The perfect birthday present for Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor and his Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman received acting nods – Best Lead and Best Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie, respectively — pitting Cumberbatch against fellow BBC leading man Idris Elba.
Elba is no stranger to the Emmys, having received one nod each for Luther and another for starring as Laura Linney’s lover on The Big C last year. He goes head-to-head with Cumberbatch this year with his Lead Actor nomination, while Luther competes directly with Sherlock for Outstanding Made for TV Movie/Miniseries.
Ben Stephenson, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, commented: “It’s a testament to the quality and breadth of BBC drama that six different titles – Sherlock, Luther, Page Eight, Great Expectations, Song of Lunch and The Hour – have received twenty six prestigious Emmy nominations between them this year.”
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Sunday 23rd September at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
The full nominations are as follows:
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Girls
Modern Family
30 Rock
Veep
Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Mad Men
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
American Horror Story
Game Change
Hatfield & McCoys
Hemingway & Gellhorn
Luther
Sherlock
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Louis CK, Louie
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Max Greenfield, New Girl
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Merrit Wever, Nurse Jackie
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Brendan Coyle, Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
Jared Harris, Mad Men
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
Idris Elba, Luther
Woody Harrelson, Game Change
Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn
Bill Paxton, Hatfields & McCoys
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Connie Britton, American Horror Story
Ashley Judd, Missing
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn
Julianne Moore, Game Change
Emma Thompson, The Song of Lunch
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Tom Berenger, Hatfields & McCoys
Martin Freeman, Sherlock
Ed Harris, Game Change
Denis O’Hare, American Horror Story
David Strathairn, Hemingway & Gellhorn
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Frances Conroy, American Horror Story
Judy Davis, Page Eight
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Sarah Paulson, Game Change
Mare Winningham, Hatfields & McCoys
Which shows do you think should win? Let us know below…
> Order the BBC’s new official book, Sherlock: The Casebook, on Amazon.
> Buy the Sherlock: Series 1-2 boxset on Amazon.
Watch a clip from Sherlock‘s Series 2 finale…