The Emmys | featured news

Technology and competitive advantages have been game-changers for premium-tier outfits such as HBO and Showtime and basic-cable's FX and AMC. Showtime's terrorism thriller "Homeland" has nearly everything: big-name stars, glossy production values and a surprising triple Emmy sweep last week.

'Homeland's' acting awards confirm the dominance of niche-oriented offerings over big-broadcast shows. The one-hour drama has a glorious history on broadcast TV, from the old days of "Gunsmoke" to acclaimed fare such as "Hill Street Blues" to current hits like "NCIS."

Tonight, TV is celebrating, well, TV. And we'll definitely be tuning in. And we assume you will too, which is why, with hours to go until the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards (which starts at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT) we've compiled a list of everything you need to know before the festivities kick off.

"Mad Men," a piercingly bleak portrait of a 1960s American anti-hero, earned a leading 17 Emmy nominations Thursday and the chance to set a new record as the most-honored drama in television history. "Mad Men," which has won four best drama series trophies and is tied with "Hill Street Blues," ''L.A. Law" and "The West Wing," received a fifth bid in the category.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel just got a prime-time gig: Host of the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards. The star and executive producer of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will host the Emmy Awards ceremony on Sept. 23 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. "I hope to be able to do for the Emmys this year what Eddie Murphy did for the Oscars," Kimmel joked, referring to the comic actor who pulled out as host of this year's Academy Awards. This is Kimmel's first time hosting the Emmys.

Taylor Swift won three trophies at the 39th annual American Music Awards Sunday night, but the singer's ability to act surprised and excited may be worthy of an Emmy.

Against a rousing football game on NBC, Fox’s broadcast of the Primetime Emmy Awards attracted an average of only 12.5 million people — the trophy show’s smallest audience since its famously disastrous 2008 broadcast on ABC. Last year’s Emmy show bagged about 1 million more viewers than Sunday’s, according to early reports (final national stats won’t be in until Tuesday morning).

The Emmy Awards telecast on Sunday night ended the same way it did last year, with “Modern Family” and “Mad Men” being named the best comedy and drama, respectively, on television.

Emmy ruler "Mad Men" is facing a threat from the mobsters and crooked politicos of "Boardwalk Empire."

"Mad Men," the sharply observed drama of a changing 1960s America, captured 19 Emmy nominations Thursday morning to lead the series pack, with the melodramatic miniseries "Mildred Pierce" starring Kate Winslet grabbing a top 21 bids.