The nominations for the 64th Primetime Emmy® Awards have been announced and many past favorites made a return to the list, with a few new faces sprinkled throughout.
The one name you’ll see on the list more often than you may realize is fan and critically loved Louis C.K. The comedian earned a Lead Actor, Writing, and Directing nod for his comedy series “Louis,” as well as a couple additional nominations for his comedy special “Louis C.K. Live At The Beacon Theatre.”
The entire adult cast of “Modern Family” once again dominates the Supporting Actor and Actress comedy categories, which saw a few fresh faces thrown in the mix, including Supporting Actress nominees Merritt Wever (“Nurse Jackie,”) and Mayim Bialik (“The Big Bang Theory”), and Supporting Actors Max Greenfield (“New Girl”) and Bill Hader (“Saturday Night Live”).
You could say the comedy list is all about girls. Yes, I also have the Beastie Boys song in my head now too. But the HBO show “Girls” saw its freshmen year pick up five nominations, three of which are for star Lena Dunham, nominated as Lead Actress, Writer, and Director for the series. The show is also up for Outstanding Comedy Series. But in a good year for women of comedy, Dunham will compete against six, yes SIX, other Lead Actress nominees, expanding a usual list of five to seven for this year’s awards.
On the drama side, the usual suspects were back in the mix with “Mad Men” (one of the most nominated shows with 17), “Breaking Bad,” and “Boardwalk Empire” reclaiming their Outstanding Drama Series spots, along with “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones,” and the potential frontrunner “Homeland.” If “Mad Men” takes this award home again, the series will have five wins in this category, giving it the record for most Outstanding Drama Series wins.
After a year off from eligibility, “Breaking Bad” also scored four acting nominations – Bryan Cranston as Leading Actor, Anna Gunn for Supporting Actress, and past Supporting Actor winner Aaron Paul joined by first-time nominee Giancarlo Esposito. ”Mad Men” Leading Actor nominee Jon Hamm is still hoping for his first win, scoring his fifth nod in this category. They’ll all have to fend off the heavy showing of “Downton Abbey” stars who grabbed nominations for Lead Actress Michelle Dockery, Lead Actor Hugh Bonneville, Supporting Actresses Maggie Smith and Joanne Froggatt, and Supporting Actors Brendan Coyle and Jim Carter.
Here’s how the rest of the nominations panned out:
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Girls (HBO)
Modern Family (ABC)
30 Rock 9NBC)
Veep (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath (“Girls)
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn (“Mike & Molly”)
Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day (“New Girl”)
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton (“Nurse Jackie”)
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope (“Parks And Recreation”)
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon (“30 Rock”)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer (“Veep”)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Larry David as Himself (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan (“House Of Lies”)
Louis C.K. as Louie (“Louis”)
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy (“30 Rock”)
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper (“Two And A Half Men”)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey (“Desperate Housewives”)
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy (“Modern Family”)
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (“Modern Family”)
Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow (“Nurse Jackie”)
Kristen Wiig as various characters (“Saturday Night Live”)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett (“Modern Family”)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett (“Modern Family”)
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy (“Modern Family”)
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker (“Modern Family”)
Max Greenfield as Schmidt (“New Girl “)
Bill Hader as various characters (“Saturday Night Live”)
Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Mad Men (AMC)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Glenn Close as Patty Hewes (“Damages”)
Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley (“Downton Abbey”)
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick (“The Good Wife”)
Kathy Bates as Harriet Korn (“Harry’s Law”)
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison (“Homeland”)
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson (“Mad Men”)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson (“Boardwalk Empire”)
Bryan Cranston as Walter White (“Breaking Bad”)
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan (“Dexter”)
Hugh Bonneville as Robert, Earl of Grantham (“Downton Abbey”)
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody (“Homeland”)
Jon Hamm as Don Draper (“Mad Men”)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Anna Gunn as Skyler White (“Breaking Bad”)
Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (“Downton Abbey”)
Joanne Froggatt as Anna (“Downton Abbey”)
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma (“The Good Wife”)
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart (“The Good Wife”)
Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway Harris (“Mad Men”)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman (“Breaking Bad”)
Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring (“Breaking Bad”)
Brendan Coyle as John Bates (“Downton Abbey”)
Jim Carter as Mr. Carson (“Downton Abbey”)
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister (“Game Of Thrones”)
Jared Harris as Lane Pryce (“Mad Men”)
You can see the full list nomination HERE.
The 64th Primetime Emmy® Awards will broadcast LIVE on ABC September 23 at 7pm EST/4pm PST
