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Well, America? Happy? From the Hollywood Reporter:

Seth MacFarlane’s gamble paid off. His Fox hit “Family Guy” on Thursday became the first animated series in nearly 50 years, and the second ever, to land a best comedy series nomination, following “The Flintstones” in 1961.

What was his gamble, again? To submit the show for consideration? I’m sorry, I know that’s not important. I should not be nitpicking about whether sending in a form that you had an intern fill out, along with a registration fee (did you know it costs money to be nominated for an Emmy? Because of how integrity works), does or does not constitute a gamble (because that’s not a question. The answer is it does not). What I should be nitpicking about is the fact that Family Guy is a terrible show, going head to head with Entourage for the Best Comedy Series. Because comedy is subjective, and we live in a country where people have terrible subjectivity*.

Now, there are some other totally valid nominees, like 30 Rock and The Office and the Flight of the Conchords. Good luck to those guys. But obviously the Best Comedy Series award goes to Eastbound and Down (raaahhhhhh), so I don’t even know what we’re all talking about here.

Full list of Emmy Nominees after the jump:

BEST DRAMA SERIES
* ‘Big Love’
* ‘Damages’
* ‘Dexter’
* ‘House’
* ‘Lost’
* ‘Mad Men’

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
* Bryan Cranston, ‘Breaking Bad’
* Michael C. Hall, ‘Dexter’
* Hugh Laurie, ‘House’
* Gabriel Byrne, ‘In Treatment’
* Jon Hamm, ‘Mad Men’
* Simon Baker, ‘The Mentalist’

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
* Sally Field, ‘Brothers and Sisters’
* Kyra Sedgwick, ‘The Closer’
* Glenn Close, ‘Damages’
* Mariska Hargitay, ‘Law & Order: SVU’
* Elisabeth Moss, ‘Mad Men’
* Holly Hunter, ‘Saving Grace’

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
* William Shatner, ‘Boston Legal’
* Christian Clemenson, ‘Boston Legal’
* Aaron Paul, ‘Breaking Bad’
* William Hurt, ‘Damages’
* Michael Emerson, ‘Lost’
* John Slattery, ‘Mad Men’

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
* Rose Byrne, ‘Damages’ Sandra Oh, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
* Chandra Wilson, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
* Dianne Wiest, ‘In Treatment’
* Hope Davis, ‘In Treatment’
* Cherry Jones, ’24′

BEST COMEDY SERIES
* ‘Entourage’
* ‘Family Guy’
* ‘Flight Of The Conchords’
* ‘How I Met Your Mother’
* ‘The Office’
* ’30 Rock’
* ‘Weeds’

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
* Jim Parsons, ‘The Big Bang Theory’
* Jemaine Clement, ‘Flight Of The Conchords’
* Tony Shalhoub, ‘Monk’
* Steve Carell, ‘The Office’
* Alec Baldwin, ’30 Rock’
* Charlie Sheen, ‘Two And A Half Men’

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
* Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ‘The New Adventures Of Old Christine’
* Christina Applegate, ‘Samantha Who?’
* Sarah Silverman, ‘The Sarah Silverman Show’
* Tina Fey, ’30 Rock’
* Toni Collette, United States Of Tara’
* Mary-Louise Parker, ‘Weeds’

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
* Kevin Dillon, ‘Entourage’
* Neil Patrick Harris, ‘How I Met Your Mother’
* Rainn Wilson, ‘The Office’
* Tracy Morgan, ’30 Rock’
* Jack McBrayer, ’30 Rock’
* Jon Cryer, ‘Two And A Half Men’

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
* Kristin Chenoweth, ‘Pushing Daisies’
* Amy Poehler, ‘Saturday Night Live’
* Kristin Wiig, ‘Saturday Night Live’
* Jane Krakowski, ’30 Rock’
* Vanessa Williams, ‘Ugly Betty’
* Elizabeth Perkins, ‘Weeds’

BEST VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL
* ‘The Colbert Report’
* ‘The Daily Show’
* ‘The Late Show With David Letterman’
* ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’
* ‘Saturday Night Live’

BEST REALITY COMPETITION
* ‘The Amazing Race’
* ‘American Idol’
* ‘Dancing With the Stars’
* ‘Project Runway’
* ‘Top Chef’

BEST MINISERIES
* ‘Generation Kill’
* ‘Little Dorritt’

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
* Kevin Kline, ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’
* Brendan Gleeson, ‘Into The Storm’
* Sir Ian McKellen, ‘King Lear’
* Kevin Bacon, ‘Taking Chance’
* Kiefer Sutherland, ’24: Redemption’
* Kenneth Branagh, ‘Wallander: One Step Behind’

BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
* Chandra Wilson, ‘Accidental Friendship’
* Shirley MacLaine, ‘Coco Chanel’
* Drew Barrymore, ‘Grey Gardens’
* Jessica Lange, ‘Grey Gardens’
* Sigourney Weaver, ‘Prayers For Bobby’

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
* Beau Bridges, ‘Desperate Housewives’
* Justin Timberlake, ‘Saturday Night Live’
* Steve Martin, ’30 Rock’
* Jon Hamm, ’30 Rock’
* Alan Alda, ’30 Rock’

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
* Edward Asner, ‘CSI: NY’
* Ted Danson, ‘Damages’
* Jimmy Smits, ‘Dexter’
* Ernest Borgnine, ‘ER’
* Michael J. Fox, ‘Rescue Me’

At least the Academy recognized that none of the terrible Entourage celebrity cameos deserved to be nominated for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, which it turns out is a thing for some reason. ART WINS!

*This laffter don’t run.

Comments (64)
  1. Yay for How I Met Your Mother! Also, I hope Jemaine wins.

  2. Noel  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +39

    I can’t believe the Simpsons never got a best comedy series nomination. It deserved one in it’s hey day much more than Family Guy deserves one now. Family Guy is a pale imitation that was good for exactly 2 seasons and that’s being generous.

  3. TC  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +9

    Breaking Bad also nominated for best drama. What’s up with there being 7 nominees in the Comedy/Drama categories? They’re joining the Oscars in going nominee crazy.

  4. daniel  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +35

    Isn’t it crazy, that the Simpsons, unquestionably one of the greatest TV shows of all time – especially if you stopped watching around season 11, was never nominated? How could that not have been nominated?

    • It’s not the Emmy people who decide what categories shows get nominated for — it’s the producers. Matt Groening et. al might well have never submitted The Simpsons outside of Best Animated Series. I think I remember Matt & Trey nominating South Park for the regular Best Comedy Series and failing to get a nomination. So there you go, kids: Family Guy is the same calibre show as Flight of the Conchords, but South Park is not. The Emmys: Relevancy and quality!

      • bj  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +5

        The Simpsons was submitted twice for Best Comedy Series, I believe in 93 and 94, but was not nominated.

  5. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see

  6. Matt Groening is vomiting blood somewhere.

  7. Give the Olive Garden eating public what they want.

  8. Ric  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 -53

    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see

  9. You guys this is great!
    Oh, no, it’s the opposite. For every Emmy ‘Family Guy’ wins I shall kill myself! (yeah I did)
    Ugh. I, for one, welcome our Seth McFarlane overlords.

  10. Good to see Sir Ian McKellan getting the “Best Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie” nomination. Because I know that Sir Ian has been dying to get an Emmy.

  11. can we just stop and appreciate that mad men got 4 nods? one for peggy, one for don, one for anderson-cooper’s dad, roger sterling.
    i think that’s cause for celebration.

    and can we all wonder wtf the academy was thinking (the academy has one collective brain) when it nominated shirley maclain for coco chanel? i mean, she couldn’t even be bothered with a french accent….

  12. The Family Guy is Sex in the City for Outdated Popular Culture Reference Nerds.

  13. I guess Hell has to freeze over or Street has to walk again for Friday Night Lights to get nominated.

  14. Shouldn’t JJ Abrams have submitted the Lost Emmy nomination forms for 1977, not 2009?

  15. So… there were no female celebrity cameos? I’m asking because I care a lot.

  16. chris  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +8

    i think it’s stupid that Kristen Wiig gets a supporting nom and not a lead nom…shes in every fucking skit..

  17. Seymour Butts  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +17

    I cling to the ever-fading hope that Jemaine Clement will win

    Also, on another subject, how in the name of God did the reigning King of the Pricks, Charlie Sheen get nominated? Here I was thinking the Emmys were supposed to recognise & celebrate outstanding contributions to the medium of television.

  18. Oh GOD do not give Justin Timberlake an Emmy. I will lose faith in the arts for the remainder of my life. He’s just the worst.

  19. Family Guy = Simpsons for dumb people

  20. GAAABE how did you miss this? RT @cklouis Hey I got nominated for an Emmy. Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special for “Chewed Up” . Hooray!

  21. Best Reality Series is a category??? Ugh. If they give out awards for being blowhard egomaniacal fartsacks on Reality TV, why don’t they give them out to the real professionals — Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Olbermann, etc…?

  22. Oh, please let this be Michael Emerson’s year. And hey, finally no fucking Jeremy Piven — Rainn Wilson or Neil Patrick Harris has a shot! Also, sorry all actresses in drama series who aren’t movie stars slumming it on cable shows for the steady paycheck — no Emmy for you.

  23. monica  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +6

    if family guy wins an emmy then I lose all faith in humanity.

  24. Why no Guest Actress nominees?? Do you think we only care about Guest Actors??

    Just kidding, I know no one cares about Guest Actors.

  25. Did Party Down miss the deadline or something? It’s a toss up for me between that East Bound & Down and 30 Rock. Also Breaking Bad should be nominated for Best Drama Series it’s way better than Dexter. I’d have a hard time picking a winner between BB and Mad Men. As much as I love LOST it’s just not got chops of MM and BB.At least Cranston made it in, he deserves it.

  26. Marah  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +23

    is there any reason jemaine’s nominated and not brett? are they threatened by his extreme hotness?

  27. james  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +23

    Bah. “Always Sunny In Philadelphia” is the funniest show on tv. It could never be nominated cause the academy is a bunch of snobs, but still.

    • Thank you for stating what I was thinking all the way down to your post. Although, I am secretly happy that IASIP is keeping a somewhat low profile so I can make references to it at work and everybody looks at me like I am the Nightman Cometh! I may change my screen name to Rickety Cricket.

    • yooooooooooooooo  |   Posted on Jul 17th, 2009 0

      I was just about to say where is “always sunny..” but you beat me to it. Family guy was slightly funny at its beginning but its become over political and over simplifies the issues. They are doing what south park does but worse. Also I know its become a paradigm that the simpsons have sucked from “enter single digit season number here” but I think they had a good bounce back season this year.

  28. I’m pretty pleased with the nominees overall (and lack of Piven), but Eastbound and Down and Anna Gunn from Breaking Bad were pretty badly snubbed.

    That, and the whole Family Guy thing, of course.

  29. manifiesta  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +1

    “Just because YOU don’t like Family Guy doesn’t mean it’s a bad show.” Get ready to hear this shit ten times as often as we do now.

    And it’s a shame this has now rendered the Emmys meaningless because I really, really love Breaking Bad. Aaron Paul deserves to and will probably win. Cranston should get another one, too, but will probably lose to Michael C. Hall.

  30. Give it up, Gabe! You clearly know nothing about “quality” television.

    These people don’t actually watch an entire season, they just go through the episodes that are sent to them for consideration. I’m not making that up, found out last year on some news report. Look it up, it must be on the web.

    By the way, i’d like to give a shout out to the Big Bang Theory guy! While at the same time nodding off in disbelief about Justin Timberlake’s nod.

  31. Is it too much to ask that Flight of the Conchords win at least one Emmy in its short lifetime?

  32. I’m so glad Mad Men is goinna be cleaning house again this year. And I hope Kristen Wiig wins, she’s great

  33. I blame the powerful manatee lobby.

  34. Wow! So Seth MacFarlane whined SO HARD that the emmy people decided to tack on a 6th nomination to each category so they could include Family Guy?

    It doesn’t really matter though because all he did was guarantee Family Guy won’t win an Emmy this year. 30 Rock has it in the bag once more and if they didn’t FotC would pick up the slack. Family Guy would have had a chance in the Animated Series category, but now they’ve all but guaranteed a lose. Thank you Seth MacFarlane. Thank you for placing your show in a no-win situation.

  35. So why does Cherry Jones pull down a nom for the underwhelming President Taylor, but Amy Ryan gets no love for Holly?

    Ah well, at least Jimmy Smits got a nom for Dexter. I think I’m the only one who talks about that show (in a good light, pcbowen).

  36. Shane  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +5

    It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the best comedy out right now.

  37. Ms. New Jersey  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +6

    Let’s put all this Family Guy talk on hold for a sec:
    Is anyone else disturbed that the Emmys are pitting Kenneth the Page against Tracy Jordan for best supporting actor, comedy?
    That is not a battle I want to see, Emmys. Tsk Tsk.

    • You mean Tracy MORGAN, not Tracy Jordan.

      (It’s okay, I do the same thing all the time.)

      • bj  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +8

        In saying Kenneth the Page instead of Jack McBrayer, Tracy Jordan is correct. Character names, not actor names. Consistency.

  38. I just have one question, how in the fuckkkk is Entourage a comedy? Its supposed to be funny? It just multiplied its the-worst factor

  39. Ms. New Jersey  |   Posted on Jul 16th, 2009 +4

    Let’s put all this Family Guy talk on hold for a sec:
    Is anyone else disturbed that the Emmys are pitting Kenneth the Page against Tracy Jordan for best supporting actor, comedy?
    That is not a battle I want to see, Emmys. Tsk Tsk.

  40. Family Guy got nominated for an Emmy? This is worse than the time Peter Scolari joined our softball team!

  41. Sigh. One last kick in the face to The Shield, the best non-premium television series of all-time (and probably the only one that wrapped its story in a way that made every episode before it better, not worse). It’s telling that the closest we’ve ever gotten to a complete television-series-as-novel are The Shield and The Wire and past the first season of The Shield, they don’t have a single Emmy between them.

  42. TEAM JEMAINE!!!

  43. cake   |   Posted on Jul 18th, 2009 +2

    “On the one hand, it’s really exciting and we’re delighted, and on the other hand, we feel like, really, The Simpsons should have been on this list in the 90s when they submitted,”
    -Seth MacFarlane

    pretty classy acceptance. still the worst?

  44. family guy defenantly deserved it

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