From The Straits Times    |

“Mad Men” dominated nominations for the primetime Emmy awards Thursday, a triumph for the 1960s-themed series that almost failed to return for its fifth season this year.

It’s up against “Boardwalk Empire,” “Breaking Bad,” the British-made “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones” and “Homeland” for best drama series — but unlike any of its rivals, it figures in all nine drama-related categories.

Nominations for the top honours in US television were announced online at the not-very-primetime hour of 8:40 am (1240 GMT). The awards night, hosted by late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel, is set for September 23.

Set in a New York advertising agency in a decade of radical social change, “Mad Men” returned in March after a break of more than a year and a pitched battle between creator Matthew Weiner and the AMC network over its future.

Up for best comedy are “The Big Bang Theory,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Girls,” “Modern Family,” “30 Rock” and “Veep.”

Hit new sitcom “New Girl” failed to make the grade, but its star Zooey Deschanel, who plays a quirky schoolteacher sharing an apartment with three men, copped a nomination for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.

Up for best miniseries or TV movie are “American Horror Story,” “Game Change,” “Hatfields and McCoys,” “Hemingway and Gellhorn,” “Luther” and “Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia.”

In the race for best competition reality show are “The Amazing Race,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Project Runway,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Top Chef” and “The Voice” — but not “American Idol,” which is at a crossroads after the sudden departure of judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

The awards will be handed out on September 23.

Here’s the list of nominees in major categories:

Outstanding Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game Of Thrones
Homeland
Mad Men


Outstanding Comedy Series:

The Big Bang Theory
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Modern Family
Girls
30 Rock
Veep

Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Lead Actress in a Drama Series:
Glenn Close, Damages
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law
Claire Danes, Homeland
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Louie C.K., Louie
John Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Lena Dunham, Girls
Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
Brendan Coyle, Downton Abbey
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Jared Harris, Mad Men

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:

Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Max Greenfield, New Girl
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Merritt Weaver, Nurse Jackie
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Reality Program:
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
MythBusters
Antique’s Roadshow
Shark Tank
Undercover Boss
Who Do You Think You Are?


Outstanding Reality-Competition Program:

The Amazing Race
Dancing with the Stars
Project Runway
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef
The Voice