‘Game of Thrones’ earns a leading 19 Emmy nods

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The fantasy saga "Game of Thrones," defying the Emmy Awards' grudging respect for genre fare, emerged as the leader in the nominations announced Thursday with 19 bids, including best drama series.

The meth kingpin drama "Breaking Bad" was next in line with 16 bids for its final season, including best drama and best actor nod for star Bryan Cranston.

Other top nominees included a pair of ambitious miniseries, "Fargo," with 18 bids, and "American Horror Story: Coven," with 17. The AIDS drama "The Normal Heart" received 16 nominations, including best TV movie.

The 66th prime-time Emmy Awards ceremony will have big-screen star power to spare. This year's Academy Awards best-actor winner Matthew McConaughey ("Dallas Buyers Club") and nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor ("12 Years a Slave") are both nominees for TV projects, as is past Oscar winner Julia Roberts.

In the competitive best-drama series category, "Game of Thrones" will compete with "Breaking Bad," ''Downton Abbey," ''House of Cards," ''Mad Men" and "True Detective."

Netflix's "House of Cards" which made a breakthough last year as the first online series nominated for a major award, has the chance again to grab Emmy gold.

"True Detective," the dark-hearted Southern drama that starred McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, was entered in the series category although it had a close-ended story and its stars have indicated they don't plan on returning.

2014 Emmy Nominees:

Drama Series: "Breaking Bad," AMC; "Downton Abbey," PBS; "Game of Thrones," HBO; "House of Cards," Netflix; "Mad Men," AMC; "True Detective," HBO.

Comedy Series: "The Big Bang Theory," CBS; "Louie," FX Networks; "Modern Family," ABC; "Orange Is the New Black," Netflix; "Silicon Valley," HBO; "Veep," HBO.

Miniseries: "American Horror Story: Coven," FX Networks; "Bonnie & Clyde," Lifetime; "Fargo," FX Networks; "Luther," BBC America; "Treme," HBO; "The White Queen," Starz.

Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad," AMC; Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards," Netflix; Jon Hamm, "Mad Men," AMC; Jeff Daniels, "The Newsroom," HBO; Woody Harrelson, "True Detective," HBO; Matthew McConaughey, "True Detective, " HBO.

Actress, Drama Series: Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife," CBS; Claire Danes, "Homeland," Showtime; Robin Wright, "House of Cards," Netflix; Lizzy Caplan, "Masters of Sex," Showtime; Kerry Washington, "Scandal," ABC.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad," AMC; Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones," HBO; Josh Charles, "The Good Wife," CBS; Mandy Patinkin, "Homeland," Showtime; Jon Voight, "Ray Donovan," Showtime.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad," AMC; Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey," PBS; Lena Headey, "Game of Thrones," HBO; Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife," CBS; Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men," AMC.

Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory," CBS; Ricky Gervais, "Derek," Netflix; Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes," Showtime; Don Cheadle, "House of Lies," Showtime; Louis C.K., "Louie," FX Networks; William H. Macy, "Shameless," Showtime.

Actress, Comedy Series: Lena Dunham, "Girls," HBO; Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly," CBS; Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie," Showtime; Taylor Schilling, "Orange Is the New Black," Netflix; Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation," NBC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep," HBO.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Andre Braugher, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," Fox; Adam Driver, "Girls," HBO; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family," ABC; Ty Burrell, "Modern Family," ABC; Fred Armisen, "Portlandia," IFC; Tony Hale, "Veep," HBO.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory," CBS; Julie Bowen, "Modern Family," ABC; Allison Janney, "Mom," CBS; Kate Mulgrew, "Orange Is the New Black," Netflix; Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live," NBC; Anna Chlumsky, "Veep," HBO.

Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "Dancing on the Edge," Starz; Martin Freeman, "Fargo," FX Networks; Billy Bob Thornton, "Fargo," FX Networks; Idris Elba, "Luther," BBC America; Mark Ruffalo, "The Normal Heart," HBO; Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: His Last Vow (Masterpiece)," PBS.

Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story: Coven," FX Networks; Sarah Paulson, "American Horror Story: Coven," FX Networks; Helena Bonham Carter, "Burton and Taylor," BBC America; Minnie Driver, "Return to Zero," Lifetime; Kristen Wiig, "The Spoils of Babylon," IFC; Cicely Tyson, "The Trip to Bountiful," Lifetime.

Structured Reality Program: "Antiques Roadshow," PBS; "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," Food Network; "MythBusters," Discovery Channel; "Shark Tank," ABC; "Undercover Boss," CBS; "Who Do You Think You Are?" TLC.

Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race," CBS; "Dancing With the Stars," ABC; "Project Runway," Lifetime; "So You Think You Can Dance," Fox; "Top Chef," Bravo; "The Voice," NBC.

Variety Series: "The Colbert Report," Comedy Central; "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central; "Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC; "Real Time With Bill Maher," HBO; "Saturday Night Live," NBC; "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," NBC.

Children's Program: "Degrassi," Nickelodeon; "Dog With a Blog," Disney Channel; "Good Luck Charlie," Disney Channel; "Nick News With Linda Ellerbee — Family Secrets: When Violence Hits Home," Nickelodeon; "One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp," HBO; "Wynton Marsalis-A YoungArts Masterclass, HBO.

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