‘24,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ get Emmy bids

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.

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 12 nominations.

“Grey’s Anatomy” cemented its status as the water-cooler serial with 11 nominations, proving once again that young, attractive doctors in love are appealing – as well as hazardous to the health of last year’s popular series.

The TNT miniseries “Into the West” was the top nominee, with 16 bids.

There were surprising snubs for “The Sopranos” stars Edie Falco and James Gandolfini, who had been repeatedly 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. Alfre Woodard, a “Desperate Housewives” newcomer, was the only nominated cast member (Shirley Knight received a guest-actress bid).

Besides “24” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” other drama-series bids went to “The Sopranos,” “House” and “The West Wing.”

“Will & Grace,” which ended an eight-year run, saw its ratings dwindle but 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.