Online streaming video provider Netflix broke out as a new face with 14 nominations as contenders for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were unveiled Thursday morning in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
"House of Cards," a political thriller from the upstart on- demand program provider, nabbed nine nods, earning a slot in the contention for the most-coveted outstanding drama series, a field which also features other major players including last year's winner "Homeland" from Showtime and AMC's four-time winner "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," and a pair of PBS hit series -- British period drama "Downton Abbey" and medieval fantasy "Game of Thrones. "
"I'm very happy, first for the series, that we were able to break through a lot of great shows," said Kevin Spacey, nominee for outstanding lead actor in a drama series. He plays a scheming South Carolina congressman in the drama.
"It was our first season, so it's obvious a big thing for us. It's also a huge day for Netflix too," he added.
However, "Arrested Development," the channel's another major player which was also regarded as a strong prospect in the leadup to the unveiling, failed to make it into the comedy category. It earned six Emmys during its 2003-2006 run on Fox and now in a new season on Netflix.
The offbeat sitcom still left its mark as Jason Bateman, who plays Michael Bluth, the protagonist who leads his family through their many crises, was nominated as outstanding lead actor in a comedy series.
Elsewhere, traditional television channels dominated the heated derby as FX's "American Horror Story: Asylum" won 17 nods and HBO' s "Game of Thrones" trailed with 16. "Modern Family," the ABC sitcom which has won in the outstanding comedy series for three years in a row, also made the list with no surprise.
CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," HBO's "Girls," FX's "Louie," NBC's "30 Rock" and HBO's "Veep" all made their way into the contention.
In nomination for drama series, major broadcast networks have failed to get their names heard, the second year in a tie.
AMC's "Mad Men" will compete against Netflix's "House of Cards, " Showtime's "Homeland," HBO's "Game of Thrones," PBS' "Downton Abbey" and AMC's another strong contender "Breaking Bad."
Networks wise, HBO led the overall contention with 108 nods. Traditional broadcasters also made big inroads, as NBC and CBS tied with 53 nominations, while ABC had 45.
Aside from Spacey, first-time nominee Jeff Daniesl from HBO's " The Newsroom," multiple winner Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Hugh Bonneville ("Downton Abbey"), last year's winner Damian Lewis ("Homeland and Jon Hamm ("Mad Men") also won their tickets to the showoff in the outstanding lead actor in a drama series.
Nominated for outstanding lead actress in a drama series were Vera Farmiga (A&E's "Bates Motel"), Michelle Dockery ("Downton Abbey"), Claire Danes ("Homeland"), Robin Wright ("House of Cards "), Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men"), Kerry Washington in ABC's "Scandal, " and Connie Britton in ABC's "Nashville."
Louis C.K. outshone as he garnered seven nominations for acting, directing writing and editing "Louie," "Louis C.K.: Oh My God" and "Saturday Night Live."
He was nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series. Also featured in the field were two-time winner Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), Bateman ("Arrested Development"), Don Cheadle ("House of Lies"), Matt LeBlanc ("Episodes") and Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory").
"I'm very happy for the show's nomination; it reflects the writers and producers -- they really are the reason for the season, " five-time nominee Parsons told The Hollywood Reporter.
In nominations for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, Emmy favorite Tina Fey earned a slot with last year's winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus (HBO's "Veep"), Laura Dern (HBO's "Enlightened "), Lena Dunham (HBO's "Girls"), Edie Falco (Showtime's "Nurse Jackie"), and Amy Poehler (NBC's "Parks and Recreation").
Fey garnered six nods for "30 Rock" and "The 70th Annual Golden Globes," which she co-hosted with Poehler.
Bobby Canavale from "Boardwalk Empire" will compete with Jonathan Banks ("Breaking Bad"), last year's winner Aaron Paul ( also from "Breaking Bad"), Jim Carter ("Downton Abbey"), Peter Dinklage ("Game of Thrones"), and Mandy Patinkin ("Homeland") for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series.
Maggie Smith, 78, will compete for her third consecutive Emmy for her supporting role as the Dowager Countess Grantham in " Downton Abbey."
Rounding out the contenders were Anna Gunn ("Breaking Bad"), Emilia Clarke ("Game of Thrones"), Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men"), Christine Baranski ("The Good Wife"), and Morena Baccarin (" Homeland").
Nominees for outstanding actor in a comedy series were Ed O' Neill, Ty Burrell and Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("Modern Family"), first-time nominees Adam Driver ("Girls") and Tony Hale ("Veep"), and Bill Hader ("SNL").
Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara, both from "Modern Family," will vie with Mayim Bialik ("The Big Bang Theory"), Jane Lynch ("Glee"), Merritt Wever ("Nurse Jackie"), Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock") and Anna Chlumsky ("Veep") for supporting honors in comedy series.
On the miniseries/movie front, HBO's "Behind the Candelabra" was nominated for outstanding miniseries or movie, along with " American Horror Story: Asylum," the History channel's "The Bible," HBO's "Phil Spector," USA's "Political Animals," and Sundance Channel's "Top of the Lake."
"Behind the Candelabra," a pianist Liberace biopic, also received nods for both Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon, who played his younger lover, Scott Thorson on the show. Toby Jones ("The Girl"), Al Pacino ("Phil Spector") and Benedict Cumberbatch ("Parade's End") rounded out the category.
CBS' "The Amazing Race," a 13-time winner in the outstanding reality-competition series, earned a nod again, along with Bravo's "Top Chef," the only other entry to win in the category.
ABC's "Dancing With The Stars," Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," NBC's "The Voice," and Lifetime's "Project Runway" were also nominated.
The awards ceremony, which honors programming aired between 6 p. m. and 2 a.m. from June 1, 2012 to May 31, 2013, will be held Sept. 22 at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS.