"Housewives" Whiffs as "24" Clocks Competitors
The real-time suspense drama "24" snagged 12 Emmy nominations -- the most of any series -- but "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," both critical and Emmy darlings last year, got shut out of the major categories, including best drama, comedy, leading actor, and leading actress.
All was not entirely lost for ABC, however, as "Grey's Anatomy" received 11 nominations, including best drama, though the hospital soap was the only show on its network to get nominated in either best drama or comedy.
In an interesting twist, several of the acting nominees were noted for shows that no longer appear on television, including Martin Sheen for "The West Wing," Peter Krause of "Six Feet Under," and Debra Messing for "Will and Grace." Lisa Kudrow was nominated for HBO's "The Comeback" even though the show was critically savaged and cancelled after just one season, and Geena Davis also got a best dramatic actress nod for one year of "Commander in Chief."
Usually dominant in the Emmy race, HBO had a somewhat fallow year in the nomination field, with only "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" getting into the best drama and comedy categories, and normally shoo-in "Sopranos" stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco surprisingly omitted from the acting categories.
"Into the West," the TNT miniseries about Native Americans and white settlers, got the most total nominations with 16.