‘Mildred Pierce’— The period melodrama about a self-made woman with a spoiled, backstabbing daughter earned Joan Crawford her first and only Oscar for the 1945 film version of the James M. Cain novel. And on Thursday, HBO’s lavish remake earned the 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards’ highest number of nominations — 21 — including those for miniseries or movie, lead actress for Kate Winslet and director for Todd Haynes.
There wasn’t even a close second. CBS followed in the nomination count with 50, then NBC with 46. HBO’s rival, Showtime, had 21. The series with the largest number of nominations were “Mad Men” with 19, “Boardwalk Empire” with 18, “Modern Family” with 17, “Saturday Night Live” with 16 and “Game of Thrones” with 13.
Nominated in the drama series category are “Mad Men,” which has won this prize three years in a row, as well as “Dexter,” “The Good Wife,” “Game of Thrones,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Friday Night Lights.” The nod for “Friday Night Lights” comes just one day before the series ends its critically lauded run.
Comedy series nominations went to “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “The Office” and “30 Rock,” and to two newcomers in the category: CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” which earned this nod in its fourth season, and NBC’s quirky comedy “Parks and Recreation.” In the lead actor in a drama series category, the nominees are Steve Buscemi for “Boardwalk Empire,” Chandler for “Friday Night Lights,” Michael C. Hall for “Dexter,” Hugh Laurie for “House,” Jon Hamm for “Mad Men” and Timothy Olyphant for “Justified.”
Lead actress nominees in a drama series are Kathy Bates for “Harry’s Law,” Britton for “Friday Night Lights,” Mariska Hargitay for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Julianna Margulies for “The Good Wife” Elisabeth Moss for “Mad Men” and Mireille Enos for the new AMC thriller “The Killing.”
Steve Carell is a sentimental favorite for lead actor in a comedy series for his final season on “The Office,” but he will be competing against Matt LeBlanc for “Episodes,” Alec Baldwin for “30 Rock,” Louis C.K. for “Louie,” Johnny Galecki for “The Big Bang Theory” and last year’s winner, Jim Parsons, also for “The Big Bang Theory.”
Vying for lead actress in a comedy series are Edie Falco, last year’s winner, for “Nurse Jackie”; Laura Linney in “The Big C,” Tina Fey for “30 Rock,” Melissa McCarthy for “Mike & Molly” and Poehler for “Parks & Recreation.” Two octogenarians — Betty White and Cloris Leachman — also earned nominations in comedy series categories, White for supporting actress and Leachman for guest actress. White (“Hot in Cleveland”) received her 17th Emmy nomination, and Leachman (“Raising Hope”) picked up her 22nd nomination.
Among the day’s many surprises were the 10 nominations announced for ReelzChannel’s controversial miniseries “The Kennedys,” including movie or miniseries, as well as nominations for stars Greg Kinnear and Barry Pepper, who play John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, respectively. Jane Lynch, who won the Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy for “Glee” last year and earned a nomination in the same category Thursday, is hosting the ceremony. The show is set to air Sept. 18 on Fox.
