‘House of Cards’ makes TV history with Emmy nod

Agence France-Presse

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'House of Cards' becomes the first online-only series to get a nomination for a major Emmy award

A FIRST. Netflix’s “House of Cards” becomes the first online-only series to get a nomination for a major Emmy award. Photo from House of Cards Facebook page

LOS ANGELES, USA – The Netflix political drama “House of Cards” made television history Thursday, July 18, when it became the first online-only series ever to be nominated for a major Emmy award.

The FX miniseries “American Horror Story: Asylum” meanwhile collected 17 nods, the most of any TV show, ahead of the 65th annual primetime Emmy awards ceremony in Los Angeles on September 22.

But “House of Cards,” starring Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as a shrewd US congressman, broke fresh Emmy ground, scoring 9 nominations including best drama and, for Spacey, best actor in a drama.

Inspired by a BBC series from the early 1990s, “House of Cards” was made exclusively for Netflix, the online movie streaming website, which put all 13 episodes online in February in one fell swoop.

Other nominees for best drama included “Breaking Bad,” “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones,” “Homeland” and “Mad Men” – marking the first time no series from a mainstream US television network has been nominated in the category.

Up for best comedy were “Modern Family,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Girls,” “Louie,” “Veep,” and “30 Rock,” which after seven seasons aired its final episode on NBC in January.

Nominations in the major categories – out of a grand total of 101 – were announced in Los Angeles in a snappy 17-minute pre-dawn webcast by “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul and Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris.

Harris was a last-minute stand-in for “House of Cards” co-star Kate Mara after her flight from New Mexico, where she has been on a location shoot, was cancelled, Emmy organizers said.

This year’s Emmys come at a time of radical change in the TV industry, with more and more viewers “cutting the cable” and watching their favorite shows via the Internet on cellphones, tablets and so-called “smart TVs.”

Original programming made exclusively for YouTube and other video streaming websites – sometimes with high production values, but at much lower cost – is also reshaping the business and finding an ever-growing audience.

Nominated for best TV movie or miniseries were “American Horror Story: Asylum,” the HBO musical biopics “Behind the Candelabra” and “Phil Spector,” “Political Animals,” “Top of the Lake” and the History Channel’s “The Bible.”

Up for best reality series were “Project Runway,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “The Amazing Race,” “Top Chef” and “The Voice” – the only musical talent show to get a nod in a genre once dominated by “American Idol.”

Only 3 African Americans got nods in major categories: Kerry Washington for best drama actress in “Scandal,” Don Cheadle for best comedy actor in “House of Lies” and Alfre Woodard for best supporting actress in a miniseries or TV movie in “Steel Magnolias.”

And the irrepressible Betty White, 91, a 6-time Emmy winner, was nominated as best reality-show host – just a week after NBC pulled the plug on “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers,” a candid-camera gag show, due to lackluster ratings. – Rappler.com

 

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