The race for Emmy gold heated up Thursday, as the nominations for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards were revealed from the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.
The nominees by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences were announced by âScandalâ actress Kerry Washington and a pajama-clad Jimmy Kimmel, a last minute replacement for âParks and Recreationâ star Nick Offerman.
Kimmel, who will host the Sept. 23 Emmy ceremony on CTV, stepped in for Offerman after the actor was delayed on the East Coast by bad weather.
As expected, the HBO drama âMad Menâ leads the pack in this yearâs race, earning 17 Emmy nominations including one for Best Drama.
The 1960s saga about cynical ad executive Don Draper has won four Outstanding Drama Series trophies to date, to tie it with âThe West Wing,â âL.A. Lawâ and âHill Street Blues.â Thursdayâs announcement gives the HBO hit an opportunity to set a new record as the most-honoured drama in television history.
That chance, however, failed to impress Toronto Star television critic Rob Salem.
ââMad Menâ is a wonderful show, but four times is enough,â Salem told CTVâs Canada AM on Thursday from Los Angeles.
Other shows vying for top drama honours include âBoardwalk Empire,â âBreaking Bad,â âDownton Abbey,â âGame Of Thronesâ and âHomeland.â
The miniseries "American Horror story," a nightmarish saga about a haunted house, also received 17 Emmy nominations including an acting nod for star Connie Britton.
The elegant PBS series âDownton Abbeyâ and the miniseries, âHatfields & McCoysâ fell just shy of this yearâs front-runners, earning 16 nominations apiece.
âHemingway & Gellhorn,â the HBO drama starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen, also impressed Emmy voters, scooping up 15 nominations.
Other double-digit nominees included âSaturday Night Live,â which received 14 Emmy nods, â30 Rock,â âBreaking Bad,â Masterpieceâs âSherlock: A Scandal in Belgraviaâ (13 each), âBoardwalk Empireâ and âGame Changeâ (12 each) and Game of Thronesâ (11).
None of these nominations were surprising. The number of nods earned by HBO, however, highlighted the growing power of cable-produced shows in todayâs entertainment industry.
HBO heads into the 2012 Emmy race with 81 nominations. CBS picked up 60 nods, followed by PBS with 58 nominations.
HBOâs strong showing also signaled a growing gap in the industry between the number of quality shows produced by traditional television networks and those generated by their cable counterparts.
âNetworks have to wake up,â said Salem.
âThey need to realize that they can do quality over the quantity of episodes,â he said.
Many cable-made television shows have helped several actors earn Emmy nominations.
As expected, perennial favourite Jon Hamm received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a dramatic series.
Other nominees included Damian Lewis from âHomeland,â Hugh Bonneville from ââDownton Abbeyâ, Michael C. Hall from âDexterâ, Bryan Cranston from âBreaking Bad,â and Steve Buscemi from âBoardwarlk Empires.â
Big Hollywood names were also among the list of nominees for Outstanding Actress in a dramatic series. That list included âHarryâs Lawâ star Kathy Bates, âHomelandâsâ Claire Danes, âDamagesââ Glenn Close, âThe Good Wifeâsâ Julianna Margulies, âMad Menâsâ Elisabeth Moss and âDownton Abbeyâsâ Michelle Dockery.
The comedy âModern Family" also returned, as expected, to pick up a hefty haul of Emmy nominations.
Honoured as the best comedy series for the past two years, âModern Familyâ was the sitcom leader with 14 Emmy nominations.
âItâs just such a uniformly fabulous show,â said Salem, who cast his bets on another win for âModern Familyâ in 2012.
âThe Big Bang Theory,â â30 Rockâ and âCurb Your Enthusiasmâ also snagged nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, as did HBOâs fledgling Emmy competitors âVeepâ and the âSex and the Cityâ-like âGirls.â
ââGirlsâ was a surprise. I hated it,â said Salem.
âGirlsâ star Lena Dunham also earned a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series, as did âMike & Mollyâ star Melissa McCarthy, âNew Girlâsâ Zooey Deschanel, â30 Rockâsâ Tina Fey and âNurse Jackieâsâ Edie Falco.
âParks and Recreationâ star Amy Poehler also nabbed a nomination, making her Salemâs favourite contender in this yearâs race.
âShe stands a good chance to win,â said Salem.
Stars vying for Outstanding Lead Actor in a comedy series included Jim Parsons from âThe Big Bang Theory,â âCurb Your Enthusiasmâsâ Larry David, â30 Rockâsâ Alec Baldwin,â âHouse of Liesâ star Don Cheadle, âLouieâsâ Louis C.K. and âTwo and a Half Menâsâ Jon Cryer.
Canadian content was also among this yearâs Emmy nominees.
CTVâs popular teen drama âDegrassi: The Next Generationâ earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding childrenâs programming.
Actor Michael J. Fox scored his second consecutive Emmy nod for Outstanding Guest Actor in the drama, âThe Good Wife,â as well as a nomination for his guest appearance on the HBO comedy series, âCurb Your Enthusiasm.â
Brampton, Ont. actor Will Arnett scooped up his fourth nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in the comedy series, â30 Rock.â
Finally, Toronto-born âSaturday Night Liveâ creator Lorne Michaels also received a nomination, as did Toronto voice actor Maurice LaMarche for his voice-over performance on the animated TV show, âFuturama.â