So 5:30 (PST) this morning saw Jimmy Kimmel and Kerry Washington announce the 2012 Emmy nominations, and it served as a good lesson in why not to not give the organization too much credit. Yesterday we'd suggested that shows like "Parks and Recreation" and "Louie" were starting to make major inroads, giving us a little reason for optimism. And there were certainly things to be celebrated in this morning's nominees: actress and comedy nominations for "Girls," typically good showings for "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men," and well-deserved nods for two actors we thought were unlikely, Jared Harris and Idris Elba.
But it also served as a reinforcement of the middlebrow tastes of the Academy; 'Parks' and 'Louie' failed to repeat their Best Comedy nods from last year, landing only token nominations for their lead actors, while "Downton Abbey" 's weak second season dominated, with "Homeland" and "Game of Thrones" doing less well than expected as a result. Ah, well. The awards themselves will be handed out on Sunday, September 23rd.
Directing – TV Movie/Miniseries
Jay Roach – "Game Change"
Kevin Reynolds – "Hatfields & McCoys"
Philip Kaufman – "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Sam Miller – "Luther"
Paul McGuigan – "Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia"
Writing – TV Movie/Miniseries
Danny Strong – "Game Change"
Ted Mann, Ronald Parker, Bill Kerby – "Hatfields & McCoys" Part 2
Abi Morgan – "The Hour"
Neil Cross – "Luther"
Steven Moffat – "Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia"
Best Supporting Actress – TV Movie/Miniseries
Frances Conroy – "American Horror Story"
Jessica Lange – "American Horror Story"
Sarah Paulson – "Game Change"
Mare Winningham – "Hatfields & McCoys"
Judy Davis – "Page Eight"
Best Supporting Actor – TV Movie/Miniseries
Denis O'Hare – "American Horror Story"
Ed Harris – "Game Change"
Tom Berenger – "Hatfields & McCoys"
David Strathairn – "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Martin Freeman – "Sherlock"
Lead Actress – Miniseries
Connie Britton – "American Horror Story"
Ashley Judd – "Missing"
Nicole Kidman – "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Julianne Moore – "Game Change"
Emma Thompson – "The Song Of Lunch"
Lead Actor – Miniseries
Kevin Costner – "Hatfields & McCoys"
Benedict Cumberbatch – "Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia"
Idris Elba – "Luther"
Woody Harrelson – "Game Change"
Clive Owen – "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Bill Paxton – "Hatfields & McCoys"
Miniseries/Movie
"American Horror Story"
"Game Change"
"Hatfields & McCoys"
"Hemingway"
"Luther"
"Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia"
Guest Actress – Drama
Martha Plimpton – "The Good Wife"
Loretta Devine – "Grey's Anatomy"
Jean Smart – "Harry's Law"
Julia Ormond – "Mad Men"
Joan Cusack – "Shameless"
Uma Thurman – "Smash"
Guest Actor – Drama
Mark Margolis – "Breaking Bad"
Dylan Baker – "The Good Wife"
Michael J Fox – "The Good Wife"
Jeremy Davies – "Justified"
Ben Feldman – "Mad Men"
Jason Ritter – "Parenthood"
Directing – Drama
Tim Van Patten – "Boardwalk Empire" ("To The Lost")
Vince Gilligan – "Breaking Bad" ("Face Off")
Brian Percival – "Downton Abbey" ("Episode 7")
Michael Cuesta – "Homeland" ("Pilot")
Phil Abraham – "Mad Men" ("The Other Woman"
Writing – Drama
Julian Fellowes – "Downton Abbey" ("Episode 7")
Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff – "Homeland" ("Pilot")
Semi Chellas, Matthew Weiner – "Mad Men" ("The Other Woman")
Andre & Maria Jacquemetton – "Mad Men" ("Commissions & Fees")
Erin Levy, Matthew Weiner – "Mad Men" ("Far Away Places")
Supporting Actress – Drama
Anna Gunn – "Breaking Bad"
Joanne Froggatt – "Downton Abbey"
Maggie Smith – "Downton Abbey"
Christine Baranski – "The Good Wife"
Archie Panjabi – "The Good Wife"
Christina Hendricks – "Mad Men"
Best Supporting Actor – Drama
Giancarlo Esposito – "Breaking Bad"
Aaron Paul – "Breaking Bad"
Brendan Coyle – "Downton Abbey"
Jim Carter – "Downton Abbey"
Peter Dinklage – "Game Of Thrones"
Jared Harris – "Mad Men"
Lead Actress – Drama
Kathy Bates – "Harry's Law"
Glenn Close – "Damages
Claire Danes – "Homeland"
Michelle Dockery – "Downton Abbey"
Julianna Marguiles – "The Good Wife"
Elisabeth Moss – "Mad Men"
Lead Actor Drama
Hugh Bonneville – "Downton Abbey"
Steve Buscemi – "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston – "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall – "Dexter"
Jon Hamm – "Mad Men"
Damian Lewis – "Homeland"
Drama Series
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Breaking Bad"
"Downton Abbey"
"Game Of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"Mad Men"
Guest Actress – Comedy
Dot-Marie Jones – "Glee"
Maya Rudolph – "Saturday Night Live"
Melissa McCarhty – "Saturday Night Live"
Elizabeth Banks – "30 Rock"
Margaret Cho – "30 Rock"
Kathy Bates – "Two And A Half Men"
Guest Actor – Comedy
Michael J. Fox – "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Greg Kinnear – "Modern Family"
Bobby Cannvale – "Nurse Jackie"
Jimmy Fallon – "Saturday Night Live"
Will Arnett – "30 Rock"
Jon Hamm – "30 Rock"
Directing – Comedy
Robert B. Weide – "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ("Palestinian Chicken")
Lena Dunham – "Girls" ("She Did")
Louis C.K. – "Louie" ("Duckling")
Jason Winer – "Modern Family" ("Virgin Territory")
Steven Levitan – "Modern Family" ("Baby On Board")
Jake Kasdan – "New Girl" ("Pilot")
Writing – Comedy
Chris McKenna – "Community" ("Remedial Chaos Theory")
Lena Dunham – "Girls" ("Pilot")
Louis C.K. – "Louie" ("Pregnant")
Amy Poehler – "Parks And Recreation" ("The Debate")
Michael Schur – "Parks And Recreation" (Win, Lose Or Draw")
Supporting Actress – Comedy
Mayim Bialik – "The Big Bang Theory"
Merritt Wever – "Nurse Jackie"
Julie Bowen – "Modern Family"
Kristen Wiig – "Saturday Night Live"
Sofia Vergara – "Modern Family"
Kathryn Joosten – "Desperate Housewives"
Supporting Actor – Comedy
Ed O'Neill – "Modern Family"
Jesse Tyler Ferguson – "Modern Family"
Ty Burrell – "Modern Family"
Eric Stonestreet – "Modern Family"
Bill Hader – "Saturday Night Live"
Max Greenfield – "New Girl"
Lead Actress – Comedy
Zooey Deschanel – "New Girl"
Lena Dunham – "Girls"
Edie Falco – "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey – "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – "Veep"
Melissa McCarthy – "Mike & Molly"
Amy Poehler – "Parks And Recreation"
Lead Actor – Comedy
Alec Baldwin – "30 Rock"
Don Cheadle – "House Of Lies"
Louis CK – "Louie"
Jon Cryer – "Two And A Half Men"
Larry David – "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Jim Parsons – "The Big Bang Theory"
Best Comedy
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Girls"
"Modern Family"
"30 Rock"
"Veep"