LOS ANGELES–A refreshing wave of first-time nominees and a 40% turnover from last year highlight the 2007-08 primetime Emmy Awards nominations.
“Mad Men” and “Damages” broke through to become the first basic cable dramas nominated as best series.
HBO’s “The Wire,” one of the most critically acclaimed series in years, was snubbed. Also missing from the list announced this morning: “Friday Night Lights,” “Ugly Betty,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Desperate Housewives.”
Basic cable made a strong showing in the drama categories, where ABC’s “Boston Legal” and “Lost,” and Fox’s “House” face FX’s “Damages,” Showtime’s “Dexter” and AMC’s “Mad Men.”
Cable edged out the broadcast networks in several categories, although HBO was excluded from the outstanding drama series for the first time in a decade. On the comedy side, Tina Fey’s “30 Rock” broke a record by scoring 17 noms.
Happily, “Mad Men,” the precisely dramatized picture of 1960 advertising, snared an impressive 16 nominations. Jon Hamm, slick and mysterious as ad man Don Draper, scored a lead actor nomination. “Damages,” the tense FX legal thriller, scored seven. Glenn Close, the conniving lawyer at the center of the story, nailed a best actress nomination. Both “Mad Men” and “Damages” were first-timers in the drama series category.
“Dexter,” the horrifically chilling Showtime drama about a cop/serial killer, is another first-time nominee.
In a sign of the times, the broadcast networks were nearly shut out of the miniseries category. HBO’s “John Adams” ruled the field with an amazing 23 nominations. Phylicia Rashad scored a deserved nod for her depiction of Lena Younger in ABC’s adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun” (a role she played on Broadway). Otherwise, Showtime, HBO and PBS ruled the lead-actress in a miniseries list. HBO ruled the outstanding miniseries actor category, where no other networks were nominated.
Even the made-for-TV movie category, created and once ruled by the commercial broadcast networks, was dominated by HBO (“Bernard and Doris,” “Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale,” “Recount” on HBO). ABC’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Lifetime’s “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” also made the list.
See the complete list at .
The 60th Annual Emmy Awards will be telecast Sept. 21 on ABC.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
