Awaiting This Morning's Emmy Nominations

The nominees for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards are just hours away. They will be presented live at 5:35 AM PT by celeb hosts Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) and Joshua Jackson (Fringe). In the meantime, familiarize yourself wih Deadline/TVline’s Emmy coverage to date:

Emmy Campaign Season Gives Oscar A Run For His Money
Deadline: Do We Need A Dramedy Category?
Deadline: Academy Chief John Shaffner Q&A
Deadline: Let The Episode Submissions End
Deadline: Looking Far Into The Future Of TV

Deadline/TVline: 2011 Drama Series Overview
This year’s Emmy race for Outstanding Drama Series will continue cable’s dominance in this most prestigious category. Cable claimed 10 of the 13 nomination spots over the past two years, and 13 of 19 since 2008. By contrast, cable earned a mere nine nods combined in the seven years between 2001 and 2007 when the networks still ruled. The shift from broadcast is so extreme in 2011 that CBS’ The Good Wife is considered the only network series with a solid shot to earn its second nomination in as many years. (Though not in that league, NBC/DirecTV’sFriday Night Lights, NBC’s Parenthood, and CBS’ Blue Bloods deserve consideration while ABC has entered a rebuilding phase.) The sad reality is that the broadcast networks, which just signed a new eight-year deal with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to carry the Emmys, are facing a possible first-ever shutout from the top drama series category. That’s because of the continuing strength and ambition of programming on cable — in particular, HBO in a return to form, and AMC still on a roll.
Deadline: Mad Men‘s Matt Weiner
Deadline: Boardwalk Empire‘s Terence Winter
Deadline: The Walking Dead‘s Frank Darabont Q&A
Deadline: The Good Wife‘s Michelle and Robert King Q&A
Deadline: Justified‘s Graham Yost Q&A
Deadline: The Killing‘s Veena Sud Q&A
Deadline: Friday Night Lights and Parenthood‘s Jason Katims Q&A
Deadline: Shameless‘ John Wells Q&A
Deadline: Fringe‘s Jeff Pinker and Joel Wyman Q&A
Deadline: Men Of A Certain Age‘s Ray Romano and Mike Royce Q&A
Deadline: White Collar‘s Jeff Eastin Q&A

Deadline: 10 Dramas Pick Best Episodes
Drama series producers agonize over their selection of up to six episodes for 2011 Emmy nomination consideration. Here’s insight from Deadline into why these particular episodes were thought to impress Emmy voters.

Deadline/TVline: 2011 Comedy Series Overview
Competition for Emmy nominations among this year’s Outstanding Comedy Series contestants is no laughing matter. The showdown between two 20th Century TV hits is more intense than ever, with Modern Family and Glee.That is, if a duo of up-and-comers —Community or Parks and Recreation — don’t act as spoilers. Past Emmy stalwarts 30 Rock or The Office could resurface. Or Showtime’s bold female-skewing dramedies Nurse Jackie or newbie The Big C might seize the spotlight. CBS’ The Big Bang Theory could finally score a nod or How I Met Your Mother in its sixth season. Underdogs include ABC’s The Middle and Fox’s Raising Hope.
Deadline: ‘Modern Family’s Chris Lloyd
Deadline: ‘The Big C’s Jenny Bicks
Deadline: ‘Parks & Recreation’s Michael Schur
Deadline: ‘Community’s Dan Harmon
Deadline: ‘Nurse Jackie’s Brixius & Wallem

Deadline: 10 Comedies Pick Best Episodes
While some comedy series producers are still finalizing their selection of episodes to submit for Emmy nomination consideration, most have already chosen their best. Each series may submit 6 episodes for the Outstanding Comedy Series, as well as the same or other episodes in multiple different categories. So we asked series producers and/or studio executives to pick one of their submitted episodes and give Deadline readers insight into why this one might impress Emmy voters.

TVline: Sizing Up The Lead Drama Actor Race
Since Breaking Bad didn’t air during this year’s Emmy eligibility period, its star — three-time Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winner Bryan Cranston — isn’t able to vie for a fourth consecutive statuette. In other words, the field is wide open for someone like the oft-nominated Hugh Laurie of House or Jon Hamm of Mad Men, or a sleeper like Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights, or an old favorite like Tom Selleck (now of Blue Bloods), to grab the gold.
TVline: Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm Q&A
TVline: Justified‘s Timothy Olyphant Q&A

TVline: A Look At The Lead Drama Actress Race
In 2010, the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series seemed destined to go to Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife. Everybody said so. Apparently everybody but the Emmy voters, that is. They decided instead, that after her fifth nomination, it was The Closer’s Kyra Sedgwick who finally deserved to win. This year the big buzz surrounds Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss. Come award night, will she or some other fresh face have the statuette in their hand?
TVline: The Good Wife‘s Julianna Margulies Q&A
TVline: Fringe‘s Anna Torv Q&A
TVline: The Killing‘s Mireille Enos Q&A

TVline: A Look At The Supporting Drama Actor Category
You know who isn’t missing Lost this season? The many performers jockeying for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series nod at this year’s Emmys. The absence of perennial nominees Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson creates two big vacancies. The number of openings jumps to four when you consider that both Aaron Paul and Martin Short — nominated in ’10 for Breaking Bad andDamages, respectively — will also be MIA (since their shows didn’t air during the eligibility period). Basically, the race is pretty much up for grabs.

TVline: A Look At The Supporting Drama Actress Category
Behind virtually every great TV headliner today there is a great, and often times large, ensemble. Which means that scoring a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series may be one of the most competitive battles Emmy serves up. But with Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) braving the Lead Actress race this year and Rose Byrne out of the race entirely (Season 3 of Damagesdidn’t air during the eligibility period), watch for some new blood to be injected into the race.
TVline: Parenthood‘s Mae Whitman Q&A

TVline: Sizing Up the Lead Comedy Actor Race
Last year’s Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series race was a David-and-Goliath tale, as relative newcomer Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) brought down comedy giant Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) by denying him a third consecutive win. This year, in addition to both of those likely repeat nominees, there’s also Steve Carell to consider. Having bid farewell to The Office, his swan song season becomes Emmy’s last chance to award him for his seminal role. Will he grab gold? Or will a lovable long shot like Community’s Joel McHale emerge from the pack to change the game?
Deadline: Last Chance For Steve Carell?
TVline: Community’s Joel McHale Q&A
TVline: Modern Family‘s Ty Burrell Q&A

TVline: A Look at the Lead Comedy Actress Race
When it comes to the Emmy Awards, there’s no counting out 30 Rock’s Tina Fey. Ever. In 50 years, she’ll be Betty White. But this year’s Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series competition may be all about Showtime and its three show-stopping leading ladies. Will the Academy prescribe a consecutive win for Nurse Jackie’s Edie Falco, or will Toni Collette grab a second statue to go with Tara’s multiple personalities? Or could they and The Big C’s Laura Linney split the pay cable vote, leaving an opening for someone new, like Raising Hope’s Martha Plimpton?
TVline: Cougar Town Roundtable
TVline: Parks & Recreation‘s Amy Poehler Q&A
TVline: Raising Hope‘s Martha Plimpton Q&A

TVLine: A Look at the Supporting Comedy Actress Race
Last year, the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series race was dominated — and we do mean dominated — by Glee, Modern Family and 30 Rock. This year looks to be a reprise of that contest unless a seeming underdog (Cougar Town or Community perhaps?) manages to pull off an Emmy breakthrough in awareness and respect – the kind that, say, How I Met Your Mother has been yearning for for so long. It can be daunting. Here’s how things look going into nomination season.

TVline: The Reality-Competition Race In Review
The Emmy race for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program turned into a real horse race last year when Top Chef claimed the top prize and broke The Amazing Race‘s stunning streak of seven consecutive victories.

EMMYS: Bill Maher’s Longest Losing Streak

EMMYS: ‘Zeke & Luther’s Matt Dearborn

Emmys: Game Of Thrones Costume Designer Michele Clapton
Emmys: Boardwalk Empire Costume Designer John Dunn
Emmys: ‘Glee’ Costume Designer Lou Eyrich