Netflix Does Well in 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominations

Melinda Sue Gordon for Netflix Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright were both nominated for their roles in “House of Cards.” More photos of the nominees.

10:20 a.m. | Updated In the 65-year-old competition for Primetime Emmy Awards, the online streaming network Netflix officially joined its cable and broadcast counterparts on Thursday, picking up a best drama nomination for the political thriller “House of Cards.”

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, who portray the scheming husband and wife at the center of “House of Cards,” were also nominated in the lead actor and actress categories.

The announcements represented the first time that a series distributed via the Internet, not television, was nominated for the television industry's most prestigious statue.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, said by telephone that he watched the nominations press conference in bed and was thrilled with the results. “The number of awards this morning was sort of a shock to everybody,” he said, adding, “We didn't plan a big enough party.”

He said he was thankful that the Emmy voters were “so open to the idea” of Internet distribution.

“In a way, it solidifies that television is television, no matter what pipe brings it to the screen,” he said.

Netflix had campaigned for nominations for both “House of Cards” and “Arrested Development,” the canceled Fox sitcom that it revived to much fanfare earlier this year. Mr. Sarandos acknowledged some disappointment about the fact that “Arrested” was not among the six shows nominated for outstanding comedy. In a consolation of sorts, among three nominations the show earned, one of its stars, Jason Bateman, was included in the lead actor in a comedy category.

Over all, Netflix picked up 14 Emmy nominations: nine for “House of Cards,” including one for David Fincher, who directed the first episode; three for Arrested Development;” and two for “Hemlock Grove,” a horror series that had its debut in the spring.

HBO, which has been making critically acclaimed shows for decades, had 108 nominations, its highest total in nearly a decade. Last year it earned 81.

Nominees in major categories are listed below. The full list is available at emmys.com.

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

The race that is traditionally the most closely watched in the TV industry is outstanding drama. In that category, “House of Cards” will challenge last year's winner “Homeland” on Showtime and the three-time winner “Mad Men” on AMC, as well as AMC's “Breaking Bad,” PBS's “Downton Abbey,” and HBO's “Game of Thrones.” The one drama that was nominated last year, but was not this year, was HBO's “Boardwalk Empire.”

The competition in the major acting categories was stiffer than ever, as evidenced by the absence of the actress Julianna Margulies, who had been nominated for “The Good Wife” for the past three years and had won in 2011. The new FX drama “The Americans” was also shut out from the major categories.

Otherwise the surprises were relatively few and far between; in the lead actor in a drama category, Damian Lewis of “Homeland,” last year's winner, was joined by Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad”; Hugh Bonneville of “Downton Abbey”; Jon Hamm of “Mad Men”; Mr. Spacey; and, in the only major nod to HBO's “The Newsroom,” Jeff Daniels.

In the lead actress category, last year's winner, Claire Danes, also of “Homeland,” was joined by Vera Farmiga of “Bates Motel” on A&E; Michelle Dockery of “Downton Abbey”; Elisabeth Moss of “Mad Men”; Ms. Wright, and two stars of ABC dramas, Connie Britton of “Nashville” and Kerry Washington of “Scandal.”

The most-nominated series of all, NBC's “Saturday Night Live,” set a new record this year with 171 nods in various categories, many of them technical. Among prime-time series, “Game of Thrones” was the most-nominated drama, with 16, and “30 Rock” was the most-nominated sitcom, with 13. FX's “American Horror Story: Asylum,” which was submitted as a mini-series, received 17 nominations.

For NBC's “30 Rock,” which won the best comedy Emmy in 2007, 2008 and 2009, this year is its last opportunity to take the prize back from ABC's “Modern Family,” which has taken home the Emmy for the past three years. Those two shows were nominated along with HBO's “Girls” and “Veep,” FX's “Louie” and CBS's “Big Bang Theory.”

With three of the six total nominations, the broadcast networks fared better in comedies than in dramas, continuing a pattern that is now several years old. This year, just like last year, none of the commercial broadcasters earned a best drama nomination, though the noncommercial PBS did for “Downton Abbey.”

The nominations were announced by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the governing body that has overseen the annual awards since 1948.

The academy's chair, Bruce Rosenblum, invoked the evolution that Netflix epitomizes in his opening remarks at a predawn news conference in Los Angeles. “Television is on broadcast, on cable and on demand over the Internet,” he said. “This is truly an exciting time for us to be honoring the best of television.”

For Netflix, the nominations are another feather in an already stuffed cap, coming almost six months after the release of “House of Cards,” the first Netflix series that was perceived to be as good as anything on HBO, Showtime or AMC. Emmy speculation surrounded “House of Cards” from the day all 13 episodes made their debuts at the same time online. That's because the academy's eligibility rules were adjusted in the mid 2000s to include Internet-distributed shows. (When that happened, Netflix's streaming service hadn't even started yet. The company was still just shipping DVDs by mail.)

In recent years, online shows like “Web Therapy” and “Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog” have been nominated in short-form categories, but the Internet's presence hasn't been felt in major categories like acting and directing. A series that Netflix imported from Scandinavia, “Lilyhammer,” was eligible for awards last year but did not receive any nominations.

That series did not break through to the wider public in the way that “House of Cards” did. Netflix lobbied aggressively for Emmy nominations for both “House of Cards” and “Arrested Development,” even putting out election-style lawn signs in West Hollywood.

But the effects of Emmy nominations - or wins - will be tough for Netflix to measure. What the awards provide is a kind of confirmation of the industry's respect and admiration, something that doesn't immediately translate to its bottom line but is appreciated nonetheless.

The Emmy winners will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 22, in a live broadcast on CBS, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, a star of “How I Met Your Mother” on that network.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
Hugh Bonneville, “Downton Abbey”
Damian Lewis, “Homeland”
Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Jeff Daniel, “The Newsroom”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Vera Farmiga, “Bates Motel”
Michelle Dockery, “Downton Abbey”
Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Elizabeth Moss, “Mad Men”
Connie Britton, “Nashville”
Kerry Washington, “Scandal”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Michael Douglas, “Behind the Candelabra”
Matt Damon, “Behind the Candelabra”
Toby Jones, “The Girl”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Parade's End”
Al Pacino, “Phil Spector”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Asylum”
Laura Linney, “The Big C: Hereafter”
Helen Mirren, “Phil Spector”
Sigourney Weaver, “Political Animals”
Elisabeth Moss, “Top of the Lake”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jason Bateman, “Arrested Development”
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”
Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”
Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”
Louis C.K., “Louie”
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Laura Dern, “Enlightened”
Lena Dunham, “Girls”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
“The Amazing Race”
“Dancing With the Stars”
“Project Runway”
“So You Think You Can Dance”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”

Outstanding Variety Series
“The Colbert Report”
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”
“Real Time With Bill Maher”
“Saturday Night Live”

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
“American Horror Story: Asylum”
“Behind the Candelabra”
“The Bible”
“Phil Spector”
“Political Animals”
“Top of the Lake”

Outstanding Comedy Series
“The Big Bang Theory”
“Girls”
“Louie”
“Modern Family”
“30 Rock”
“Veep”

Outstanding Drama Series
“Breaking Bad”
“Downton Abbey”
“Game of Thrones”
“Homeland”
“House of Cards”
“Mad Men”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Bobby Cannavale, “Boardwalk Empire”
Jonathan Banks, “Breaking Bad”
Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”
Jim Carter, “Downton Abbey”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad”
Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”
Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones”
Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
Morena Baccarin, “Homeland”
Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
George Mastras, “Breaking Bad,” “Dead Freight”
Thomas Schnauz, “Breaking Bad,” “Say My Name”
Julian Fellowes, “Downton Abbey,” Episode 4
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, “Game of Thrones,” “The Rains Of Castamere”
Henry Bromell, “Homeland,” “Q&A”

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Tim Van Patten, “Boardwalk Empire”
Michelle MacLaren, “Breaking Bad,” “Gliding Over All”
Jeremy Webb, “Downton Abbey,” Episode 4
Lesli Linka Glatter, “Homeland,” “Q&A”
David Fincher, “House of Cards”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Adam Driver, “Girls”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Modern Family”
Ed O'Neill , “Modern Family”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Bill Hader, “Saturday Night Live”
Tony Hale, “Veep”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory”
Jane Lynch, “Glee”
Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”
Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”
Merritt Wever, “Nurse Jackie”
Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”
Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Jeffrey Klarik, “Episodes” Episode 209
Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon, “Louie,” “Daddy's Girlfriend (Part 1)”
Greg Daniels, “The Office” Finale
Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock, “30 Rock,” “Hogcock!”
Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield, “30 Rock,” “Last Lunch”

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Lena Dunham, “Girls,” “On All Fours”
Paris Barclay, “Glee,” “Diva”
Louis C.K., “Louie,” “New Year's Eve”
Gail Mancuso, “Modern Family,” “Arrested”
Beth McCarthy-Miller, “30 Rock”

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
“The Colbert Report”
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Portlandia”
“Real Time With Bill Maher”
“Saturday Night Live”

Outstanding Reality Program
“Antiques Roadshow”
“Deadliest Catch”
“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”
“MythBusters”
“Shark Tank”
“Undercover Boss”