Netflix makes history as House of Cards takes top Emmy nominations, The made-for-Netflix drama House of Cards received nine Emmy nominations on Thursday, the first time that an online-only television show has been in the running for US TV's top awards.
The series earned a coveted best drama series nomination, compounding the humiliation of the main broadcast networks, which did not get a single mention in that category.
House of Cards is up for best drama alongside the British hit Downton Abbey, as well as Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and the 2012 winner Homeland. In a surprise omission, Boardwalk Empire did not feature.
Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright also earned lead acting nominations for their roles on House of Cards, and David Fincher received a nomination for best director in a drama series.
House of Cards, with its broadcast-sized budget and all-star cast, was a breakthrough show for Netflix, the on-demand TV service that launched in 1997. The show was its first foray into original programming, and the multi-million-dollar investment has paid off handsomely.
"This is the television industry turning to Netflix and saying: 'you have created quality shows, this is something people should pay attention to," said Eric Deggans, TV and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times.
He compared Netflix's success to the 1999 Emmy awards, when The Sopranos picked up seven nominations.
"It was a sign that there was something that could appear in the premium cable space that would rival the broadcast networks for Emmy nominations," Deggans said. "Now people are used to cable shows dominating the drama categories and broadcast networks doing better in comedy."
"It's really groundbreaking," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. "It's beyond our most bold expectations. We were thinking a single nomination would be a win ... It's as much a win for Internet television as it is for the content creators."
Spacey told the Associated Press that he expected the nominations would encourage more non-traditional producers to make high-quality shows. "I think is a great thing because more shows will get produced, more writers will get hired, more actors will get hired, more directors will get hired, more production will happen in this industry and that's a good thing economically as well as artistically," he said.
Netflix picked up three more nominations for Arrested Development, though it failed to get a mention in the outstanding comedy series category, which Arrested won in 2004.
The show's top award nomination went to Jason Bateman for lead actor in a comedy series. It also picked up nominations for music and picture editing.
The top comedy nominations went to The Big Bang Theory, Girls, Louie, Modern Family, Veep and Emmy-favorite 30 Rock, which received 13 award nominations for its final season.
The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and 30 Rock are on broadcast television, but the three others are on premium cable networks.
"That is squeezing the broadcasters even more," said Deggans. "They've been virtually shut out of the drama categories and now there also seeing a lot of intense competition in comedy as well."
The mini-series American Horror Story: Asylum dominated this year's Emmys pool with 17 nominations. HBO's Game of Thrones was close behind with 16 nominations.
American Horror Story: Asylum was nominated for best miniseries or movie alongside the HBO Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra, as well as Phil Spector, Political Animals, Top of the Lake and The Bible.
The rising British star Benedict Cumberbatch, who shot to fame on Sherlock, was nominated for best lead actor in a movie or miniseries for Parade's End.
Mad Men and its creator failed to receive any writing nominations for the first time in the series' six-year history.
The nominations were announced on Thursday morning in Los Angeles by Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul and this year's Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris. The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards air on 22 September.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Netflix makes history as House of Cards takes top Emmy nominations
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