TV award unveils top 10 shows
2008-06-29 14:10
Los Angeles - Emmy organisers for the first time ever unveiled a list on Thursday of the top 10 comedies and top 10 dramas competing to be nominated for US television's highest honours, which are presented in September.
Traditionally, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences does not reveal its short list of the 20 shows under consideration for best drama and best comedy series nominations, which this year will be announced on July 17.
The list of 10 drama finalists includes one previous Emmy winner for best drama series, ABC's castaway thriller Lost, and three other past nominees - ABC's courtroom saga Boston Legal and two medical shows, the Fox hit House and ABC favourite &Grey's Anatomy.
The critically acclaimed but low-rated NBC series Friday Night Lights also made the cut, as did the serial killer drama Dexter, which appeared on both CBS and Showtime.
Short-listed
Rounding out the roster of drama finalists were four more cable shows - AMC's new period piece Mad Men, the FX legal drama Damages, Showtime's historical romp The Tudors and the final season of HBO's The Wire.
The top 10 comedies feature six programmes from the broadcast networks which had been led by Emmy winners for the last two years, 30 Rock and The Office, both on NBC, as well as CBS's bawdy sitcom Two and a Half Men, Fox's animated series Family Guy and ABC newcomer Pushing Daisies.
HBO dominated the four cable TV comedies on the short list with veteran programmes Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage and a recent arrival Flight of the Conchords. They are joined by Showtime's Weeds, about a pot-dealing mom.
The top 10 short lists were determined by votes from the entire television academy and would now go to "blue ribbon" panels of academy members who would judge the contenders. The average of the results from the academy voting and the panel voting would then be used to determine the five nominees for each category.
The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place September 21, and will also include awards for TV actors, actresses, mini-series, made-for-TV movies and a host of other honours.