2014 Emmy Award Nominations

The 66th Emmy Award Nominations were released today and one thing is loud & clear from the academy. If your show cant generate any viewers, you have a chance to win an Emmy. In all of the major categories, series that are ratings challenged make up a majority of the nominees.

Shows like VEEP and LOUIE may get more votes for the awards than they get viewers that watch their shows. In the COMEDY LEAD ACTRESS category, only Melissa McCarthy's MIKE & MOLLY can generate more than five million viewers per episode.

But, you do have categories, like BEST DRAMA, which has five hit shows among the six nominated series. Only MAD MEN has a hard time getting viewers to tune in.

Individuals with multiple nominations include Jim Parsons for THE BIG BANG THEORY and the HBO Movie THE NORMAL HEART. Martin Freeman for his work on both FARGO and the great PBS program SHERLOCK.

Again, the major problem I have with the Emmys is typified by the nomination of Matt LeBlanc in his role as Matt LeBlanc in the series EPISODES. Really? He is playing himself!

For a complete listing of every category and nomination, click over to the official EMMY AWARDS website.

66th Primetime Emmys Nominees

COMEDY AWARDS:
SERIES: The Big Bang Theory Modern Family Orange is the New Black Louie Veep Silicon Valley	LEAD ACTOR: Mat LeBlanc Ricky Gervais Jim Parsons William H Macy Louis C.K. Don Cheadle	LEAD ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy Edie Falco Amy Poeler Julia Louis-Dreyfus Taylor Schilling Lena Dunham
WRITING: Episodes Louie Orange is the New Black Silicon Valley Veep	SUPP. ACTOR: Andre Braugher Ty Burell Adam Driver Jesse Tyler Ferguson Fred Armisen Tony Hale	SUPP. ACTRESS: Julie Bowen Kate Mulgrew Kate McKinnon Mayim Bialik Anna Chumsky Allison Janney

DRAMA AWARDS:
SERIES: Downton Abbey Breaking Bad Game of Thrones House of Cards Mad Men True Detective	LEAD ACTOR: Kevin Spacey Bryan Cranston Job Hamm Woody Harrelson Matthew McConaughey Jeff Daniels	LEAD ACTRESS: Michelle Dockery Claire Danes Robin Wright Lizzy Caplan Kerry Washington Julianna Margulies
WRITING: Breaking Bad Breaking Bad Game of Thrones House of Cards True Detective	SUPP. ACTOR: Arron Paul Peter Dinklage Jon Voight Josh Charles Mandy Patinkin Jim Carter	SUPP. ACTRESS: Anna Gunn Joanne Froggat Christina Hendricks Christine Baranski Lena Headey Maggie Smith

VARIETY/REALITY AWARDS:
VARIETY SERIES: Jimmy Kimmel Live Real Time w/ Bill Maher Saturday Night Live The Colbert Report The Daily Show Tonight Show/Fallon	VARIETY WRITING: Inside Amy Schumer Key & Peele Portlandia The Colbert Report The Daily Show Tonight Show/Fallon	REALITY HOST: Betty White Tom Bergeron Jane Lynch Heidi Klum/Tim Gunn Anthony Bourdain Cat Deeley

MOVIES/MINI-SERIES AWARDS:
MINI-SERIES: American Horror Story Bonnie & Clyde Fargo Luther The White Queen Treme	TV MOVIE: Killing Kennedy M. Ali's Greatest Fight Sherlock The Normal Heart The Trip to Bountiful	LEAD ACTOR: Martin Freeman Billy Bob Thornton Benedict Cumberbatch Mark Ruffalo Idris Elba Chiwetel Ejiofor
LEAD ACTRESS: Jessica Lang Sarah Paulson Helena Bonham Carter Minnie Driver Kristen Wiig Cicely Tyson	SUPP. ACTOR: Colin Hanks Martin Freeman Jim Parsons Joe Mantello Alfred Molina Matt Boomer	SUPP. ACTRESS: Julia Roberts Angela Bassett Kathy Bates Frances Conroy Ellen Burstyn Allison Tolman