'House of Cards,' 'Veep,' 'Treme,' Josh Charles earn major Emmy nominations

There was a strong Baltimore flavor to the nominations for the 2014 Emmys announced today.

Baltimore-made "House of Cards," the first non-TV series to win a major Emmy last year, scored in three of the highest categories with nominations for best drama, best actor in a drama (Kevin Spacey) and best actress (Robin Wright).

Creator and showrunner Beau Willlimon was nominated for best writing in a drama series, while Carl Franklin is a nominee for his direction.

Kate Mara and Reg E. Cathey also earned nominations as best guest actor and actress.

"The entire cast, crew and production team is thrilled by our nominations," Willimon said in a statement.

"We all found out while lighting our first set-up of the day here in Maryland, and the news made the set even brighter," he added.  "It's an honor to receive so much recognition from our peers in the TV Academy. I'm particularly happy for Kevin and Robin - the two stars which which bring such radiance to our show. And equally excited by all of the nominations for Netflix. They've changed the TV landscape and we're proud to be on their team."

Overall,  "House of Cards" received 13 nominations.

And HBO's "Veep," which is also produced here, again picked up nominations as best comedy and best lead actress in a comedy (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Louis-Dreyfus won the Emmy last year.

Supporting actor and actress nominations went to Tony Hale and Anna Chlumsky, both of whom won Emmys last year.

"Veep" earned a total of nine nominations.

Baltimore native Josh Charles, who left "The Good Wife" last season, was nominated as best supporting actor for his work on the CBS series.

Meanwhile, "Treme," the New Orleans series created and produced by Baltimore's David Simon, was nominated at best miniseries for its final season on HBO.

"That's nice," Simon said in an email response to the Sun seeking comment on the nomination.

Win or lose, nominated or not nominated, Simon has, in my opinion, long cast a cold eye on some awards.

The lack of major Emmy recognition for "The Wire" during its run had been a source of much debate.

"House of Cards" was nominated in all three top categories last year as well and was expected to change the media landscape dramatically on Emmy night. It still made history winning the award for best direction for David Fincher. But Spacey, Wright and the series itself came up empty.

The actors and the series are again up against stiff competition.

Spacey will face off against: Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad" (AMC); Jeff Daniels, "The Newsroom" (HBO); Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" (AMC); Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, "True Detective" (HBO).

Wright will be up against: Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey" (PBS); Claire Danes, "Homeland" (Showtime); Kerry Washington, "Scandal" (ABC); Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife" (CBS); and Lizzy Caplan, "Masters of Sex" (Showtime).

The other top drama nominees are: "Breaking Bad" (AMC), "Downton Abbey" (PBS), "Game of Thrones" (HBO), "Mad Men" (AMC) and "True Detective" (HBO).

It is going to be fascinating to see how HBO's decision to enter "True Detectives" in drama rather than miniseries plays out Emmy night.

In comedy, "Veep" is up against Netflix game-changer in "Orange is the New Black."

The others are: "The Big Bang Theory" (CBS), "Louie" (FX), "Modern Family" (ABC) and "Silicon Valley" (HBO).

Overall, Netflix earned 31 nominations including 12 for "Orange is the New Black."

"We are overwhelmed with thirty-one nominations in our sophomore year, which acknowledges the fullest spectrum of our programming -- from the women of 'Litchfield' in 'Orange is the New Black' and the backroom machinations of Washington in 'House of Cards' to the bittersweet, comedic compassion of 'Derek' and the fearless, verite portrait of contemporary, evolving Egypt in 'The Square,'" Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer said in a statement. "Television has never been better, and we are honored to be in such groundbreaking company."

HBO led all channels with 99 nominations. "Game of Thrones" was the most nominated production with 19, while "The Normal Heart" earned 16, and "True Detective" 12.

The Emmy telecast will air at 8 p.m. Aug. 25 on NBC. Seth Meyers will host.