A toast to storied TV

After several years of declining viewership and cultural influence, broadcast series crowned a banner season at the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy nominations Thursday, with ABC’s first-year blockbusters “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost” leading the way with a combined total of 27 nods.

With 51 total nominations, ABC wasn’t the only network basking in Emmy glory. Fox received the highest number of nominations -- 49 -- in the network’s 20-year history, thanks largely to 11 apiece for the low-rated comedy “Arrested Development,” last year’s winner, and the spy thriller “24.” And for the first time in more than a decade, CBS, the most-watched network, led the broadcast tally with 59, including 13 for its flagship comedy series, “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which ended its nine-year run this year.

After years in which cable hits such as HBO’s “The Sopranos” and “Sex and the City” mopped up awards and reality shows ruled the ratings, the reemergence of broadcast dramas -- led by the water-cooler phenomenon that is “Desperate Housewives” -- was striking.

“Network dramas are holding their own again. The viewers proved that with the ratings, but now the nominations are also acknowledging that,” said Damon Lindelof, co-creator of “Lost,” the desert-island thriller with an ensemble cast that became an unlikely hit and helped lift ABC from a desperate fourth place in the ratings.

“Housewives” creator Marc Cherry said the Emmy nominations could affect network dramas for years to come: “Hopefully all the networks paid attention to what ABC did last year and that it took more risks,” he said. “I think what we’ve learned is that the next big hit is going to be something unexpected.”

The stiffest Emmy competition in recent years had often been for comedy, but this year the action moved to drama. The category was so strong that some critical and fan favorites -- such as FX’s “Nip/Tuck” and “The Shield” and CBS’ “CSI” forensics franchise -- were largely passed over.

HBO, which had irked broadcasters by dominating the Emmy contest for the last five years, remained a potent force, with an industry-leading 93 nominations. The premium cable outlet earned 16 apiece, the most for any program, for its original biographical movies “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” and “Warm Springs,” about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s struggle with polio. “Empire Falls,” HBO’s star-studded miniseries about small-town life based on Richard Russo’s novel, netted 10 nominations, the most for any limited-run series.

Still, cracks are clearly showing in HBO’s dominance. The network earned 31 fewer nods than last year, a testament to the eroding power of its original series lineup. The mob hit “The Sopranos,” last year’s drama winner,” won’t return until early next year and thus wasn’t eligible this time around, and perennial favorite “Sex and the City” ended its run last year.

The revisionist western “Deadwood” led HBO’s series count with 11 nominations, including outstanding drama series and best actor (Ian McShane as a violent, foul-mouthed saloon owner). But the heavily promoted “Entourage,” a comedy about a young Hollywood star and his lifelong pals, got just three mentions, none in a major category. “Six Feet Under,” a comedy-drama about a family-owned funeral home, which got 23 nominations in 2002 and 16 in 2003, received just five nods for its fourth and penultimate season -- though one of them was for the big prize: best drama series.

HBO executives shrugged off any comparison with the network’s high tally last year, which they say was an anomaly.

“Last year was kind of a perfect storm. We won more Emmys than all the broadcast networks combined, so we looked at ourselves and said, ‘This will never happen again,’ ” said HBO Chairman and Chief Executive Chris Albrecht. As for this year, “We got two out of five nominations in the best drama category. Not sure what’s wrong with that.”

In some ways, HBO’s prior record may have been too dominating for its own good. One TV historian suggested that broadcasters may have learned their lesson from cable and succeeded in developing more sophisticated dramas that have finally connected with viewers.

“If you go back into the ‘70s and look at the list for five nominees for best drama, before cable, there’s absolutely no comparison,” said Robert J. Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. Today, “the television drama is so much more sophisticated.”

True to their sometimes contrarian habits, members of the North Hollywood-based Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which oversees the Emmys, honored several series whose appeal has long since faded with viewers -- or that never caught on in the first place.

NBC’s sitcom “Will & Grace” slipped badly in the ratings without “Friends” as a lead-in but still managed to tie “Desperate Housewives” with 15 nominations, the most for any series. The comedy is headed into its eighth and final season.

“I felt like somehow I’d gone back in time to 2000,” joked “Will & Grace” star Eric McCormack. “We didn’t think it would be a big year for us.”

NBC’s “The West Wing,” a four-time winner as best drama but a program whose highest ratings are likely in the past, still drew five nominations.

“HBO’s little-watched Depression-era drama “Carnivale” earned eight nominations, even though the network has already decided not to renew it for another season. After four seasons, NBC’s hospital comedy “Scrubs” finally broke through with nods for best comedy and lead actor (Zach Braff). But the series has struggled in the ratings, and new episodes won’t return until midseason next year. Executive producer Bill Lawrence took the opportunity Thursday to chide NBC for keeping “Scrubs” off the fall schedule (see related story on Page 26).

“It’s definitely a really great loyal fan base that’s always stuck with the show,” said Braff. “It’s never been a runaway ‘Friends’-type of hit.”

Three of the four “Desperate Housewives” leads -- Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman -- will square off in the outstanding actress category (Eva Longoria, who was earlier snubbed for a Golden Globe, came away empty-handed). But the risque soap opera will compete in the comedy, not drama, category. Its studio, Touchstone Television, submitted the series as a comedy, presumably to boost odds of winning due to a dearth of hit sitcoms.

Other actors enjoying acclaim for first-year series included Hugh Laurie -- nominated for his acerbic, pill-popping doctor on Fox’s hit “House” -- and Patricia Arquette, the longtime feature lead honored as a detective with spiritual powers in NBC’s midseason hit “Medium.” Arquette will compete in the lead dramatic actress category opposite another film star, Glenn Close, nominated for a one-season-only role as Capt. Monica Rawling on FX’s gritty cop drama “The Shield.”

Many of TV’s most popular shows were lightly represented in the nomination tally. CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” TV’s most-watched drama and a past Emmy contender as the best in that category, saw just four nominations -- and none in a major category. ABC’s medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a critically acclaimed midseason hit, merited only three nods, including for supporting actress Sandra Oh.

Fox’s “American Idol” -- the Tuesday edition of which was TV’s most-watched regular series for the 2004-05 season -- garnered six nominations, the most for any unscripted series. But it will likely face a formidable foe in CBS’ “Amazing Race,” which earned five nominations (tied with CBS’ “Survivor”) and has already won two Emmys for outstanding reality series.

PBS, which has been embroiled in controversy over alleged political bias in programming, drew 23 nominations, including a nod for outstanding miniseries with Masterpiece Theatre’s “The Lost Prince” -- the first nod for “Masterpiece Theatre” in eight years -- and five nominations for the multi-part “Broadway: The American Musical” documentary.

Other highly nominated programs included Showtime’s drama “Huff,” HBO’s movie “Lackawanna Blues” and the 77th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock. Each received seven nominations.

CBS will telecast the awards from Los Angeles on Sept. 18.

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Nominations by show

“The Life and Death of Peter Sellers”...16

“Warm Springs”...16

“Desperate Housewives”...15

“Will & Grace”...15

“Everybody Loves Raymond”...13

“Lost”...12

“Arrested Development”...11

“Deadwood”...11

“24”...11

“Empire Falls”...10

Nominations by network

HBO... 93

CBS...59

NBC...54

ABC...51

Fox...49

PBS...23

Showtime...17

A&E...10;

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Times staff writers Merrill Balassone, Maria Elena Fernandez, Barbara A. Serrano and Brian Triplett contributed to this report.