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HBO Leads Emmy Nominations With 95

Jul 6, 2006  •  Post A Comment

The HBO cable network is at the top of the heap again among Emmy contenders after receiving 95 nominations Thursday for the most prestigious awards in the television industry. Fox’s spy drama “24” received 12 nods, the most among TV series.

Broadcast network ABC placed second behind HBO with 63 nominations for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Garrett announced the nominees Thursday morning for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

In the outstanding drama series category, HBO’s “The Sopranos,” ABC’s medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” Fox’s “House” and “24” and NBC’s canceled “The West Wing” garnered nominations.

Canceled shows won a number of nominations, while some of last year’s winners, including ABC’s “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” were shut out in the major categories. Previous winners James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of “The Sopranos” didn’t return as nominees in the acting categories.

Among canceled shows, Fox scored recognition for outstanding comedy with “Arrested Development.” Geena Davis received an outstanding actress in a drama nomination for ABC’s “Commander in Chief.” CBS also received a nomination for “Out of Practice,” with an outstanding actress in a comedy nod for multiple Emmy winner Stockard Channing. HBO got a spot in the same category with Lisa Kudrow for her series “The Comeback.”

This year, the TV Academy for the first time incorporated a panel into its selection process to add variety to its nominations, which in the past have been criticized as recognizing the same shows every year. The new nominating procedure produced some unexpected results, said Diane Gordon, author of the subscriber-based TV e-mail The Surf Report.

“It’s really schizophrenic — they have a foot planted in the old and they are trying to drag into the new,” Ms. Gordon said. “I’m shocked that ‘Lost’ is virtually absent, given that it won last season. I’m surprised none of the [lead] actors from ‘Grey’s’ got nominated, when the show got nominated. And the same thing for Hugh Laurie — ‘House’ got nominated, but he didn’t.”

Despite a glut of awards shows and a challenge from the Golden Globes, the Primetime Emmys remain the most coveted TV awards in terms of industry prestige. Last year’s Emmys telecast on CBS scored a 6.1 rating in adults 18 to 49, according to Nielsen Media Research, growing 33 percent from its lowest performance in the demographic, in 2004.

This year’s nominations follow a tumultuous season for television. The industry was surprised by the announcement in January that The WB and UPN were dissolving to form The CW. Cable networks and broadcasters also have been grappling with how to provide more TV content on the Internet and mobile devices as consumers show growing interest in homemade video.

An Emmy nomination or win can raise an actor’s profile in Hollywood or help a program struggling in the ratings. Audiences don’t always get on board, however, as illustrated by Fox’s comedy “Arrested Development,” which was an Emmy darling but eventually still was canceled.

With the retirement of CBS’s “Everybody Loves Raymond,” there is no returning winner in the outstanding comedy category. Past winners also didn’t get nods in the comedy supporting actor and supporting actress categories.

Emmy voters will receive DVDs for at-home judging during the week of July 24. Voters have until Aug. 15 to submit their ballots.

The nominations announcement comes about a week earlier than usual, reflecting the Emmys’ move by a few weeks to the last weekend in August. Traditionally, the Emmys have been held on a Sunday in mid-September. This year’s broadcaster, NBC, begins its Sunday night NFL football coverage in the fall, which set up a potential schedule conflict.

The Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. NBC will broadcast the show live at 8 p.m. (ET) on the East Coast with a tape delay on the West Coast. Late-night talk show personality Conan O’Brien is scheduled to host the telecast.

TNT’s miniseries “Into the West” scored the most nominations for an individual program with 16 nods.

HBO’s miniseries “Elizabeth I” garnered 13 nominations, while the TV movie “Mrs. Harris” received 12 nods.



Outstanding Drama Nominees:

“Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)

“House” (Fox)

“The Sopranos” HBO

“24” (Fox)

“The West Wing” (NBC)



Outstanding Comedy Nominees:

“Arrested Development” (Fox)

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)

“The Office” (NBC)

“Scrubs” (NBC)

“Two and a Half Men” (CBS)



58th Primetime Emmy Awards Complete Nominations List