2006 Emmy Award Nominees

Television's biggest night of the year is coming. NBC will air the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards live on August 27th. The list of nominations has been released and it's every bit the shining selection of the very best that viewers have come to expect from the candidates for the most prestigious honor in television.

Leading the tally with an amazing 16 nominations is DreamWorks' epic miniseries "Into the West." FOX's heavy hitter counterterrorism thriller "24" garnered an equally impressive 12 nominations with ABC's runaway hit "Grey's Anatomy" trailing right behind it with 11 nominations. "Family Guy," "The Simpsons," and "South Park" are all up for Outstanding Animated Program under one hour. "Lost," "House," and "Grey's Anatomy" are all competing for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" are going head to head for Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy program.

As for the on-screen talent, there's no shortage of favorites, new or returning. Steve Carell of "The Office" and Tony Shalhoub of "Monk" are both up for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. For Lead Actor in a Drama Series, nominees include Kiefer Sutherland ("24"), Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), and Denis Leary ("Rescue Me"). Meloni's co-star from "Law & Order: SVU" Mariska Hargitay is one of the nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The actor who played this season's most notorious villain Gregory Itzen (President Charles Logan on "24") and TV veteran Alan Alda ("The West Wing") are both nominated for Supporting Actor in a Drama. Itzen's on-screen wife Jean Smart who played the fragile and righteous First Lady ("24") earned a nomination for Supporting Actress.

For the biggest categories, only the biggest shows snagged nods. Outstanding Comedy Series nominations are "Arrested Development," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Office," "Scrubs," and "Two And A Half Men." Outstanding Drama Series nominations are "Grey's Anatomy," "House," "The Sopranos," "24," and "The West Wing." There is obviously a great number of worthy shows out there, and this year's Emmys has zeroed in on plenty of deserving entertainment.

A complete list of nominations is available at the official Primetime Emmy Awards website. Full List of Emmy Awards Noms