Did House's Hugh Laurie Go Too Far to Snag an Emmy Nomination?

Season-finale car crash didn't keep star from another nod for Lead Drama Series actor; Justified's Timothy Olyphant and The Killing's Mireille Enos get into game, too

Going into today, Hugh Laurie had been nominated five times (and lost five times) for Emmy's Lead Drama-Series Actor prize.

The House star was hard to miss this past season—especially in the car-crashing, home-smashing season finale.

Um, too much?

Just right, Emmy voters said.

Laurie was back in the game as nominations were announced today for the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

"I'm very excited," the star said in a statement. "This time I'm going to put a whole rabbit on my keychain."

In a wide open Lead Drama-Series Actor race, Laurie will need all the luck he can get. His chief competition arguably will come from Mad Men's Jon Hamm, who's also got the whole, isn't-it-about-time-he-won thing going for him.  

The other nominees: Timothy Olyphant, who broke into the field with Justified; Boardwalk Empire's Steve Buscemi; Dexter's Michael C. Hall; and, Friday Night Light's Kyle Chandler, giving it one last shot as Coach Taylor.

Bryan Cranston, who owned the category for the past three years, was a no-show because Breaking Bad was a no-show last season, too.

The defending champ's also out of the Lead Drama-Series Actress race, as The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick failed to gain reentry.

In Sedgwick's place are The Killing's newcomer, Mireille Enos, and a bunch of familiar faces: Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss; Friday Night Lights' Connie Britton; Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay; The Good Wife's Julianna Margulies; and Harry's Law's Kathy Bates.

Mad Men's Christina Hendricks is among the supporting-actress hopefuls; Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage has a spot in the supporting-actor field—he's the only star from the much-nominated freshman series to be recognized. 

Elsewhere, Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood and Melissa Leo, fresh from her Oscar win, are all nominated in the miniseries/TV-movie categories for the Depression Era Mildred Pierce.

Michael J. Fox will contend for a guest-actor Emmy for a stint on The Good Wife.

Martin Scorsese snagged a drama-series directing nod for helming the pilot of Boardwalk Empire.

(Originally published July 14, 2011, at 6:28 a.m. PT)