Ed O’Neill gets Emmy nod Nomination is Youngstown native’s third in three years for ‘Modern Family’
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
LOS ANGELES
Ed O’Neill of the ABC sitcom “Modern Family” was nominated Thursday for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
It marked the third- consecutive year the Youngstown native has been nominated for the category, which he has yet to win.
Four of his cast mates — Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara and Julie Bowen — also received Outstanding Actor/Actress nominations.
In all, “Modern Family,” one of the most popular shows on television, earned 12 nominations this year.
Will the third time be the charm for O’Neill?
Possibly, but the actor isn’t going to lose any sleep over it. “I have no idea how these awards shows work,” he told The Vindicator.
On “Modern Family,” O’Neill plays Jay Pritchett, the dry-humored patriarch of a Southern California family.
In his typical sly but self-effacing style, which is not unlike his “Modern Family” character, O’Neill summed up his feelings about the Emmy nod.
“For me, the nice thing about being nominated is that you don’t have to talk about why you weren’t,” he said.
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Emmy ceremony will air Sept. 22 on CBS.
Thursday’s Emmy nominations marked the first time that television’s leading awards recognized a program delivered online.
Netflix’s “House of Cards” made Emmy history with a top-drama-series nomination, putting it on a level with the best shows on television.
The nomination, one of nine nods earned by the political thriller, is a marker in the unfolding revolution in how we receive and watch video entertainment.
“It’s really groundbreaking,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. “It’s beyond our most bold expectations. We were thinking a single nomination would be a win. ... It’s as much a win for Internet television as it is for the content creators.”
The most Emmy nominations, 17, went to “American Horror Story: Asylum.” Close behind was “Game of Thrones” with 16 nods, while “Saturday Night Live” and the Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra” earned 15 nominations each, including nods for stars Michael Douglas and Matt Damon.
The bonanza of nominations for “Game of Thrones” is the swords-and-fantasy show’s most ever and includes a best-drama- series nod and three acting bids, including a supporting nod for Peter Dinklage.
“House of Cards” stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright received acting bids, along with a number of other primarily big-screen actors who have migrated to TV for powerhouse projects, with Douglas and Damon among them.
Joining “House of Cards” and “Game of Thrones” in the best-drama-series category are “Breaking Bad,” “Downtown Abbey,” “Mad Men” and last year’s winner, “Homeland.”
“Mad Men,” which last year missed out on the best- drama trophy that would have been its record-setting fifth, eclipsing fellow four-time winners “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law” and “The West Wing,” gets another shot this year.
The major broadcast networks were shut out of the prestigious category, a repeat of last year and a particular blow with the entry of Netflix’s streamed drama. “Boardwalk Empire” was the only show not to return in the category, its spot claimed by “House of Cards.”
In the comedy-series category, nominees are “The Big Bang Theory,” “Girls,” “Louie,” “Modern Family,” “Veep” and “30 Rock,” recognized for its final season. Another outgoing comedy, “The Office,” didn’t receive a best-series nod.
Another Netflix series, “Arrested Development,” didn’t earn a best comedy series but scored three nominations, including one for star Jason Bateman. Some pundits thought it might earn online’s first best-comedy-series nod, given that it won a trophy in the category for Fox before the network canceled it.
A 6-year-old TV academy rules change allows online entries to compete with cable and broadcast programs, though so far, Internet shows have popped up only in lower-profile categories. That changed with the 65th Primetime Emmys.
“It certainly is a marker of the new era. ... It will send shock waves through the industry,” Tim Brooks, a TV historian and former network executive, predicted on the eve of the nominations.
They were announced by Aaron Paul, a previous winner for “Breaking Bad” and nominated again this year, and, in a surprise, Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris. He filled in for “House of Cards” actress Kate Mara, kept in Santa Fe, N.M., by a plane’s mechanical malfunction.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.