'Mad Men,' 'Damages' make Emmy nomination history

LOS ANGELES — Basic cable TV looked more like a pop-culture bargain Thursday as AMC's "Mad Men" and FX's "Damages" snared historic best-series Emmy nominations, while stars from cable's less glamorous channels also made a splash in major acting categories.

Meanwhile, premium channel HBO and broadcast networks saw their share of awards glory erode.

In the lead drama actor category, four of the five nominees were stars of cable shows, including Jon Hamm of "Mad Men." The sleek drama about 1960s America set in New York's advertising world was also the leading drama series contender with 16 nominations.

Three of the best-actress nominations went to cable series stars, including Glenn Close of "Damages." The hard-nosed legal drama and "Mad Men" became the first basic cable shows with best-series nods.

"I think it's changed the landscape of television," Close said of basic cable's growing creative strength.

HBO failed to field a best-drama series contender for the first time since 1998, after its now-departed "The Sopranos" claimed the honor last year. The premium cable channel still scored a leading 85 bids overall, followed by ABC with 76.

Boosting HBO's total was the historical drama "John Adams," which was the overall front-runner with a record 23 bids. That included a lead-actor nomination for Paul Giamatti's turn as one of America's founding fathers.

"30 Rock," last's year's best comedy series Emmy winner, was the top nominee among sitcoms with 17 bids. Other best comedy series nominees were "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage," "The Office" and "Two and a Half Men."

"The Wire," the just-ended, critically acclaimed HBO drama about police and drug dealers in Baltimore, lost its last shot at a best-drama nod after years of Emmy snubs. It received one nomination Thursday, for writing.

But other cable series made a serious dent in several top categories, gaining further ground on broadcast networks that used to dominate them.

Network audience favorites that failed to make a serious showing included "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives," both left out of the best-series categories. "Grey's Anatomy" stars Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson received nominations — but the "Desperate" cast was shut out.

"Lost," rebounding with a well-received season, joined "Mad Men" and "Damages" in the best-drama series category with six nominees, including "Boston Legal, "Dexter" and "House."