A new voting system determined nominees in particular categories (mostly lead acting and outstanding series categories) by a "blue ribbon" panel of judges, which resulted in the exclusion of popular shows such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, and actors like Hugh Laurie from House. Lost's exclusion was mocked during the opening sequence (see below), when O'Brien, accompanied by Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, heads down a hatch to get to the Emmys. O'Brien asked Reyes if he wanted to come; Reyes says coyly, "Well, we weren't exactly invited", to which O'Brien replies "But you won last year!"
Ellen Burstyn was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special for her role in Mrs. Harris, even though she was onscreen for only 14 seconds.
The following is a partial list of nominees, with winners in bold.
| Outstanding Drama Series |
Outstanding Comedy Series |
- 24
- Grey's Anatomy
- House
- The Sopranos
- The West Wing
|
- The Office
- Arrested Development
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Scrubs
- Two and a Half Men
|
| Outstanding Miniseries |
Outstanding Made for Television Movie |
- Elizabeth I
- Bleak House
- Into the West
- Sleeper Cell
|
- The Girl in the Café
- Flight 93
- The Flight That Fought Back
- Mrs. Harris
- Yesterday
|
| Outstanding Reality-Competition Program |
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series |
- The Amazing Race
- American Idol
- Dancing with the Stars
- Project Runway
- Survivor
|
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
- The Colbert Report
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- Late Show with David Letterman
- Real Time with Bill Maher
|
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series |
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series |
- Kiefer Sutherland for playing Jack Bauer on 24 (Episode: "Day 5: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.")
- Peter Krause for playing Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under (Episode: "Time Flies")
- Denis Leary for playing Tommy Gavin on Rescue Me (Episode: "Justice")
- Christopher Meloni for playing Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Episode: "Ripped")
- Martin Sheen for playing Josiah Bartlet on The West Wing (Episode: "Tomorrow")
|
- Tony Shalhoub for playing Adrian Monk on Monk (Episode: "Mr. Monk Bumps His Head")
- Steve Carell for playing Michael Scott on The Office (Episode: "The Injury")
- Larry David for playing himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm (Episode: "The Ski Lift")
- Kevin James for playing Doug Heffernan on The King of Queens (Episode: "Pole Lox")
- Charlie Sheen for playing Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men (Episode: "The Unfortunate Little Schnauser")
|
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series |
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series |
- Mariska Hargitay for playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Episode: "911")
- Frances Conroy for playing Ruth Fisher on Six Feet Under (Episode: "Everyone's Waiting")
- Geena Davis for playing Mackenzie Allen on Commander in Chief (Episode: "Pilot")
- Allison Janney for playing C.J. Cregg on The West Wing (Episode: "Institutional Memory")
- Kyra Sedgwick for playing Brenda Leigh Johnson on The Closer (Episode: "Fantasy Date")
|
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus for playing Christine Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine (Episode: "Supertramp")
- Stockard Channing for playing Lydia Barnes on Out of Practice (Episode: "And I'll Cry If I Want To")
- Jane Kaczmarek for playing Lois on Malcolm in the Middle (Episode: "Lois Strikes Back")
- Lisa Kudrow for playing Valerie Cherish on The Comeback (Episode: "Valerie Does Another Classic Leno")
- Debra Messing for playing Grace Adler on Will & Grace (Episode: "The Finale")
|
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie |
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie |
- Andre Braugher for playing Nick Atwater in Thief
- Charles Dance for playing Mr. Tulkinghorn in Bleak House
- Ben Kingsley for playing Herman Tarnower in Mrs. Harris
- Donald Sutherland for playing Bill Meehan in Human Trafficking
- Jon Voight for playing Pope John Paul II in Pope John Paul II
|
- Helen Mirren for playing Elizabeth I in Elizabeth I
- Gillian Anderson for playing Lady Dedlock in Bleak House
- Kathy Bates for playing Jane Stern in Ambulance Girl
- Annette Bening for playing Jean Harris in Mrs. Harris
- Judy Davis for playing Sante Kimes in A Little Thing Called Murder
|
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series |
- Alan Alda for playing Arnold Vinick on The West Wing (Episode: "Two Weeks Out", "The Last Hurrah")
- Michael Imperioli for playing Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos (Episode: "Luxury Lounge", "The Ride")
- Gregory Itzin for playing Charles Logan on 24 (Episode: "Day 5: 3:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m.", "Day 5: 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.")
- Oliver Platt for playing Russell Tupper on Huff (Episode: "Red Meat", "So… What Brings You to Armageddon?")
- William Shatner for playing Denny Crane on Boston Legal (Episode: "Witches of Mass Destruction", "Live Big")
|
- Jeremy Piven for playing Ari Gold on Entourage (Episode: "The Bat Mitzvah", "Exodus")
- Will Arnett for playing George "G.O.B." Bluth, Jr. on Arrested Development (Episode: "Making a Stand", "S.O.B.s")
- Bryan Cranston for playing Hal Wilkerson on Malcolm in the Middle (Episode: "Hal Grieves", "College Recruiters")
- Jon Cryer for playing Dr. Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men (Episode: "Ergo, the Booty Call", "Weekend in Bangkok with Two Olympic Gymnasts")
- Sean Hayes for playing Jack McFarland on Will & Grace (Episode: "Alive and Schticking", "I Love L. Gay")
|
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series |
- Blythe Danner for playing Isabelle "Izzy" Huffstodt on Huff (Episode: "Maps Don't Talk (Part 2)", "So… What Brings You to Armageddon?")
- Candice Bergen for playing Shirley Schmidt on Boston Legal (Episode: "The Ass Fat Jungle", "Live Big")
- Sandra Oh for playing Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy (Episode: "Deny, Deny, Deny", "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer")
- Jean Smart for playing Martha Logan on 24 (Episode: "Day 5: 5:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m.", "Day 5: 6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.")
- Chandra Wilson for playing Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy (Episode: "Deny, Deny, Deny", "As We Know It")
|
- Megan Mullally for playing Karen Walker on Will & Grace (Episode: "The Finale")
- Cheryl Hines for playing Cheryl David on Curb Your Enthusiasm (Episode: "The Bowtie", "The Korean Bookie")
- Elizabeth Perkins for playing Celia Hodes on Weeds (Episode: "You Can't Miss the Bear", "The Punishment Light")
- Jaime Pressly for playing Joy Turner on My Name Is Earl (Episode: "Joy's Wedding", "The Bounty Hunter")
- Alfre Woodard for playing Betty Applewhite on Desperate Housewives (Episode: "You'll Never Get Away From Me", "I Know Things Now")
|
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie |
- Jeremy Irons for playing Earl of Leicester in Elizabeth I
- Robert Carlyle for playing Sergei Karpovich in Human Trafficking
- Clifton Collins, Jr. for playing Jack Hill in Thief
- Hugh Dancy for playing Earl of Essex in Elizabeth I
- Denis Lawson for playing John Jarndyce in Bleak House
|
- Kelly Macdonald for playing Gina in The Girl in the Café
- Ellen Burstyn for playing Former Tarnower Steady in Mrs. Harris
- Shirley Jones for playing Aunt Batty in Hidden Places
- Cloris Leachman for playing Pearl Schwartz in Mrs. Harris
- Alfre Woodard for playing Mrs. Brown in The Water is Wide
|
| Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |
- Christian Clemenson for Boston Legal
- Michael J. Fox for Boston Legal
- James Woods for ER
- Kyle Chandler for Grey's Anatomy
- Henry Ian Cusick for Lost
|
- Leslie Jordan for Will & Grace
- Patrick Stewart for Extras
- Ben Stiller for Extras
- Martin Sheen for Two and a Half Men
- Alec Baldwin for Will & Grace
|
| Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series |
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series |
- Patricia Clarkson for Six Feet Under
- Kate Burton for Grey's Anatomy
- Christina Ricci for Grey's Anatomy
- Swoosie Kurtz for Huff
- Joanna Cassidy for Six Feet Under
|
- Cloris Leachman for Malcolm in the Middle
- Shirley Knight for Desperate Housewives
- Kate Winslet for Extras
- Laurie Metcalf for Monk
- Blythe Danner for Will & Grace
|
| Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Special |
- Barry Manilow for Barry Manilow: Music and Passion
- Stephen Colbert for playing Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report
- Craig Ferguson for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
- David Letterman for Late Show with David Letterman
- Hugh Jackman for The 59th Annual Tony Awards
|
| Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series |
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series |
- Jon Cassar for 24 (Episode: "Day 5: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.")
- Rodrigo García for Big Love (Episode: "Pilot")
- Jack Bender for Lost (Episode: "Live Together, Die Alone")
- Alan Ball for Six Feet Under (Episode: "Everyone's Waiting")
- Tim Van Patten for The Sopranos (Episode: "Members Only")
- David Nutter for The Sopranos (Episode: "Join the Club")
- Mimi Leder for The West Wing (Episode: "Election Day Part I")
|
- Marc Buckland for My Name Is Earl (Episode: "Pilot")
- Michael Patrick King for The Comeback (Episode: "Valerie Does Another Classic Leno")
- Robert B. Weide for Curb Your Enthusiasm (Episode: "The Christ Nail")
- Dan Attias for Entourage (Episode: "Oh, Mandy")
- Julian Farino for Entourage (Episode: "The Sundance Kids")
- Craig Zisk for Weeds (Episode: "Good Shit Lollipop")
|
| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series |
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series |
- Terence Winter for The Sopranos (Episode: "Members Only")
- Shonda Rhimes for Grey's Anatomy (Episodes: "It's the End of the World & (As We Know It)")
- Krista Vernoff for Grey's Anatomy (Episode: "Into You Like a Train")
- Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof for Lost (Episode: "The 23rd Psalm")
- Alan Ball for Six Feet Under (Episode: "Everyone's Waiting")
|
- Greg Garcia for My Name Is Earl (Episode: "Pilot")
- Chuck Tatham, Jim Vallely, Richard Day and Mitchell Hurwitz for Arrested Development (Episode: "Development Arrested", aka Harboring Resentment)
- Doug Ellin for Entourage (Episode: "Exodus")
- Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant for Extras (Episode: "Kate Winslet")
- Michael Schur for The Office (Episode: "Christmas Party")
|
| Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special |
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special |
- Tom Hooper for Elizabeth I
- Justin Chadwick for Bleak House
- Peter Markle for Flight 93
- David Yates for The Girl in the Café
- Kenny Ortega for High School Musical
- Phyllis Nagy for Mrs. Harris
|
- Richard Curtis for The Girl in the Café
- Andrew Davies for Bleak House
- Nigel Williams for Elizabeth I
- Nevin Schreiner for Flight 93
- Phyllis Nagy for Mrs. Harris
|
| Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program |
Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program |
- Louis J. Horvitz for 78th Academy Awards
- Bruce Gowers for American Idol
- Jim Hoskinson for The Colbert Report
- Beth McCarthy-Miller for Saturday Night Live
- Chuck O'Neill for The Daily Show
|
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
- The Colbert Report
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien
- Late Show with David Letterman
- Real Time with Bill Maher
|