On the wings of HBO

Could it be the year of both the don and “The Donald”? Television’s great divide was played out in the 56th Emmy Awards nominations announced Thursday as recognition went to both traditional scripted series and brash reality shows.

It was a day of other faceoffs as well: network versus cable, perennials versus newcomers. HBO -- fueled by pack-leading tallies for its miniseries “Angels in America” and its long-running Mafia melodrama “The Sopranos” -- made it that much harder for new shows to make much noise. That could prove a disappointment for the TV academy, which was hoping for new blood that might infuse some energy into the annual awards show, which took a painful drop in viewers last year.

Still, there were new shows like Fox’s “Arrested Development,” which knocked “Friends” out of series competition in its 10th and final year, and CBS’ “Joan of Arcadia,” making inroads in prominent categories; FX’s “Nip/Tuck,” CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” and HBO’s “Deadwood” and “Carnivale” showed up too.

“The nomination is hopefully great for us because we need about three or more viewers,” joked “Arrested Development’s” Jason Bateman, whose series is a critical favorite but has struggled to attract an audience, averaging only 6.2 million viewers, leaving it tied for 130th place. “It’s very close. We only need about a handful.”

In Lake Tahoe, Donald Trump took a break from a golf game to celebrate his Emmy nod for “The Apprentice.” “It’s a great honor ... all my life I’ve watched the Emmys,” he said. “ ‘The Apprentice’ has been so much fun, it turned out beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.”

Still, Emmy voters couldn’t stop themselves from fawning over the familiar.

“The Sopranos” grabbed 20 nominations, the most of any series; NBC’s “The West Wing,” despite a declining audience, is up for its fifth consecutive dramatic series award. HBO’s “Sex and the City” and NBC’s “Frasier” and “Friends,” all of which have completed their runs, took multiple nominations.

While the new and veteran series may provide the most intriguing contests, the story of the morning was the dominating performance by HBO’s miniseries “Angels in America.” Mike Nichols’ star-studded adaptation of Tony Kushner’s examination of the AIDS crisis racked up 21 nominations, the most of any program.

“Angels” actors Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson were nominated for lead actress in a miniseries; Al Pacino for lead actor; Patrick Wilson, Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman and Jeffrey Wright received nominations for supporting actor. Nichols was nominated for directing and Kushner for adapting his Tony-winning play.

As sizable as the 21 nominations might seem, they fall short of “Roots,” the record holder with 37 nominations (and nine wins) in 1977.

“Angels” nevertheless lifted HBO to a crushing 124 nominations, the most ever for the network. NBC was second with 65 nominations. In 2003, HBO had 109 nominations, NBC had 77.

CBS and Fox were also down from their nominations tallies last year (59 to 44 and 37 to 31, respectively), but PBS and A&E; both enjoyed notable increases. The public broadcaster had 27 nominations, 11 more than last year, and took two of the five spots in the miniseries category. Cable’s A&E; had 24 nominations, double what it had last year, with multiple nominations for its “Horatio Hornblower” miniseries and “Ike: Countdown: to D-Day” movie.

It was also a day of vindication for those who worked on the controversial “Reagans” movie, which CBS dropped amid a media and political firestorm. The movie, which earned seven nominations including lead acting nods for Judy Davis as Nancy Reagan and James Brolin as the late president, ultimately aired on cable’s Showtime channel.

“The Reagans” was not the only show that cost CBS some ground. The network developed but chose not to air the miniseries “American Family,” which ended up on PBS and earned three nominations.

Meanwhile, HBO chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht brushed aside any notion that HBO’s dominance makes it harder for newcomers to shine.

“These are subjective awards, and the recognition is great,” Albrecht said. “But you have to keep in perspective that it’s just one measure of success.” He noted that “Deadwood” didn’t get a drama series nomination and its star Ian McShane was overlooked, as was the critically acclaimed series “The Wire.” “That doesn’t mean those aren’t great shows or that he’s not a great actor.”

The struggle between recognizing newcomers and honoring past performers has always marked the Emmy contest. Voted on by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, an organization of television professionals, it traditionally finds shows and performers it likes, then sticks with them year after year.

So while “Arrested Development” sneaked into the comedy series category, it’s competing against such familiar shows as HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (up for the award for the third straight year), CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond” (which took the award last year in its fourth straight year in contention) and “Sex and the City” and NBC’s “Will & Grace” (both up for five straight years).

“Hopefully we’ll escape the much-praised, little-watched syndrome and become much-praised and much-watched,” said “Arrested Development’s” Jeffrey Tambor, nominated as supporting actor in a comedy series. He was addressing the journalists in Century City for the twice-yearly Television Critics Assn. meeting.

“Joan of Arcadia” earned a spot in the drama series category, filling the position occupied last year by HBO’s “Six Feet Under” (ineligible this year because it didn’t air during the qualifying period). “The West Wing” is up for its fifth straight win and will be joined by “The Sopranos” (four previous nominations) and CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and Fox’s “24” (three straight nominations).

Even in the newbie world of unscripted series, there are returning veterans. The incumbent, CBS’ “The Amazing Race,” will try to fend off Fox’s ratings juggernaut, “American Idol,” and CBS’ “Survivor,” previous nominees in a differently configured reality-competition category. NBC’s “The Apprentice” and “Last Comic Standing” complete the category.

One of the bigger surprises was the recognition for ABC’s canceled sitcom “Life With Bonnie” star and creator Bonnie Hunt in the lead actress in a comedy series category. Missing was Debra Messing of NBC’s “Will & Grace,” who won the trophy last year.

“Raymond’s” Patricia Heaton (two wins in six previous nominations), “Friends’ ” Jennifer Aniston (one win in four previous nominations), “Sex and the City’s” Sarah Jessica Parker (six previous nominations) and “Malcolm in the Middle’s” Jane Kaczmarek (five previous nominations) round out the category.

Anthony LaPaglia, nominated as lead actor in a drama series for CBS’ “Without a Trace,” was also nominated for the third time as guest actor in a comedy series for playing Daphne’s drunken brother Simon Moon on “Frasier.” He won in 2002.

Actor James Spader, in his first significant TV series work, is up for lead actor honors for ABC’s “The Practice.” Also nominated in that category are James Gandolfini, a five-time nominee and three-time winner, for “The Sopranos”; Martin Sheen, a five-time nominee, for “The West Wing”; and Kiefer Sutherland, a three-time nominee, for Fox’s “24.”

Mariska Hargitay received her first nomination for her role on NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” while young Amber Tamblyn was recognized for her title role in “Joan of Arcadia.” Thosespots were filled last year by “CSI’s” Marg Helgenberger and “Six Feet Under’s” Frances Conroy.

Three-time winners and now five-time nominees Edie Falco of “The Sopranos” and Allison Janney of “The West Wing” and three-time nominee Jennifer Garner of ABC’s “Alias” also were recognized.

Tamblyn doesn’t have illusions about her chances. “I am new out of the gate,” she said. “Edie Falco and Jennifer Garner are amazing. They’ve been around for a while. I am young. I am going in with zero expectations.”

John Ritter, who died last year after taping just three episodes of ABC’s “8 Simple Rules,” is the poignant choice in the lead actor in a comedy series category. He joins two past winners in that category: Kelsey Grammer from “Frasier,” up for his 11th nomination in this category, and Tony Shalhoub from USA’s “Monk,” who won last year. Larry David, a double winner for “Seinfeld,” is up for his second straight nomination in this category for “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” while “Friends’ ” Matt LeBlanc has one last chance to take the award that eluded him.

Some other notable nominations ... and omissions:

* In addition to Parker’s lead actress nomination, all three of her “Sex and the City” costars earned nominations in the supporting actress category. Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall have been nominated before, but this was a first for Kristin Davis.

* William H. Macy, a winner last year for his lead role in the TV movie “Door to Door,” earned another nomination for his supporting role in Showtime’s movie “Stealing Sinatra.” He’s facing the “Angels in America” quartet.

* Veteran comic actors Bob Newhart (three previous Emmy nominations) and Betty White (four previous wins in 14 nominations) are up for Emmys again. But for both, these are their first for dramatic roles: Newhart on NBC’s “ER,” White on “The Practice.”

* NBC’s “Law & Order,” an Emmy regular that last year had its record-tying streak of 11 consecutive nominations in the drama series category snapped, was shut out.

A total of 433 nominations in 87 categories were announced (with possible awards to come in three “juried” categories). The awards in 28 high-profile categories will be presented on Sept. 19 in ceremonies televised by ABC, with comedian Garry Shandling hosting and Don Mischer executive producing. The other 59 awards will be handed out Sept. 12.

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Susan King, Lynn Smith and Maria Elena Fernandez contributed to this report.