performances of Julianna Margulies and William H. Macy in the movies “The Grid” and “The Wool Cap,” respectively.
Oliver Platt received a supporting actor nomination for his work in Showtime’s “Huff.” Jamie Foxx earned a nomination for best actor in a miniseries or made-for-TV movie for FX’s “Redemption,” in addition to theatrical nominations for his supporting actor turn in “Collateral” and best actor performance in “Ray.”