HBO and Its Mildred Pierce Miniseries Come Out on Top in Emmy Nominations

It is, unsurprisingly, another big year for HBO at the Primetime Emmys, with the premium channel leading the pack with more than 100 total nominations — many of them in major categories.

If 100 nominations sounds like a lot, well, it is. (HBO managed the same feat last year.) But consider that the Todd Haynes-directed Mildred Pierce miniseries scored 21 nominations on its own, earning nods for acting, directing, editing, sound mixing, visual effects and more across its five episodes. The heavily promoted Boardwalk Empire followed with 18 nominations including those for acting, directing editing, sound editing and mixing, casting, costumes, title design, and visual effects. (For more on those titles, check out Film & Video‘s coverage.) Boardwalk Empire dominated the cinematography-for-a-series category with three out of five nods. (And for more on the show’s cinematography, see Film & Video’s interviews with nominated DPs Jonathan Freeman and Kramer Morgenthau.)

Of course, it’s not all about HBO — only two of six contenders for oustanding drama series aired on the channel. The nominees in that category include Boardwalk Empire (HBO), Dexter (Showtime), Game of Thrones (HBO), Mad Men (AMC), The Good Wife (CBS), and the Friday Night Lights swan-song season (DirecTV). Another poor showing, then, for traditional network television in the top drama category — but kudos to CBS for once again squeezing into the running with its well-liked show starring Julianna Margulies. (Perennial nominee Breaking Bad (AMC) dropped off the list when it didn’t return to air during the Emmy eligibility period.)

However, the networks dominate the field when it comes to comedy. Three of the series nominated for outstanding comedy air on NBC — Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock. The category is filled out by Glee (Fox), Modern Family (ABC), and The Big Bang Theory (CBS).

HBO had a not-quite-controlling interest in another top category, the newly combined roster of miniseries or movies. The channel’s docudramas Cinema Verite and Too Big to Fail were both nominated alongside Mildred Pierce. Three more nominations were directed to Downton Abbey (PBS), The Pillars of the Earth (Starz), and — in one of the bigger surprises this year — the troubled political biopic The Kennedys (rejected by Showtime, it finally turned up on ReelzChannel).

Finally, congratulations to Cliff Charles, who contributed a couple of video interviews from his DPTV site to the StudioDaily Blog last year. He’s up for a nonfiction cinematography trophy for his work on If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise for HBO.

Lists of the nominations in the top 25 or so categories are plentiful elsewhere on the web, and you can browse the nominations by show title, personnel, or category at the official Emmys site. Below is a sampling of nominations in some of the craft categories that may be underreported elsewhere. The big awards show will take place September 18 and will air live on Fox.

Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie

Mildred Pierce, "Part Five" (HBO), Ed Lachman, ASC

Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS), David Katznelson, DFF

The Kennedys, "Life Sentences" (ReelzChannel), David Moxness, CSC

Too Big to Fail (HBO), Kramer Morgenthau, ASC

The Pillars of the Earth, "Legacy" (Starz), Atilla Szalay

Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series

Two and a Half Men, "Hookers, Hookers, Hookers" (CBS), Steven V. Silver

Rules of Engagement, "Uh Oh It’s Magic" (CBS), Wayne Kennan

Wizards of Waverly Place, "Dancing with Angels" (Disney Channel), Rick Frank Gunter, ASC

Pair of Kings, "Return of the Kings" (Disney XD), John Simmons

Retired at 35, "Rocket Man" (TV Land), Donald A. Morgan, ASC

How I Met Your Mother, "Hopeless" (CBS), Christian La Fountaine

Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series

Boardwalk Empire, pilot (HBO), Stuart Dryburgh

Boardwalk Empire, "Home" (HBO), Jonathan Freeman

Boardwalk Empire, "A Return to Normalcy" (HBO), Kramer Morgenthau

The Good Wife, "Double Jeopardy" (CBS), Fred Murphy

The Borgias, "The Poisoned Chalice/The Assassin" (Showtime), Paul Sarossy

Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming

Gasland (HBO), Josh Fox

If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise (HBO), Cliff Charles

American Masters, "Troubadours: Carole King/James Taylor and the Rise of the Singer-Songwriter" (PBS), Nicola Marsh and Arlene Nelson

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, "Haiti" (Travel Channel), Zach Zamboni and Todd Liebler

Whale Wars, "To the Ends of the Earth" (Animal Planet), cinematography team

Gettysburg (History), Michael Snyman, director of photography

Cinematography for Reality Programming

Intervention, "Rachel" (A&E), Joia Speciale

Deadliest Catch, "Redemption Day" (Discovery Channel), cinematography team

The Amazing Race, "You Don’t Get Paid Unless You Win" (CBS), cinematography team

Survivor, "Rice Wars" (CBS), cinematography team

Top Chef, "Give Me Your Huddled Masses" (Bravo), Tim Spellman

Main Title Design

Boardwalk Empire, (HBO)

Rubicon, (AMC)

Too Big to Fail, (HBO)

Game of Thrones, (HBO)

Any Human Heart (Masterpiece), (PBS)

Picture Editing for a Comedy (Single- or Multi-Camera)

Modern Family, "Halloween" (ABC), edited by Ryan Case

The Big Bang Theory, "The Agreement Dissection" (CBS), edited by Peter John Chakos

30 Rock, "100" (NBC), edited by Meg Reticker

Modern Family, "Slow Down Your Neighbors" (ABC), edited by Jonathan Maxwell Schwartz

How I Met Your Mother, "Subway Wars" (CBS), edited by Sue Federman

Picture Editing for a Special (Single- or Multi-Camera)

Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking (HBO), edited by Marc Cohen

Ricky Gervais: Out of England 2 – The Stand-Up Special (HBO), edited by David W. Foster

Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden (HBO), edited by Bill DeRonde, Kevin O’Dea, and Katie Hetland

Thurgood (HBO), edited by Michael Polito

Louis C.K.: Hilarious, edited by Louis C.K.

Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming

If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise (HBO), edited by Sam Pollard (supervising editor) and Geeta Gandbhir

American Masters: LENNONYC (PBS), edited by Ed Barteski and Deborah Peretz

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, "Haiti" (Travel Channel), edited by Eric Lasby

Freedom Riders (PBS), edited by Lewis Erskine and Aljernon Tunsil

Becoming Chaz (OWN), edited by Cameron Teisher

Picture Editing for Reality Programming

Deadliest Catch, "Redemption Day" (Discovery Channel), edited by Josh Earl (supervising editor), Kelly Coskran (supervising editor) and Alex Durham

Project Runway, "There is an ‘I’ in Team" (Lifetime), edited by Lisa Trulli, Erik Hammarberg, and Josh Franco

The Amazing Race, "You Don’t Get Paid Unless You Win" (CBS), edited by Eric Goldfarb, Julian Gomez, Andrew Kozar, Paul C. Nielsen, Michael Bolanowski, Jennifer Nelson, and Jacob Parsons

Survivor, "Don’t You Work for Me?" (CBS), edited by Michael Greer (supervising editor), Chad Bertalotto, Eric gardner, Andrew Bolhuis, James Ciccarello, Evan Mediuch, and Hordur Arnarson

Top Chef, "Give Me Your Huddled Masses" (Bravo), edited by Kevin Kearney (co-lead editor), LaRonda Morris (co-lead editor), Bri Dellinger, Michael Lynn Deis, Chris Colombel, Tom Danon, and Jeff Nemetz

Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama

Boardwalk Empire, pilot (HBO), edited by Sidney Wolinsky, ACE

Mad Men, "The Suitcase" (AMC), edited by Tom Wilson

Mad Men, "Blowing Smoke" (AMC), edited by Pattye Rogers and Leo Trombetta

Dexter, "Take It!" (Showtime), edited by Louis Cioffi

The Killing, pilot (AMC), edited by Elizabeth Kling

Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie

Mildred Pierce, "Part Four" (HBO), edited by Camilla Toniolo

Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS), edited by John Wilson, ACE

Sherlock: A Study in Pink (Masterpiece) (PBS), edited by Charlie Phillips

Cinema Verite (HBO), edited by Sarah Flack, ACE, and Robert Pulcini

Too Big to Fail (HBO), edited by Barbara Tulliver, ACE, and Plummy Tucker, ACE

Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special

Mildred Pierce, "Part Five" (HBO), Eliza Paley, supervising dialogue/ADR editor; Tony Martinez, dialogue/ADR editor; Thomas Younkman, sound effects editor; Brian Dunlop, Foley editor; Todd Kasow, music editor; Ellen Heuer, Foley artist

Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS), Adam Armitage, sound effects editor; Alex Sawyer, dialogue editor

Any Human Heart (Masterpiece) (PBS), Adam Armitage, sound effects editor; Alex Sawyer, dialogue editor; Laura Lovejoy, dialogue editor; Keith Partridge, sound editor; Robin Whittaker, music editor

The Pillars of the Earth, "The Work of Angels" (Starz), Marcel Pothier, supervising sound editor; Christian Rivest, sound designer; Antoine Morin, sound effects editor; Dominik Pagacz, sound effects editor; Guy Pelletier, music and dialogue editor; Guy Francoeur, Foley artist

Sound Editing for a Series

Boardwalk Empire, pilot (HBO), Philip Stockton, supervising sound editor; Eugene Gearty, sound effects editor; Fred Rosenberg, dialogue editor; Marissa Littlefield, ADR editor; Steve Visscher, foley editor; Jennifer Dunnington, music editor; Marko Costanzo, Foley artist

True Blood, "Hitting the Ground" (HBO), John Benson, supervising sound editor; Jason Krane, dialogue and ADR editor; Christian Buenaventura, dialogue editor; Steve Stuhr, dialogue editor; Stuart Martin, sound effects editor; Fred Judkins, Foley editor; Eduardo Ponsdomenech, music editor; Zane Bruce, Foley artist; Jeff Gunn, Foley artist

CSI: NY, "Life Sentence" (CBS), Mark Relyea, supervising sound editor; Edmund Lachmann, dialogue editor; David Barbee, sound editor; Ruth Adelman, ADR editor; Kevin McCullough, Foley editor; Joshua Winget, music editor; Joseph T. Sabella, Foley artist; James M. Bailey, Foley artist

The Walking Dead, "Days Gone Bye" (AMC), Walter Newman, supervising sound editor; Kenneth Young, co-supervisor/sound editor; Darleen Stoker, supervising dialogue editor; Jerry Edemann, supervising Foley editor; Michael Baber, music editor; Hilda Hodges, Foley artist; David Lee Fein, Foley artist

Game of Thrones, "A Golden Crown" (HBO), Stefan Hendrix, supervising sound editor; Tim Hands, ADR editor/supervisor; Michelle McCormack, dialogue editor; Steve Fanagan, sound effects editor; Andy Kennedy, sound effects editor/designer; Jon Stevenson, sound effects editor; Robin Whittaker, music editor; Caoimhe Doyle, Foley artist; Eoghan McDonnell, Foley artist

Nikita, "Pandora" (CW), George Haddad, sound supervisor; Dale Chaloukian, dialogue editor; Ruth Adelman, ADR editor; Chad J. Hughes, sound effects editor; Ashley Revell, music editor; James Bailey, Foley artist, Joseph T. Sabella, Foley artist

Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single- or Multi-Camera)

American Masters: Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides (PBS), Deborah Wallach, sound editor

The Amazing Race, "You Don’t Get Paid Unless You Win" (CBS), Eric Goldfarb, sound editor; Julian Gomez, sound editor; Andrew Kozar, sound editor; Paul C. Nielsen, sound editor; Jacob Parsons, sound editor; Rich Remis, sound editor; Jennifer Nelson, sound editor; Michael Bolanowski, sound editor; Bryan Parker, sound editor

Baseball: The Tenth Inning, "Top of the Tenth" (PBS), Ira Spiegel, sound effects editor; Mariusz Glabiski, sound effects editor; Jacob Ribicoff, music editor; Dan Korintus, dialogue editor; Marlena Brzaslewica, dialogue editor

Whale Wars, "To the Ends of the Earth" (Animal Planet), Bryan Parker, sound editor

Gettysburg (History), Charles Maynes, sound editor; Zach Seivers, sound design; Brent Kiser, sound effects editor

American Idol, "Auditions No. 2: New Orleans" (Fox), Matt Slivinski, sound editor; Bryan Parker, sound editor

Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation

Modern Family, "Halloween" (ABC), Stephen A. Tibbo, production sound mixer; Dean Okrand, re-recording mixer; Brian R. Harman, re-recording mixer

Family Guy, "Road to the North Pole" (Fox), Patrick Clark, production sound mixer; James F. Fitzpatrick, re-recording mixer

The Office, "Andy’s Play" (NBC), Ben Patrick, production sound mixer; John W. Cook, re-recording mixer; Peter J. Nusbaum, re-recording mixer

Parks and Recreation, "Andy and April’s Fancy Party" (NBC), Steve Morantz, production sound mixer’ John W. Cook, re-recording mixer; Peter J. Nusbaum, re-recording mixer

Californication, "The Last Supper" (Showtime), Daniel Church, production sound mixer; Edward C. Carr, re-recording mixer; Todd Grace, re-recording mixer

Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour)

Boardwalk Empire, pilot (HBO), Frank Stettner, production sound mixer; Jeff Pullman, CAS, production sound mixer; Tom Fleishman, CAS, re-recording mixer

Mad Men, "The Suitcase" (AMC), Peter Bentley, production sound mixer; Ken Teaney, re-recording mixer; Todd Orr, re-recording mixer

Dexter, "Take It!" (Showtime), Greg Agalsoff, production sound mixer; Pete Elia, re-recording mixer; Kevin Roache, re-recording mixer; Jeremy Balko, ADR mixer

Glee, "The Substitute" (Fox), Phillip W. Palmer, production sound mixer; Joseph H. Earle, re-recording mixer; Doug Andham, re-recording mixer

House, "Bombshells" (Fox), Von Varga, production sound mixer; Joseph DeAngelis, re-recording mixer; Brad North, re-recording mixer

Burn Notice, "Last Stand" (USA), Scott Clements, production sound mixer; David Raines, re-recording mixer; Sherry Klein, re-recording mixer

Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie

Mildred Pierce, "Part Five" (HBO), Drew Kunin, production sound mixer; Leslie Shatz, re-recording mixer; Bobby Johanson, ADR mixer; Joshua Reinhardt, Foley mixer

The Kennedys, "Lancer and Lace (ReelzChannel), Henry Embry, production sound mixer; Frank Morrone, re-recording mixer; Stephen Traub, re-recording mixer; Larold Rebhun, music score mixer

Cinema Verite (HBO), Petur Hliddal, production sound mixer; Lora Hirschberg, re-recording mixer; Scott Lewis, re-recording mixer; Douglas Murray, re-recording mixer

Too Big to Fail (HBO), Jimmy Sabat, production sound mixer; Chris Jenkins, re-recording mixer; Bob Beemer, re-recording mixer

Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming

The Amazing Race, "You Don’t Get Paid Unless You Win" (CBS), Jim Ursulak, lead production audio; Dean Gaveau, CAS, production mixer; Jerry Chabane, production mixer; Troy Smith, re-recording mixer

American Masters: LENNONYC (PBS), Ed Campbell, re-recording mxier

Deadliest Catch, "Redemption Day" (Discovery Channel), Bob Bronow, CAS, re-recording mixer

American Idol, "Auditions No. 2: New Orleans" (Fox), Brian P. Riordan, re-recording mixer; Kamal I. Humphrey, production sound mixer; Phil Valdivia, production sound mixer; Chris Tront, production sound mixer

Gettysburg (History), Dieter Keck, production sound mixer

Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or Special

Mildred Pierce, "Part Five" (HBO), Lesley Robson-Foster, visual effects supervisor; John Bair, visual effects supervisor; Renuka Ballal, visual effects producer; Nathan Meier, CGI artist; Constance Conrad, compositor; Marci Ichimura, compositor; Josephine Noh, compositor; Aaron Raff, compositor; Scott Winston, compositor

Sherlock: A Study in Pink (Masterpiece) (PBS), James Etherington, visual effects supervisor

The Pillars of the Earth, "Witchcraft" (Starz), Viktor Muller, visual effects supervisor; Vit Komrzy, visual effects producer; Paul Stephenson, special effects supervisor

Gettysburg (History), Kent Johnson, visual effects supervisor; J. David Everhart, visual effects producer; Mike Yip, lead visual effects animator; Jon Rhinehardt, lead visual effects compositor; Jason Korber, visual effects compositor; Jared Jones, visual effects compositor; Ethan Summers, lead model maker; Brent Steinberg, CGI artist; Max Poolman, special effects supervisor

Special Visual Effects for a Series

Boardwalk Empire, pilot (HBO), Justin Ball, visual effects supervisor; Paul Graff, visual effects supervisor; David Taritero, visual effects producer; Richard Friedlander, visual effects producer; Robert Stromberg, visual effects designer; Steve Kirshoff, special effects coordinator; J. John Corbett, lead compositor; Brian Sales, lead compositor; Ah Dee, lead compositor

The Borgias, "The Poisoned Chalice/The Assassin" (Showtime), Bob Munroe, lead visual effects supervisor; Doug Campbell, visual effects supervisor, Bill Halliday, visual effects producer; Juan Jesus Garcia, visual effects art director; Luke Groves, visual effects technical producer; Seth Martiniuk, lead visual effects compositor; Blair Tennessy, CGI supervisor

Stargate Universe, "Awakening" (Syfy), Mark David Savela, visual effects supervisor; Krista McLean, digital effects supervisor; Craig VandenBiggelaar, digital effects supervisor, Adam de Bosch Kemper, lead animator; Erica Henderson, lead compositor; Michael Lowes, lead 3D artist; Wes Sargent, key 3D artist; Luke Vallee, key visual effects compositor; Kodie MacKenzie, key visual effects compositor

The Walking Dead, "Days Gone Bye" (AMC), Sam Nicholson, lead visual effects supervisor; Jason Sperling, visual effects supervisor; Kent Johnson, visual effects producer; Kristin Johnson, lead matte artist; Christopher Martin, lead visual effects compositor; Michael Enriquez, lead model maker; Anthony Ocampo, lead visual effects animator; Michael Cook, lead CGI artist; Gregory Nicotero, lead special effects artist

Game of Thrones, "Fire and Blood" (HBO), Adam McInnes, lead visual effects supervisor; Angela Barson, 2nd lead visual effects supervisor and visual effects supervisor; Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, lead visual effects producer; Raf Morant, CGI supervisor; Henry Badgett, lead visual effects compositor; Damien Mace, leade matte artist; Stuart Brisdon, special effects supervisor; Graham Hills, special effects supervisor