ATAS Reveals Emmy Shortlist for Drama, Comedy Series

LOS ANGELES, June 27: For
the first time, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has revealed the
ten dramas and ten comedies vying for nominations for this year’s Primetime
Emmy Awards, with almost half of those being considered hailing from cable
networks.

The shows in each category
were the top ten highest vote getters, as based on ballots from the academy’s
members. Step two in the process will be the Blue Ribbon Panel screenings,
which will be conducted throughout this weekend. The results of those panels,
where each finalist will be screened and judged, represent 50 percent of the
vote. Both results will be averaged together to come up with the five nominees
in each category, to be announced July 17.

In comedy, the finalists
include last year’s winner, NBC’s 30 Rock, as well as 2007 nominees The Office, ABC’s Ugly Betty, HBO’s Entourage and CBS’s Two and a Half Men. Also in the running are FOX’s animated sitcom Family
Guy, a first-time entry into the
comedy category, ABC’s freshman
series Pushing Daisies, HBO’s Curb
Your Enthusiasm and Flight of
the Conchords and Showtime’s Weeds.

Cable shows make up half
of the drama finalists, with FX’s Golden Globe-winner Damages, Showtime’s Dexter and The Tudors, AMC’s Mad Men and HBO’s The Wire. Also being considered are last year’s nominees: ABC’s
Boston Legal and Grey’s
Anatomy and FOX’s House. Previous nominee Heroes failed to make the cut this year, but Lost is back for consideration after being snubbed last
year. Also on the list is NBC’s Friday Night Lights. Last year, HBO’s The Sopranos took the top prize for its final season.

—By Mansha Daswani