The nominations for the 66th Emmy Awards have just been released by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the biggest awards in television are up for grabs with the best of the best duking it out to take home the gold statue.
These coveted nominations feature some of the usual mainstays going against the new blood from the past year. However the surprises are few when viewing the complete list of nominees. Here's a rundown:
The tightest race is the stacked category of Outstanding Drama Series. The six nominees include: "Breaking Bad," "Downton Abbey," "Game of Thrones," "House of Cards," "Mad Men" and rookie "True Detective." This category looks to be the most hotly contested award in recent memory.
The Outstanding Comedy Series nominees include "The Big Bang Theory," "Louie," "Modern Family," "Orange is the New Black," "Veep" and rookie show "Silicon Valley." Pundits are already speculating that this will be one of the tightest races of the evening.
Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey looks to go for another award this year for his starring role in the HBO smash "True Detective." Rounding out the nominees for Lead Actor in a Drama Series category are Bryan Cranston for "Breaking Bad," Jeff Daniels for "The Newsroom," Jon Hamm for "Mad Men," Woody Harrelson for "True Detective" and Kevin Spacey for "House of Cards."
The Lead Actress in a Drama Series is also stacked with talent old and new. The nominations include Lizzie Caplan for "Masters of Sex," Claire Danes for "Homeland," Michelle Dockery for "Downton Abbey," Julianna Margulies for "The Good Wife," Kerry Washington for "Scandal" and Robin Wright for Netflix's "House of Cards."
The Lead Actor in a Comedy Series award sees just one nominee from the basic cable networks and five from cable mainstays. The nominees include Louis CK for "Louie," Don Cheadle for Showtime's "House of Lies," Ricky Gervais for "Derek," Matt LeBlanc for "Episodes," William H. Macy for "Shameless" and Jim Parsons for "The Big Bang Theory."
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series is just as packed with cable shows ruling the airwaves. The nominees are Lena Dunham for "Girls," Edie Falco for "Nurse Jackie," Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "Veep," Melissa McCarthy for "Mike & Molly," Amy Poehler for "Parks and Recreation" and Taylor Schilling for "Orange is the New Black."
For a complete list of the nominees, click here. The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on August 25 and will be hosted by Seth Meyers.
