The 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations were announced in the wee hours (of PDT, anyway) this morning, and there were actually some surprises reflecting the ascendancy of new "prestige" television, where cable reigns fully supreme. That is a rare occurrence for an awards ceremony that tends to recognize the same people over and over and over again.

There is certainly plenty of that on the nominations list this year. Kathy Bates gets a sad nod for her canceled Harry's Law, again. Jon Cryer goofs onto the list for his tepid work on Two and a Half Men. Every adult actor on Modern Family is nominated. That kind of thing. But also! I don't know if academy members have started reading the A.V. Club or listening to their grandkids or what, but we also have on the list this year: Girls and its star Lena Dunham, British invasion shows like Downton Abbey and Luther, and lots of actors (Anna Gunn! Yes!) from nerd-cool Breaking Bad. Networks are hardly represented in the drama category, and inroads have even been made in the venerable network bastion of comedy. (Once 30 Rock and Parks & Rec are off that list after next year, who knows what will happen.) The landscape has truly and fully changed if even the stuffy old Emmys are recognizing super good, super niche shows. Just imagine if The Wire was still on. Can they give awards retroactively?

Disappointed shows would have to be Smash, which only got one nod, in the Best Guest Actress category for Uma Thurman, and Justified, which rode a raft of critical and blog world praise all the way to... one measly nomination in the Guest Actor category. It was a crowded year for good drama, so some show had to fall through the cracks, and I guess Justified drew the short straw.

But really the biggest news here is that Blossom herself, Mayim Bialik, has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the year 2012. Not for Blossom, of course. But still. That's pretty remarkable.

Below you'll find the (mostly) full list of nominees.

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 64th Primetime Emmy Award Nominations

Outstanding Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Girls

Modern Family

30 Rock

Veep

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Girls, Lena Dunham

Mike & Molly, Melissa McCarthy

New Girl, Zooey Deschanel

Nurse Jackie, Edie Falco 

Parks And Recreation, Amy Poehler

30 Rock, Tina Fey

Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David

House Of Lies, Don Cheadle

Louie, Louis C.K.

30 Rock, Alec Baldwin

Two And A Half Men, Jon Cryer

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory, Mayim Bialik

Desperate Housewives, Kathryn Joosten

Modern Family, Julie Bowen

Modern Family, Sofia Vergara

Nurse Jackie, Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow

Saturday Night Live, Kristen Wiig

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Modern Family, Ed O'Neill

Modern Family, Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Modern Family, Ty Burrell

Modern Family, Eric Stonestreet

New Girl, Max Greenfield

Saturday Night Live, Bill Hader

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series

Glee, Dot-Marie Jones as Coach Shannon Beiste

Saturday Night Live, Maya Rudolph, Host

Saturday Night Live, Melissa McCarthy, Host

30 Rock, Elizabeth Banks as Avery Jessup

30 Rock, Margaret Cho as Kim Jong-il

Two And A Half Men, Kathy Bates as Charlie Harper

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Michael J. Fox as Himself

Modern Family, Greg Kinnear as Tad

Nurse Jackie, Bobby Cannavale as Dr. Mike Cruz

Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Fallon, Host

30 Rock, Will Arnett as Devon Banks

30 Rock, Jon Hamm as Abner and David Brinkley

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Community • Remedial Chaos Theory • Chris McKenna, Written by

Girls • Pilot • Lena Dunham, Written by

Louie • Pregnant • Louis C.K., Written by

Parks And Recreation • The Debate • Amy Poehler, Written by

Parks And Recreation • Win, Lose, Or Draw • Michael Schur, Written by

Outstanding Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad 

Downton Abbey

Game Of Thrones

Homeland

Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Damages • Glenn Close 

Downton Abbey • Michelle Dockery

The Good Wife • Julianna Margulies

Harry's Law • Kathy Bates 

Homeland • Claire Danes

Mad Men • Elisabeth Moss

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire • Steve Buscemi

Breaking Bad • Bryan Cranston

Dexter • Michael C. Hall 

Downton Abbey • Hugh Bonneville

Homeland • Damian Lewis

Mad Men • Jon Hamm

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Breaking Bad • Anna Gunn

Downton Abbey • Maggie Smith

Downton Abbey • Joanne Froggatt

The Good Wife • Archie Panjabi

The Good Wife • Christine Baranski

Mad Men • Christina Hendricks

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Breaking Bad • Aaron Paul

Breaking Bad • Giancarlo Esposito

Downton Abbey • Brendan Coyle

Downton Abbey • Jim Carter

Game Of Thrones • Peter Dinklage

Mad Men • Jared Harris

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series

The Good Wife • Martha Plimpton as Patti Nyholm

Grey's Anatomy • Loretta Devine as Adele Webber

Harry's Law • Jean Smart as D.A. Roseanna Remmick

Mad Men • Julia Ormond as Marie Calvet

Shameless • Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson

Smash • Uma Thurman as Rebecca Duvall

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series

Breaking Bad • Mark Margolis as Tio Salamanca

The Good Wife • Dylan Baker as Colin Sweeney

The Good Wife • Michael J. Fox as Louis Canning

Justified • Jeremy Davies as Dickie Bennett

Mad Men • Ben Feldman as Michael Ginsberg

Parenthood • Jason Ritter as Mark Cyr

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Downton Abbey • Episode 7 • Julian Fellowes, Written by

Homeland • Pilot • Alex Gansa, Written by; Howard Gordon, Written by; Gideon Raff, Written by

Mad Men • The Other Woman • Semi Chellas, Written by; Matthew Weiner, Written by

Mad Men • Commissions And Fees • Andre Jacquemetton, Written by; Maria Jacquemetton, Written by

Mad Men • Far Away Places • Erin Levy, Written by; Matthew Weiner, Written by

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie

American Horror Story

Game Change

Hatfields & McCoys

Hemingway & Gellhorn 

Luther

Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie

American Horror Story • Connie Britton

Game Change • Julianne Moore

Hemingway & Gellhorn • Nicole Kidman

Missing • Ashley Judd

The Song Of Lunch (Masterpiece) • Emma Thompson

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie

Game Change • Woody Harrelson

Hatfields & McCoys • Kevin Costner

Hatfields & McCoys • Bill Paxton

Hemingway & Gellhorn • Clive Owen

Luther • Idris Elba

Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece) • Benedict Cumberbatch

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or A Movie

American Horror Story • Frances Conroy

American Horror Story • Jessica Lange

Game Change • Sarah Paulson

Hatfields & McCoys • Mare Winningham

Page Eight (Masterpiece) • Judy Davis

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie

American Horror Story • Denis O'Hare

Game Change • Ed Harris

Hatfields & McCoys • Tom Berenger

Hemingway & Gellhorn • David Strathairn

Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece) • Martin Freeman

 

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Richard Lawson