1-2 Punch: Two Cablers Top Globes Nominations for First Time

Cable has made history yet again when it comes to award nominations, with 2008 marking the first time 2 cable nets led all other TV nets in Golden Globe nominations. As usual, awards darling HBO led the pack with 22 nominations, but instead of a broadcaster taking 2nd place, Showtime nabbed the silver with 8 nods. Cable also dominated the big series categories, such as Best Drama TV Series, with Showtime’s "Dexter," HBO’s "In Treatment," and "True Blood" and AMC‘s "Mad Men" in the running. The only broadcast series nominated is Fox‘s "House." Showtime’s "Weeds" and "Californication" and HBO’s "Entourage" joined NBC‘s "30 Rock" and "The Office’ in the Best Comedy Series category. Showtime’s 8 nominations were a record for the premium net, with "Dexter" one of only 3 first-time series nominees (The other 2 were HBO’s freshman series, "Treatment" and "Blood"). Showtime chmn/CEO Matt Blank said part of the reason it may have taken a little longer for Dexter to get the recognition is that the channel is "mathematically disadvantaged" by being in only about 16mln homes. "If you’re a cable network and you have a show that’s in 80 or 90mln homes, or if you’re a broadcast network and you have a show that’s in 108-110mln homes, you have a natural advantage of people knowing your programming and appreciating it," he said. "We think that being with CBS last year… probably helped us." (Corporate sibling CBS ran "Dexter" eps earlier this year). AMC led the basic cable nets in nominations this year, with 3. In addition to "Mad Men’s" best series nod, actors Jon Hamm and January Jones were recognized. Was AMC’s 2nd Globe for "Mad Men" sweeter than last year’s rookie nod? "It feels good both times, but it’s a different feeling this time. The Globes [last year] were the first broad recognition that the show had struck a chord, and of course we were thrilled when Jon Hamm won last year," AMC president Charlie Collier said. [Editor’s Note: We, of course, consider Hamm’s appearance at the CableFAX 100 lunch last year, 1 day before the Globe nomination, to be the first broad recognition. Just humor us]. While Collier couldn’t comment in depth on creator Matt Weiner’s contract talks—"we’re very optimistic"—or specific ways the economy might affect Mad Men—the economy "will affect everyone," he said—he’s upbeat about AMC’s slate of movies and 3 originals next year. "We just had our best November, and that was without originals," he said ( Cfax , 12/9). Other cable nets receiving nominations: USA (2), Lifetime (1) and TNT (1). Acclaimed series not making the list include FX‘s "The Shield," HBO‘s "The Wire," (both of which ended this year) and AMC’s "Breaking Bad." — Showtime’s record-breaking honors comes at a nice time with the Paley Center for Media honoring the net in L.A. Thurs night. "To have that amount of nominations… I think is a real confirmation of our strategy and a real confirmation of all that we think these shows are doing for the brand right now," Blank said.