‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ’24’ top nominees

Los Angeles ? The thrills of “24” and the sex appeal of “Grey’s Anatomy” eclipsed last year’s Emmy darlings “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives” in the award nominations Thursday, while shows that have fallen off the TV schedule scored a number of high-profile bids.

The drama “24,” with its tense formula of tracking a federal agent’s anti-terrorism exploits hour by hour, episode by episode, capped what some deemed its best season yet with a leading 12 nominations.

“Grey’s Anatomy” cemented its status as the hot water-cooler serial with 11 nominations, proving once again that young, attractive doctors in love are appealing.

“I’m so happy for our show,” series co-star and nominee Chandra Wilson said from Italy, where she’s on a promotional visit. “My family is here, so I got hugs right away, and the cast is here, so we’re hugging on each other. Maybe we can go have a really expensive dinner.”

The TNT miniseries “Into the West” was the top nominee, with 16 bids. The HBO miniseries “Elizabeth I,” with Helen Mirren, was next with 13 nominations.

There were surprising snubs for “The Sopranos” stars Edie Falco and James Gandolfini, who repeatedly had been nominated and won Emmys. The show earned seven bids, including best drama series and a supporting actor nod for Michael Imperioli.

Castaway drama “Lost” and suburban satire “Desperate Housewives” – which critics accused of a sophomore slump – looked like one-hit Emmy wonders, shut out of categories they dominated last year.

They both failed to get best-series nominations, an award that “Lost” won in 2005. The sole acting nomination for “Lost” was a guest-actor bid for Henry Ian Cusick, who plays ill-fated hatch-tender Desmond.

Alfre Woodard, a “Desperate Housewives” newcomer, was the only nominated cast member (Shirley Knight received a guest-actress bid). Last year, tongues wagged when series star Eva Longoria was overlooked while Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman were nominated, with Huffman winning; Longoria had company this time around.

Emmy glory was heaped on a number of shows that have ended production, either wrapping up long runs or canceled because they couldn’t find an audience from the start.

“It’s totally bittersweet. Bittersweet is the order of the day. But we’ll take the sweet,” said Olive Platt, who received a best supporting actor bid for “Huff,” the Showtime drama canceled after its second season.

“Will & Grace,” which ended an eight-year run, saw its ratings dwindle but retained the affection of TV academy voters and nabbed bids for cast members Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes.

On the drama side, Frances Conroy and Peter Krause of “Six Feet Under,” Geena Davis of “Commander in Chief” and Martin Sheen, Allison Janney and Alan Alda of “The West Wing” all were recognized for their vanished shows.

The Emmy Awards will air Aug. 27 on NBC, with Conan O’Brien as host.

And then Emmy nominees are…

Drama series: “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; “House,” Fox; “The Sopranos,” HBO; “24,” Fox; “The West Wing,” NBC.

Comedy series: “Arrested Development,” Fox; “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO; “The Office,” NBC; “Scrubs,” NBC; “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.

Miniseries: “Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre),” PBS; “Elizabeth I,” HBO; “Into the West,” TNT; “Sleeper Cell,” Showtime.

Variety, music or comedy series: “The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central; “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central; “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC; “Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS; “Real Time With Bill Maher,” HBO.

Actor, drama series: Christopher Meloni, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC; Denis Leary, “Rescue Me,” FX Network; Peter Krause, “Six Feet Under,” HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, “24,” Fox; Martin Sheen, “The West Wing,” NBC.

Actress, drama series: Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer,” TNT; Geena Davis, “Commander in Chief,” ABC; Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” NBC; Frances Conroy, “Six Feet Under,” HBO; Allison Janney, “The West Wing,” NBC.

Supporting actor, drama series: William Shatner, “Boston Legal,” ABC; Oliver Platt, “Huff,” Showtime; Michael Imperioli, “The Sopranos,” HBO; Gregory Itzin, “24,” Fox; Alan Alda, “The West Wing,” NBC.

Supporting actress, drama series: Candice Bergen, “Boston Legal,” ABC; Sandra Oh, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Chandra Wilson, “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC; Blythe Danner, “Huff,” Showtime; Jean Smart, “24,” Fox.

Actor, comedy series: Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO; Kevin James, “The King of Queens,” CBS; Tony Shalhoub, “Monk,” USA; Steve Carell, “The Office,” NBC; Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS.

Actress, comedy series: Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback,” HBO; Jane Kaczmarek, “Malcolm in the Middle,” Fox; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” CBS; Stockard Channing, “Out of Practice,” CBS; Debra Messing, “Will & Grace,” NBC.

Supporting actor, comedy series: Will Arnett, “Arrested Development,” Fox; Jeremy Piven, “Entourage,” HBO; Bryan Cranston, “Malcolm in the Middle,” Fox; Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS; Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace,” NBC.

Supporting actress, comedy series: Cheryl Hines, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO; Alfre Woodard, “Desperate Housewives,” ABC; Jaime Pressly, “My Name Is Earl,” ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds,” Showtime; Megan Mullally, “Will & Grace,” NBC.