With Emmy Award nominations, Netflix is in the house

By Matthew Gilbert, Globe Staff

Today the Emmy Awards got a bit more complicated and crowded — just like TV in general. The 2013 nominations, announced from Los Angeles this morning by Neil Patrick Harris and Aaron Paul, contain a number of significant nods to Netflix, a new outlet for original programming that falls well outside both the network, basic cable, and pay cable models.

The Internet streaming service won three major 2013 drama nominations, with political thriller “House of Cards” as best drama and two of its actors, Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, as best actor and actress. Jason Bateman of Netflix’s fourth season of the resurrected “Arrested Development” was given a best actor nod in a comedy. Including writing, directing, and production categories, Netflix got 14 nominations in all, including two for its horror thriller “Hemlock Grove.”

With Netflix — and the idea of Internet distribution — now firmly ensconced in the Emmy mix, the definition of television is officially broader than ever. Now your show no longer needs to be “on the air” somehow in order to be celebrated by the powers that be.

Streaming is the new black.

The rest of this year’s nominees are decidedly familiar, though not disappointing. Worthy incumbents rule, with only a handful of new names joining the likes of Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Michelle Dockery, Jim Parsons, Elisabeth Moss, “30 Rock,” “Homeland,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Mad Men” in the major categories. “Game of Thrones” is the most-nominated drama, with 16 nods including best drama.

And HBO, which airs “Game of Thrones,” is the most-nominated network, with 108 nominations in all, including 15 for the excellent Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra,” five for “Veep,” five for “Girls,” and 10 for “Boardwalk Empire” (which was not renominated for best drama). While Netflix is ascendant, HBO doesn’t need to worry — yet.

Kerry Washington of “Scandal,” Connie Britton of “Nashville,” and Vera Farmiga of “Bates Motel” bring some new blood to the category of actress in a drama, which includes seven names this year. And that’s great news, although Farmiga, in my opinion, remains indistinct and hammy as Norman Bates’s mother.

Unfortunately the voters did not include the best of the potential new blood: Tatiana Maslany, who plays a number of clones on “Orphan Black.” The show, which airs on BBC America, may be too culty for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences members, whose sensibilities tend toward the mainstream. If there is a major misstep this year, overlooking Maslany — who recently won a Critics Choice award — is it.

Jeff Daniels of “The Newsroom” is a nominee for best fast-walker-and-talker — I mean, best actor in a drama. He joins Spacey, Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Damian Lewis, and Hugh Bonneville in the category.

“30 Rock” finished its seven-season run with a fantastic season, and 13 nods — the most of any comedy — to show for it. Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Jane Krakowski were also honored. The other best comedy nominees are all accompanied by acting nods, too: “Louie” and star Louis C.K., “The Big Bang Theory” and Jim Parsons, “Girls” and Lena Dunham, and “Veep” and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. As always, “Modern Family” is nominated for best comedy and its actors crowd the supporting categories, with five nominees. Oddly, last year’s supporting actor winner, Eric Stonestreet, is not nominated, while Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, and Ed O’Neill are.

Did someone say snubs? “The Americans,” FX’s electric drama about Russian spies in 1980s America, got no major nominations, and neither did FX’s “Justified.” “New Girl” actors Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield were ignored, along with Jennifer Carpenter for “Dexter.”

In the movie or miniseries categories, the gothic “American Horror Story: Asylum” won the most nominations: 17 in all, including best actress for Jessica Lange. Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in “Behind the Candelabra” are set to duke it out for best actor. Let’s just give it to Douglas right now, for his indelible turn as Liberace, a performance that puts his fellow nominee Al Pacino’s clownish interpretation of Phil Spector to shame.

The winners will be announced on Sept. 22, with Neil Patrick Harris hosting.

NOMINEES:

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”

Hugh Bonneville, “Downton Abbey”

Damian Lewis, “Homeland”

Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Jeff Daniel, “The Newsroom”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Vera Farmiga, “Bates Motel”

Michelle Dockery, “Downton Abbey”

Claire Danes, “Homeland”

Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Elizabeth Moss, “Mad Men”

Connie Britton, “Nashville”

Kerry Washington, “Scandal”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie

Michael Douglas, “Behind the Candelabra”

Matt Damon, “Behind the Candelabra”

Toby Jones, “The Girl”

Benedict Cumberbatch, “Parade’s End”

Al Pacino, “Phil Spector”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie

Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Asylum”

Laura Linney, “The Big C: Hereafter”

Helen Mirren, “Phil Spector”

Sigourney Weaver, “Political Animals”

Elisabeth Moss, “Top of the Lake”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Jason Bateman, “Arrested Development”

Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”

Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”

Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”

Louis C.K., “Louie”

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Laura Dern, “Enlightened”

Lena Dunham, “Girls”

Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”

Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”

Tina Fey, “30 Rock”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

“The Amazing Race”

“Dancing With the Stars”

“Project Runway”

“So You Think You Can Dance”

“Top Chef”

“The Voice”

Outstanding Variety Series

“The Colbert Report”

“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”

“Jimmy Kimmel Live”

“Late Night With Jimmy Fallon”

“Real Time With Bill Maher”

“Saturday Night Live”

Outstanding Miniseries or Movie

“American Horror Story: Asylum”

“Behind the Candelabra”

“The Bible”

“Phil Spector”

“Political Animals”

“Top of The Lake”

Outstanding Comedy Series

“The Big Bang Theory”

“Girls”

“Louie”

“Modern Family”

“30 Rock”

“Veep”

Outstanding Drama Series

“Breaking Bad”

“Downton Abbey”

“Game of Thrones”

“Homeland”

“House of Cards”

“Mad Men”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Bobby Cannavale, “Boardwalk Empire”

Jonathan Banks, “Breaking Bad”

Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”

Jim Carter, “Downton Abbey”

Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”

Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad”

Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”

Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones”

Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”

Morena Baccarin, “Homeland”

Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Adam Driver, “Girls”

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Modern Family”

Ed O’Neill , “Modern Family”

Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”

Bill Hader, “Saturday Night Live”

Tony Hale, “Veep”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory”

Jane Lynch, “Glee”

Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”

Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”

Merritt Wever, “Nurse Jackie”

Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”

Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.