Emmy Mad for Men

Acclaimed AMC series bags 16 nominations; 30 Rock scores 17

By Joal Ryan Jul 17, 2008 2:38 PMTags
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It was a two-martini breakfast for Mad Men.

The cocktail-swilling, cigarette-smoking ode to advertising men—yes, men—in the bad ol' 1960s scored 16 nominations, including one for Outstanding Drama Series, as the field for the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was announced this morning.

NBC's 30 Rock, the defending champ in the Comedy Series race, earned the most nominations of any series: 17. The HBO historical miniseries John Adams led all comers with a whopping 23.

Other top nominees included: Pushing Daisies, the quirky ABC comedy that earned more Emmy kudos (12) than it aired episodes (nine, thanks to the writers' strike); Recount (11), the hanging-chad of an HBO movie that was one of the late Sydney Pollack's final productions; and, in a rare nod for genre fans, Tin Man (nine), the Sci Fi Channel's new take on The Wizard of Oz.

The critically acclaimed but little-watched Mad Men will square off in the Drama Series category against Boston Legal; House; Lost; and fellow newcomers Damages and Dexter.

Win or lose, Mad Men, which airs on AMC, and FX's Damages already made history as the first basic-cable shows ever nominated for Best Drama.

Those shows will not face Grey's Anatomy, as ABC's hit doctor drama was a surprise no-show in the finals.

The Comedy Series category had its own surprise snubee, ABC's Ugly Betty, and its own failed history maker, Fox's Family Guy, which was shooting to be the first animated show ever nominated there.

With those two would-be contenders on the sidelines, the trophy will go to one of the following five shows: Curb Your Enthusiasm; Entourage; The Office; Two and a Half Men; or 30 Rock.

Ugly Betty did manage six overall nominations, while Family Guy notched one big one, albeit in the segregated Outstanding Animated Program category.

The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to be presented Sept. 21 in a live ABC telecast.

(Originally published July 17, 2008, at 6 a.m. PT.)