The Incumbents Take the Lead Again

NBC’s “The West Wing” will run for reelection as prime time’s outstanding dramatic series, again facing the firepower of Home Box Office’s Mafia drama “The Sopranos,” whose 22 nominations equaled the most for any series since “ER’s” first year of eligibility in 1995.

With “The Sopranos” leading an HBO mob that included 10 nominations for the risque comedy “Sex and the City” and a slew for the movies “61*” and “Conspiracy,” the pay service also snapped by a sizable margin NBC’s three-year streak as the most-nominated network, collecting 94 bids in all when nominees for the 53rd annual nighttime Emmy Awards were announced Thursday.

Last year, “The West Wing” established a record for the most Emmys awarded any series in a year, with nine statuettes; by contrast, “The Sopranos” was limited to a single trophy for its star, James Gandolfini.

“I’ve been arrested, and I’ve been nominated for an Emmy, and the second thing is better,” quipped “Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin, alluding to his much-publicized arrest earlier this year on drug possession charges at Burbank Airport.

In a year that saw the balloting largely dominated by the usual suspects with minimal recognition of new programs, the most notable breakthrough was Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle” in the best comedy category, where it’s joined by returning nominees “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Sex and the City,” five-time winner “Frasier” and last year’s champion, “Will & Grace.”

Bumped from that list was “Friends,” a four-time nominee presumably heading into its final season, although Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow received their second and sixth nominations, respectively, for the hit NBC series.

“Malcolm”--which won Emmys for writing and directing in its maiden year--also scored a lead actor nomination for 15-year-old Frankie Muniz, who plays the boy genius of the show’s title, as well as Jane Kaczmarek’s second nomination for her role as his mother.

Series creator Linwood Boomer, reached on vacation in Hawaii, said he was pleased by the show’s “big-ticket nominations” but disappointed voters didn’t recognize the series’ dad, Bryan Cranston, whom he called “the heart and soul of the show.”

For his part, Muniz said his hopes were briefly deflated when four-time winner John Lithgow was announced for the final season of NBC’s “3rd Rock From the Sun.” “I said, ‘Well, then I definitely didn’t get it, ‘cause that’s my slot,’ ” Muniz said. “I never expected [when taking the show] I would be nominated for an Emmy or a Golden Globe. It’s insane.”

The other candidates are all familiar faces: “Raymond’s” Ray Romano, “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer (the recipient of 14 nominations and three Emmys), and “Will & Grace’s” Eric McCormack.

Fox’s “Ally McBeal,” after being anointed best comedy in 1999, was again overlooked in the series voting. The show’s namesake, Calista Flockhart, did regain lead actress recognition, while Robert Downey Jr.--ultimately dropped from the series because of his recurring drug problems--joins the program’s Peter MacNicol among supporting-actor nominees.

Rounding out the dramatic series field are three past winners: “The Practice,” “ER” and “Law & Order,” which have been nominated four, seven and 10 straight years, respectively. The last of those builds upon a consecutive-nomination record by the NBC drama.

Despite slipping behind “The Sopranos,” “The West Wing” equaled its 2000 nomination total with 18--second among all programs--and received a second bid as lead actor for Rob Lowe, who, along with fellow nominee Martin Sheen, chose to submit himself at that tier. Bradley Whitford joined last year’s winner, Richard Schiff, and John Spencer in the supporting actor balloting, where the competition includes “The Sopranos’ ” Michael Imperioli and Dominic Chianese.

In the last dozen years, three programs under the stewardship of David E. Kelley--”The Practice,” “Picket Fences” and “L.A. Law”--have claimed back-to-back Emmys as best dramatic series.

While “The Sopranos” cast earned its share of recognition--including Gandolfini, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco among leading actors--the show really flexed its muscles in the writing and directing areas, with four of five nominations in the former and half of the six selections in the latter.

Although two representatives of new series broke through for lead dramatic acting contention, both are previous Emmy recipients: Marg Helgenberger--a supporting actress winner for “China Beach” in 1990--for CBS’ surprise hit “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” and “Homicide” alumnus Andre Braugher for the canceled ABC medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.”

The remaining lead acting nominees are Dennis Franz, who garnered his eighth straight nomination for “NYPD Blue,” “Judging Amy’s” Amy Brenneman and Sela Ward of “Once and Again.” Ward took home the Emmy last year, although her ratings-challenged series didn’t make much of a splash overall in this year’s voting.

In addition to Kaczmarek and Flockhart, the comedy actress slate includes “Will & Grace’s” Debra Messing, “Sex’s” Sarah Jessica Parker and “Raymond’s” Patricia Heaton--all repeat nominees, with the award going to Heaton last year.

Prime time’s highest-rated show, “Survivor,” nabbed five nominations, including a new nonfiction programming category specifically created to recognize such series that also includes “Survivor” producer Mark Burnett’s less-heralded “Eco-Challenge: Borneo” and MTV’s “Road Rules.”

CBS, which will televise the main Emmy ceremony on Sept. 16, remains angry with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which orchestrates the Emmys, for relegating presentation of the two new nonfiction prizes to what is known as the creative arts awards, which are primarily devoted to technical and craft areas such as sound and makeup/hairstyling.

Cable’s E! Entertainment Television will cover that event a week before the primary telecast. “Survivor” also received nominations for its theme music, editing, sound and cinematography.

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CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman”--named best variety, music or comedy series three years in a row despite continuing to trail “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” in the ratings--will defend that title, while “Tonight” was notably omitted this year. The other contenders are “The Chris Rock Show,” “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” “Saturday Night Live” and “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”

HBO--which claimed the award for outstanding TV movie for seven consecutive years before ABC’s “Tuesdays With Morrie” ended that run in 2000--also took four of five nominations in that field with “61*,” “Conspiracy,” “Wit” and “For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.” The final slot went to another pay channel, Showtime, for “Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor.”

ABC provided broadcast networks some redemption with its biographical miniseries “Anne Frank” and “Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows,” which amassed two dozen nominations between them. Still, the fact that productions on cable’s Showtime, A&E; and TNT complete the miniseries nominees underscores the shift that has taken place, with the broadcast networks cutting back on TV movies while cable channels generate attention with prestige one-shot projects.

HBO has long used its Emmy success as a marketing tool, seeking to inspire consumers to ante up for the pay service, a tactic that has irked broadcasters with the slogan “It’s not TV. It’s HBO.”

Before “The West Wing’s” triumph last year, no first-year series had been selected as outstanding comedy or drama since “Frasier” in 1994, en route to an unprecedented five straight Emmys.

The two Emmy ceremonies encompass 83 categories, with programs televised between June 1, 2000, and May 31 eligible for consideration this year.

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Nominations by Show

22: “The Sopranos” (HBO)

18: “The West Wing” (NBC)

13: “Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows” (ABC)

12: “61” (HBO), “Will & Grace”

11: “Anne Frank” (ABC), “Frasier” (NBC)

10: “Conspiracy” (HBO), “Sex and the City” (HBO)

9: “Malcolm in the Middle” (Fox)

8: “73rd Annual Academy Awards” (ABC), “Everybody Loves Raymond” (CBS), “Star Trek Voyager”, (UPN)

7: “Ally McBeal” (Fox), “ER”, (NBC), “Horatio Hornblower”, (A&E;), “The Practice” (ABC), “Wit” (HBO)