American TV’s night of nights has its nominations and it’s almost time to party. Hosted this year by Seth Meyers (airing on NBC in the US Mon 25 August and Fox8 in Australia Tue 26 August simulcast) The Emmys is guaranteed to draw attention if only for people wanting to criticise the host/jokes, but also for the fact that cable/Netflix shows picked up a very large proportion of the nominations. “What is happening to television?!” (asked no one except TV executives).
The front runners for most Emmy nominations by series looks like this…
Game of Thrones – 19
Fargo – 18
American Horror Story: Coven – 17
Breaking Bad – 16
Normal Heart – 16
SNL – 14
House of Cards – 13
My expectation is that Breaking Bad will win the bulk of their nominations as this is their final season though Fargo may spoil that a little, as may House of Cards. It’s certainly going to be an interesting awards night (one this commentator never misses).
And so, without further ado, the (important) nominations are…
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Veep (HBO)
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
House Of Cards (Netflix)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Detective (HBO)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Bryan Cranston as Walter White (Breaking Bad – AMC)
Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood (House Of Cards – Netflix)
Jon Hamm as Don Draper (Mad Men – AMC)
Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy (The Newsroom – HBO)
Woody Harrelson as Martin Hart (True Detective – HBO)
Matthew McConaughey as Rust Cohle (True Detective – HBO)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley (Downton Abbey – PBS)
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick (The Good Wife – CBS)
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison (Homeland – Showtime)
Robin Wright as Claire Underwood (House Of Cards – Netflix)
Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson (Masters of Sex – Showtime)
Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope (Scandal – ABC)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Louis Lester (Dancing On The Edge – Starz)
Martin Freeman as Lester Nygaard (Fargo – FX Networks)
Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne Malvo (Fargo – FX Networks)
Idris Elba as John Luther (Luther – BBC America)
Mark Ruffalo as Ned Weeks (The Normal Heart – HBO)
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece) – PBS)
OUTSSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jessica Lange as Fiona Goode (American Horror Story: Coven – FX Networks)
Sarah Paulson as Cordelia Goode Foxx (American Horror Story: Coven – FX Networks)
Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Taylor (Burton And Taylor – BBC America)
Minnie Driver as Maggie Royal (Return To Zero – Lifetime)
Kristen Wiig as Cynthia Morehouse (The Spoils Of Babylon – IFC)
Cicely Tyson as Carrie Watts (The Trip To Bountiful – Lifetime)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory – CBS)
Ricky Gervais as Derek (Derek – Netflix)
Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc (Episodes – Showtime)
Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan (House Of Lies – Showtime)
Louis C.K. as Louie (Louie – FX Networks)
William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher (Shameless – Showtime)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath (Girls – HBO)
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn (Mike & Molly – CBS)
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton (Nurse Jackie – Showtime)
Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman (Orange Is The New Black – Netflix)
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation – NBC)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer (Veep – HBO)
OUTSTANDING REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)
OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
American Horror Story: Coven (FX Networks)
Bonnie & Clyde (Lifetime)
Fargo (FX Networks)
Luther (BBC America)
Treme (HBO)
The White Queen (Starz)
OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE
Killing Kennedy (National Geographic Channel)
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight (HBO)
The Normal Heart (HBO)
Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece) (PBS)
The Trip To Bountiful (Lifetime)
OUTSTANDING VARIETY SERIES
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad – AMC)
Jim Carter as Mr. Carson (Downton Abbey – PBS)
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister (Game Of Thrones – HBO)
Josh Charles as Will Gardner (The Good Wife – CBS)
Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson (Homeland – Showtime)
Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan (Ray Donovan – Showtime)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Anna Gunn as Skyler White (Breaking Bad – AMC)
Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Downton Abbey – PBS)
Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates (Downton Abbey – PBS)
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister (Game Of Thrones – HBO)
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart (The Good Wife – CBS)
Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris (Mad Men – AMC)
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Paul Giamatti as Harold Levinson (Downton Abbey – PBS)
Dylan Baker as Colin Sweeney (The Good Wife – CBS)
Reg E. Cathey as Freddy (House Of Cards – Netflix)
Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper (Mad Men – AMC)
Beau Bridges as Barton Scully (Masters of Sex – Showtime)
Joe Morton as Rowan Pope (Scandal – ABC)
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Margo Martindale as Claudia (The Americans – FX Networks)
Diana Rigg as Lady Olenna Tyrell (Game Of Thrones – HBO)
Kate Mara as Zoe Barnes (House Of Cards – Netflix)
Allison Janney as Margaret Scully (Masters of Sex – Showtime)
Jane Fonda as Leona Lansing (The Newsroom – HBO)
Kate Burton as Sally Langston (Scandal – ABC)
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad • Ozymandias (AMC – Moira Walley-Beckett)
Breaking Bad • Felina (AMC – Vince Gilligan)
Game Of Thrones • The Children (HBO – David Benioff, D.B. Weiss)
House Of Cards • Chapter 14 (Netflix – Beau Willimon)
True Detective • The Secret Fate Of All Of Life (HBO – Nic Pizzolatto)
OUSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire • Farewell Daddy Blues (HBO – Tim Van Patten)
Breaking Bad • Felina (AMC – Vince Gilligan)
Downton Abbey • Episode 1 (PBS – David Evans)
Game Of Thrones • The Watchers On The Wall (HBO – Neil Marshall)
House Of Cards • Chapter 14 (Netflix – Carl Franklin)
True Detective • Who Goes There (HBO – Cary Joji Fukunaga)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine – FOX)
Adam Driver as Adam Sackler (Girls – HBO)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett (Modern Family – ABC)
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy (Modern Family – ABC)
Fred Armisen as Various characters (Portlandia – IFC)
Tony Hale as Gary Walsh (Veep – HBO)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory – CBS)
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy (Modern Family – ABC)
Allison Janney as Bonnie (Mom – CBS)
Kate Mulgrew as Galina “Red” Reznikov (Orange Is The New Black – Netflix)
Kate McKinnon as Various characters (Saturday Night Live – NBC)
Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer (Veep – HBO)
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Bob Newhart as Arthur (The Big Bang Theory – CBS)
Nathan Lane as Pepper Saltzman (Modern Family – ABC)
Steve Buscemi as Marty (Portlandia – IFC)
Jimmy Fallon as Host (Saturday Night Live – NBC)
Louis C.K. as Host (Saturday Night Live – NBC)
Gary Cole as Kent Davison (Veep – HBO)
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Natasha Lyonne as Nicky Nichols (Orange Is The New Black – Netflix)
Uzo Aduba as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren (Orange Is The New Black – Netflix)
Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset (Orange Is The New Black – Netflix)
Tina Fey as Host (Saturday Night Live – NBC)
Melissa McCarthy as Host (Saturday Night Live – NBC)
Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson (Shameless – Showtime)
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Episodes • Episode 305 (Showtime – David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik)
Louie • So Did The Fat Lady (FX Networks – Louis C.K.)
Orange Is The New Black • I Wasn’t Ready (Pilot) (Netflix – Liz Friedman, Jenji Kohan)
Silicon Valley • Optimal Tip-To-Tip Efficiency (HBO – Alec Berg)
Veep • Special Relationship (HBO – Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, Armando Iannucci)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Episodes • Episode 309 (Showtime – Iain B. MacDonald)
Glee • 100 (FOX – Paris Barclay)
Louie • Elevator, Part 6 (FX Networks – Louis C.K.)
Modern Family • Vegas (ABC – Gail Mancuso)
Orange Is The New Black • Lesbian Request Denied (Netflix – Jodie Foster)
Silicon Valley • Minimum Viable Product (HBO – Mike Judge)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Colin Hanks as Deputy Gus Grimly (Fargo – FX Networks)
Jim Parsons as Tommy Boatwright (The Normal Heart – HBO)
Joe Mantello as Mickey Marcus (The Normal Heart – HBO)
Alfred Molina as Ben Weeks (The Normal Heart – HBO)
Matt Bomer as Felix Turner (The Normal Heart – HBO)
Martin Freeman as John Watson (Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece) – PBS)
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Frances Conroy as Myrtle Snow (American Horror Story: Coven – FX Networks)
Kathy Bates as Madame Delphine LaLaurie (American Horror Story: Coven – FX Networks)
Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau (American Horror Story: Coven – FX Networks)
Allison Tolman as Molly Solverson (Fargo – FX Networks)
Ellen Burstyn as Olivia (Flowers In The Attic – Lifetime)
Julia Roberts as Dr. Emma Brookner (The Normal Heart – HBO
OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL
American Horror Story: Coven • Bitchcraft (FX Networks – Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk)
Fargo • The Crocodile’s Dilemma (FX Networks – Noah Hawley)
Luther (BBC America – Neil Cross)
The Normal Heart (HBO – Larry Kramer)
Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece) (PBS – Steven Moffat)
Treme …To Miss New Orleans (HBO – David Simon, Eric Overmyer)
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL
American Horror Story: Coven • Bitchcraft (FX Networks – Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
Fargo • The Crocodile’s Dilemma (FX Networks – Adam Bernstein)
Fargo • Buridan’s Ass (FX Networks – Colin Bucksey)
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight (HBO – Stephen Frears)
The Normal Heart (HBO – Ryan Murphy)
Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece) (PBS – Nick Hurran)