Despite Changes, Primetime Emmys Largely a Rerun

HOLLYWOOD, July 6 Changing how the TV academy comes up with its list of Primetime Emmy nominees worked out well for CBS's "Two and a Half Men," which Thursday snagged its first-ever nominations, for best comedy series and for stars Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer.

But for the more artsy, so-called niche network programming the change was supposed to help -- not so much.

Never-nominated "Gilmore Girls" star Lauren Graham, who became the poster child this year for the need to change the nominations process, got snubbed again by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Ditto "Battlestar Galactica," which Emmy-watchers expected to be the glam-category beneficiary of the change -- and of a massive Sci Fi for-your-consideration campaign. It received three noms -- for costumes, sound mixing and special visual effects.

On the other hand, some good did come of the tinkering.

"The academy totally [slapped] 'Desperate Housewives' and really roughed up 'The Sopranos,' " Tom O'Neil, who wrote the book -- literally -- on the Primetime Emmys -- told The TV Column. Loosely translated, that means none of the three lead housewives on the ABC series was nominated, including Felicity Huffman, who took home last year's trophy for best sitcom actress. And the show itself -- last year's Emmy-winningest series, was shut out of the best-comedy derby.

O'Neil, whose "The Emmys" is considered the definitive tome on all things Primetime Emmy, also was saying that "Sopranos" leads James Gandolfini and Edie Falco did not get their taken-for-granted Emmy noms this time around. HBO did, however, continue to squash all competitors with 95 nominations -- more than CBS (47) and NBC (47) combined -- thanks to its total control of the movie and miniseries races. That domination included 13 nominations for Helen Mirren starrer "Elizabeth I" and 12 for the Annette Bening vehicle "Mrs. Harris." On the other hand, the most nominated miniseries this year -- heck, the most nominated program of any genre -- is TNT's 12-hour, Steven Spielberg-produced "Into the West," with a total of 16.

For the first time, special panels chose nominees from among the shows or actors who had received the most votes from academy members. The change was intended to bring fresh names from smaller networks into the competition.

But all 10 nominees for best drama and comedy series this year air on a Big Four broadcaster or HBO -- business as usual.

In drama they are ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," HBO's "The Sopranos," NBC's "The West Wing" and Fox's "House" and "24," which is this year's most nominated series, with a haul of 12.

Comedy contenders are Fox's "Arrested Development," HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," NBC's "The Office" and "Scrubs," and CBS's aforementioned "Two and a Half Men."

Only three actors in the lead-acting derbies hailed from niche networks: FX's "Rescue Me" star Denis Leary, TNT's "The Closer" lead Kyra Sedgwick and USA's "Monk" star Tony Shalhoub. But both Leary and Shalhoub have been nominated before, and Shalhoub has won the trophy for best comedy actor twice.

Besides Leary, the race for best drama series actor includes Peter Krause of "Six Feet Under"; Kiefer Sutherland, "24"; Martin Sheen, "The West Wing"; and this year's only surprise, Christopher Meloni of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Leary reacted to the news with one of those carefully crafted, too-hip-for-the-room, spontaneous-reaction quotes that make covering trophy-show nominations such a thrill: "My son and I were on our way to work and we had forgotten it was Emmy day. We were trying to get the baseball scores from last night."