series , though much praised and dissected by a hard-core group of fans , has received little recognition from the Emmys , with just one previous nomination -- also for writing -- in 2005 . Check out some of the top Emmy nods this year '' Indeed , HBO has struggled to find a drama to take the place of the much-lauded `` The Sopranos , '' which won best drama last year after a storied run . `` Mad Men , '' which has made AMC into a player , was allegedly turned down by the cable giant , and shows such as the quickly canceled `` John From Cincinnati '' and `` Rome '' have n't had the same impact . On the other hand , `` In Treatment '' received a nomination for Gabriel Byrne 's performance as a therapist , and the network 's comedies , particularly `` Entourage , '' have performed strongly . Moreover , the network 's short-form programming , such as the miniseries `` John Adams '' and the TV movie `` Recount , '' dominated their Emmy categories : `` John Adams '' led all nominees with 23 nominations , and
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Mad Men '' and `` Damages '' found themselves on top when the nominations for the 60th Annual Primetime Emmys came out Thursday morning -- but , again , there was no love for HBO 's `` The Wire . '' Emmy nominee Jon Hamm stars as ad exec Don Draper in `` Mad Men , '' which earned 16 nominations . AMC 's `` Mad Men '' and FX 's `` Damages '' made Emmy history Thursday as the first basic-cable series to be nominated for best drama . The pair , which had made the 10-series Emmy shortlist , have been widely hailed by critics and have received good ratings for basic-cable series -- though `` Damages '' star Glenn Close said she hopes the Emmys help boost the show 's audience . `` We need all the help we can get , '' she told The Associated Press . On the other hand , HBO 's `` The Wire '' -- which concluded its fifth and final season this year -- once again came up empty in the best drama nominations . It did receive one nod , for writing . The