Cable just ain’t what it used to be–it’s better. Reining in the most Emmy nominations again this year (109 in total, a whopping 32 more than its nearest competitor, NBC), HBO remains king of the hill.
With 16 nods in total, including best drama series, HBO’s darling Six Feet Under–the Alan Ball series about a family-run funeral home–brought the most nominations to the cable network for the second year in a row. The drama is also nominated in other top categories including actor (Peter Krause as perpetually distraught Nate), actress (Frances Conroy as optimistic matriarch Ruth) and supporting actress (Lauren Ambrose as morose Claire and Rachel Griffiths as sex addict Brenda).
Multiple noms aside, Six Feet Under may get upstarted by its competition in that category–after being absent from the schedule last year, The Sopranos is back, and competing in 13 categories including best drama, actor (the mob boss himself, James Gandolfini) and actress (his wife, played by Edie Falco).
HBO’s other ringer is Sex and the City, which got 13 nominations this year including best comedy series. The racy show has made it to the Emmy roster every year since its 1998 debut and won best comedy series in 2001. Emmy having eluded her so far, Sarah Jessica Parker as the perky Carrie Bradshaw goes for her fifth try in the best actress category. In the supporting actress category is Cynthia Nixon as sharp-witted Miranda and Kim Cattrall as sexy mama Samantha.
Up against Sex and the City is HBO’s acerbic Curb Your Enthusiasm, which the Emmys saw fit to crown with 10 nominations including best comedy series, actor (the off-kilter Larry David) and supporting actress (Cheryl Hines as his ever-patient wife). The mostly improvised show centering on David’s dysfunctional habits surprised many in January when it won the Golden Globe for best comedy series–will Emmy follow suit?
HBO again dominates the movies-made-for-television category with three of the five nominations. There’s Live From Baghdad, a tense look at the months leading up to the 1990 Gulf War as seen by a fledgling CNN news team in Baghdad (headed up by Michael Keaton and best actress nominee Helena Bonham Carter); My House in Umbria, a sweet tale about a group of survivors from a train accident that bond in a house in Italy starring best actress nominee Maggie Smith; and Normal, a drama about one man’s wish to become a woman and how his decision to carry it out affects his family, starring best actor and actress nominees Tom Wilkinson and Jessica Lange.
Other Cable Networks
The USA network only received five nominations over all but has a strong competitor in its mystery/comedy series Monk, about an obsessive-compulsive detective, and his “Girl Friday.” Tony Shalhoub, who stars as Adrian Monk, earned a nod for lead actor in a comedy series. Shalhoub is likely the frontrunner in the category, after having won the Golden Globe for his role earlier this year. James Woods also received a nod for the outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie for his role as Rudy Giuliani in the network’s Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story.
The FX network hung in there with a total of three nominations. Michael Chiklis collected a nod for best lead actor in a drama for his role as Detective Vic Mackey in the cop series The Shield. Alan Arkin also received a nod for the outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or movie for his role as Harry Rowen in the network’s The Pentagon Papers.
TNT received 14 nominations overall, dominated mostly by Door to Door. The movie took a total of four nods, including one for outstanding made for television movie, its star William H. Macy for outstanding lead actor and Kathy Baker and Helen Mirren, both for outstanding supporting actress.
Comedy Central, meanwhile, snuck in a total of five nominations, including outstanding variety, music or comedy series for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
A&E’s Napoleon helped the network garner a total of 12 nominations–less than half of what it received last year. Napoleon is nominated for outstanding miniseries.
Also collecting a nod for outstanding miniseries is the Sci Fi network for Steven Spielberg Presents Taken. This year, the network earned a total of 10 nods overall.
Showtime, which received a total of 12 nominations overall, fared well with its made for television movie Tennessee Williams’ the Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, which earned a nod for outstanding lead actress for Helen Mirren and outstanding supporting actress for Anne Bancroft.
Lifetime managed three nominations overall, two of them for Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, including outstanding made for television movie and an outstanding lead actress nod for Thora Birch as Liz Murray.
Click here for the breakdown of network nominations.
