HBO Big Winner At 2008 Emmys, Basic Cable Makes History

Of the 28 awards handed out at Sunday's 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, ten — or over 35% of the evening's total haul — were awarded for series that aired on HBO. Basic cable also made a strong showing, with AMC's "Mad Men" taking home basic cable's first ever award for Best Drama Series and top honors in both drama acting categories going to the stars of basic cable shows (Glenn Close in FX's "Damages" and Bryan Cranston in AMC's "Breaking Bad").

HBO's "John Adams" miniseries won five awards (Best Miniseries, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Actress for Laura Linney, Best Supporting Actor for Tom Wilkinson, and a writing award) while its made-for-TV movie "Recount" won two (Best Made-For-TV Movie and a directing award). "Entourage"'s Jeremy Piven and "In Treatment"'s Dianne Wiest won acting awards, and Don Rickles won for Best Individual Performance in a Variety Program.

NBC won four awards — all for "30 Rock" — while ABC won three (including one for last year's Oscars), CBS won two (both for reality competitions), and FOX won just one, a directing award for "House." Ironically, this NBC-ABC-CBS-FOX Emmy's ordering is the exact opposite of the 2007-2008 ratings race.

HBO also won the most awards at last week's Creative Arts Emmys, taking home a whopping 16.

Emmy's By The Network Numbers:
HBO: 10
NBC: 4
AMC: 3
ABC: 3
FX: 2
CBS: 2
Comedy Central: 2
PBS: 1
FOX: 1

Complete list of winners at Sunday's 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:

_ Drama Series: "Mad Men," AMC.

_ Comedy Series: "30 Rock," NBC.

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_ Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad," AMC.

_ Actress, Drama Series: Glenn Close, "Damages," FX.

_ Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock," NBC.

_ Actress, Comedy Series: Tina Fey, "30 Rock," NBC.

_ Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race."

_ Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Jeff Probst - "Survivor."

_ Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages," FX.

_ Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment," HBO.

_ Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage," HBO.

_ Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?," ABC.

_ Miniseries: "John Adams," HBO.

_ Made-for-TV Movie: "Recount," HBO.

_ Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams," HBO.

_ Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, "John Adams," HBO.

_ Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams," HBO.

_ Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Eileen Atkins, "Cranford" (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS.

_ Directing for a Drama Series: "House" - "House's Head" Greg Yaitanes.

_ Writing for a Drama Series: "Mad Men" - "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" (Pilot) Matthew Weiner.

_ Directing for a Comedy Series: "Pushing Daisies" - "Pie-Lette" Barry Sonnenfeld.

_ Writing for a Comedy Series: "30 Rock" - "Cooter" Tina Fey.

_ Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."

_ Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program: Don Rickles - "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project."

_ Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: "80th Annual Academy Awards" Louis J. Horvitz.

_ Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program: "The Colbert Report."

_ Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: "Recount" Jay Roach.

_ Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: "John Adams" Kirk Ellis.

Comments

[davidwayneosedach]

It is interesting to speculate which lobbyists are going to be the big winners on the Bernanke/Paulson giveaway.

[imfedup]

The Tudors wasn't nominated? Am I missing something?

[MikeInMemphis]

Too bad The Wire never got the respect that it deserved. Masterfully written and great acting. There was no such thing as a throwaway scene, throwaway episode, or throwaway season unlike the Sopranos.

[puffhost]

agreed 100% ... the wire is the best show ever ... they could do spinoffs and it would be awesome.

[Mustang Sally]

Network TV programming is a waste of time. "Reality" programming and soulless laugh track is not what the people want - it is what the networks want because its cheeper to produce. Everyone suffers.

[KarlaElisa]

HBO's documentary "Hacking Democracy" was simply fantastic.
It speaks to the voting challenges and corruption of the Diebold systems around the country.
A must view available on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVlZTWH7u8w

[MawMaw4Obama]

The Wire was an excellent show as well and did not win not one award. That whole award things sucks to me. Guess it was too many black faces. I can't think of any other answer.

[AngryCitizen]

agree. Would have loved to have seen Deadwood win something too.

[Mustang Sally]

Was it substantive and make you think? Sorry, no award for them.

[CountryBumpkin49]

The headline for this article states "Basic Cable Makes History" I am on Direct TV and HBO is extra and costs more. It was never a part of the basic package.

[realityisbetter]

They are referring to AMC and FX. If you read the second sentence you will figure it out.

[Mustang Sally]

If it costs extra, it is not "basic". HBO, Showtime, Starz ,etc are examples of not basic.

[jacqmac]

HBO makes and airs MORE QUALITY documentaries in any given year than ALL of television put together. Same for their mini-series and 'made for TV' movies. RECOUNT was Excellent and I would have never watched another channel EVER AGAIN if JOHN ADAMS hadn't won ANYTHING. Sorry that Bravo seemed to get shut out this year-I vote for Kathy Griffin as Press Secretary!

[MPCarr]

If ratings estimates hold, last night's show could go down as the least-watched Emmy telecast on record.

[GTRich2004]

" " while ABC won three (including one for last year's Oscars), "

So one award show gave an award to another award show. Now that's classic!!!

[raiheen]

Great Shows listed but the best TV is on Cable and the CW, they ge t overlooked because the Emmy voters are more mature than other channel voters

CW has Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill (Last week show was a tear jerker), 90210 (Great start), and Supernatural (according to research one of the most emmotional connecting shows on television; and I agree) not to mention comedis The Game (grossly overlooked), Everybody Hates Chris, and Girlfriends (which if the characters were white and had its audience would have never been canceled without so much as a send off)

FX: Is the best Cable network, The Shield, Damages, Thief (when is it coming back), The Riches, Rescue Me, and Nip Tuck add to that Sons of Anarcy and if they wanted to they could rival any network with their Dramatic lineup, and their comedies are over the top funny, Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of the funniest shows ever on T.V. period), another comedy was about people with disorders and it was funny, they know what they are doing over there.

HBO; The Wire, (hands down could be the best dramatic series ever written for televison, I watched every episode, stunning and real as hell, TRUST ME) Six Feet Under (best ending on a televison series ever) Entourage (great TV) True Blood, and Flight of the Concords (funny)

The other shows that are a must are FRINGE (FOX) LOST (ABC) HEROES (NBC) PRISON BREAK (FOX) TERMINATOR (FOX) CHUCK (NBC)

[MawMaw4Obama]

I cannot for the life of me wonder why the Wire didn't win anything, that was the best show in my opinion on HBO . I guess there were too many blacks in it to win and award. Don Rickles won an award, nothing againt Mr. Rickles but what on earth is TV and awards shows coming to.

[Jellybelly]

The Emmy's are for TV programs. HBO is a pay per view cable network. Cable shows have their own awards shows. Emmy's should be for non-cable TV only.

[leftyandproudofit]

Huh? That doesn't even make sense. You must work for a non-cable station.

[revko]

Makes sense to me. If a network like HBO has an income that is seperate from other types of TV networks that rely on revenue from sponsors it kinda financialy stacks the deck in HBO's favor. Therefore they can afford to fund projects for more mullah and have the DVD distribution rights all sewn up from the get go.

Just because something is piped out of the same medium as TV networks doesn't mean it's a TV program.

[Clavis]

"Breaking Bad" is a terrific show, and Bryan Cranston is truly spectacular in it. I'm so glad he was recognized -- everybody does a great job on that show, but he in particular is the glue that holds it all together. Good for him!

[SherryIndianapolis]

Mad Men is excellent television. For anyone who has not seen it, I highly recommend it.

John Adams was a very good mini-series as well.

30 Rock is funny 95% percent of the time, so it rates pretty hgh on my scale.

I am glad they were recognized.

[MawMaw4Obama]

The Wire in my opinion was even better, it was the best.

[mredder4]

Stop lauding HBO. Or at least qualify their results by saying something like "They won the night, but only because two special events they did won a lot of awards." It needs to be pointed out that HBO doesn't make many good shows anymore. Their best new dramas since the Sopranos (Deadwood and Rome) were abandoned. Their replacement dramas sucked. Entourage and Flight of the Concords are their only funny shows left.

They're riding on their name, and it's high time someone pointed out that that ride is out of gas.

[laborgrunt]

The Wire was great and it didnt win. But im with you a lot of their newer shows are bad. Except for True Blood, which isnt bad, ITS HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!

[Rothko de Koonig]

No disrespect, but "True Blood" should be watched with tongue firmly in cheek.

Again, no offense meant.

[martymartymarty]

HBO is lame. Give me Showtime instead.

[Mustang Sally]

Bill
maher is reason alone to get HBO.