Emmy nominations might have surprises

If Emmy organizers get their wish, this could be the year that unconventional new series break out in the nominations.

That’s because of a rule change, enacted in February, that allows members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to vote for as many as 10 nominees per program category, instead of the traditional five, with the top five making the final ballot.

Academy officials, set to announce nominations for the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at 5:30 Thursday morning, hope the move will address long-standing complaints that the awards are staid and reward the same series repeatedly.

For example, NBC’s “The West Wing” has been named best drama three years in a row. And the same five actresses were nominated for lead in a comedy in 2002 and 2003.

“We’re trying to be sensitive to the fact that there’s so much great programming on so many different networks,” said an academy spokeswoman.

Officials have long recognized that that the nominations needed a jolt. “We’d been talking for years about how to make the nominations more surprising,” said Bryce Zabel, a TV writer and former academy chairman.

Shows that could benefit from the change this year include HBO’s grim western “Deadwood” and Fox’s low-rated but critically acclaimed “Arrested Development.”

However, the rule switch is unlikely to yield many shocks. While members will be permitted to nominate more programs, the official list of nominees will still be trimmed to the top five vote-getters in each category.

Several past winners are considered safe bets for at least another nomination this year, including the comedies “Friends” and “Sex and the City,” both of which concluded enormously successful runs this season and may thus prove sentimental favorites for many members.

Among dramas, four-time nominee “The Sopranos” will likely make the cut again, as well as Fox’s “24.” Other possibilities include the CBS crime drama “Without a Trace” and FX’s cheeky medical drama “Nip/Tuck.”