Drama Series

Looking to add a bit of intrigue to the Thanksgiving menu? Santa Monica-based KCRW-FM (89.9) will be dishing up a new drama series: "Mean Streets USA: A Collection of Short Crime Fiction." The program consists of 10 short stories by writers such as Ross Macdonald, Elmore Leonard, Walter Mosley and Sue Grafton, read by John Michael Higgins, Tate Donovan, Sharon Lawrence, Meshach Taylor and other performers.

Warner Bros.' international television unit is teaming with two Chinese production companies to create a Chinese teen drama series inspired by "Gossip Girl," which airs in the United States on the CW Network. "Gossip Girl," about a group of wealthy back-stabbing Manhattanites, has been a cult hit for the cable channel for the last five years and launched the careers of actresses Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. Tentatively called "China Girl," the show will be in Mandarin and launch in November on satellite television, with "Gossip Girl" creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage consulting.

BELIEVE it or not, series actors don't win statuettes based upon who gave the best performance over the entire TV season. Victory can be determined by a single episode. That's because the Emmy -- unlike the Oscar, Grammy and Tony -- is a juried award, which means nominees must pick a sample of their best work to be evaluated by a panel of their peers. The episode is not the only criterion used by judges, who also weigh buzz, past wins and losses and the actors' larger bodies of work.

When it came to honoring television, the Golden Globes went small. Really small. Some of the biggest winners at Sunday's Golden Globes were critically acclaimed cable shows that draw relatively tiny audiences — in some cases, far fewer than 1 million viewers per week. These included HBO's comedy "Enlightened," Starz's political drama "Boss," BBC America's crime thriller "Luther," and Showtime's show-biz comedy "Episodes. " Showtime's counterterrorism thriller "Homeland" — which won as drama series and for Claire Danes' turn as a troubled CIA agent — has set ratings records for the premium cable network.

Yes, Susan Lucci lost for the 14th time. But Luke and Laura are back! Lucci, who has played the tempestuous Erica Kane on ABC's "All My Children" for 23 years, lost the Emmy Award for best daytime actress Wednesday night to Linda Dano, who stars as Felicia Gallant on NBC's "Another World."

"L.A. Law" capped a glorious first year on the air by being named best drama series of the season, while "The Golden Girls" was named outstanding comedy for the second year in a row during the 39th annual Emmy Awards ceremonies Sunday night. "L.A. Law," an NBC series about the intrigues inside a large legal firm, shared top honors for the 1986-'87 season with "Promise," a CBS movie that was honored as best drama special of the season. Each garnered five statuettes.

Rick Schroder replacing Jimmy Smits? Had Steven Bochco lost his mind? More than a few people were wondering just that last month, when it was announced that the brooding, charismatic Smits would be leaving Bochco's "NYPD Blue" next season. To fill his shoes, Bochco will be counting on former child star Schroder, who will forever remain, in many people's minds, that cute Ricky Stratton on NBC's "Silver Spoons" from 1982 to 1986.

New life: The FX cable channel has ordered a 15-episode second season of its drama series "Nip/Tuck."

The prime-time Emmy Awards this year will hand out an additional 10 nominations in major categories to "accommodate an abundance of outstanding programs and performances," the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said Wednesday. The categories that will get an extra nominee are: outstanding comedy and drama series; outstanding lead actor and actress in comedy and drama series; and outstanding supporting actor and actress in a comedy and drama series. Emmy nominations are slated for July 16, and the awards ceremony is set for Sept.

Here is the complete list of winners from Sunday's 50th annual nighttime Emmy Awards, as announced by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. They cover programs aired between June 1, 1997, and May 31, 1998. * Comedy series: "Frasier," NBC. * Drama series: "The Practice," ABC. * Movie: "Don King: Only in America," HBO. * Miniseries: "From the Earth to the Moon," HBO. * Variety, music or comedy series: "Late Show With David Letterman," CBS.

It was repeat victories for ABC's "Modern Family" and AMC's "Mad Men" on Sunday night as they captured the marquee prizes at the 63rd annual Emmy Awards. The sitcom about a deliciously dysfunctional family won its second consecutive trophy for outstanding comedy series and four other awards, including honors for onscreen husband and wife Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen. Meanwhile, AMC's stylish period drama about Madison Avenue advertising executives earned its fourth consecutive Emmy for outstanding drama series.

A bad moon rose on the Emmy hopes of vampires and zombies, the female breakout star of "Glee" struck a sour note, FX's top motorcycle mama ran out of gas, and "The Closer" couldn't close a nomination after last year's victory. Several of TV's most high-profile series and performers were snubbed in various marquee categories in the Emmy nominations announced Thursday morning, prompting responses ranging from graceful to incredulous. AMC's zombie drama, "The Walking Dead," and HBO's vampire fantasia, "True Blood," both among cable's most popular series, failed to score a nomination for outstanding drama series.

An Emmy nod may be in store for a dark drama about an antihero rising to the top of an all-American industry during a tumultuous historical epoch. And, no, we're not talking about ethically compromised adman Don Draper, bedding his way through the '60s on "Mad Men. " When the Emmy nominations are announced Thursday morning, many TV pundits expect that HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" will land among the six nominees for drama, most likely putting the...

"We were writing a story for Chris Meloni's character's mother, and she was going to be bipolar. Immediately we thought Ellen Burstyn. " So began Neal Baer's wooing of the Oscar-winning Burstyn to the set of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. " "We had lunch with her," he continues, "and it was kind of a date. It's a big deal to have them trust you. We told her about the part, and I said, 'You'll be on a beach and flip out,' and she said, 'Down and dirty?' and I said, 'As down and dirty as you like.'" "I'd never had anybody say they wanted to write a script for me," Burstyn recalls.

Netflix is now officially in the original content business. The streaming video and DVD subscription service confirmed earlier reports Friday that it had acquired rights to be the first home for "House of Cards," an hourlong political drama series starring Kevin Spacey. Netflix has ordered 26 episodes of the program, which will debut on its streaming service in late 2012. Steve Swasey, a spokesman for Netflix, said the company might offer multiple episodes at a time for its 20-million-plus subscribers to watch on demand, rather than premiering one per week as the traditional networks do. That would fit the common viewing patterns of many Netflix users, who watch several episodes of a TV series in one sitting.

There was a lot of new comedy but not much new drama at the 62nd annual prime-time Emmy Awards on Sunday night. "Modern Family," the ABC comedy series about a disarmingly dysfunctional family, won the top comedy series honor as well as writing and supporting actor awards. Fox's cult phenomenon "Glee" — nominated for 19 Emmys — took home two trophies: Jane Lynch for supporting actress in a comedy and series creator Ryan Murphy for comedy direction. The combination of "Modern Family" and "Glee" ended the dominance in the comedy category by " 30 Rock," NBC's critically acclaimed but low-rated spoof of the television business.

Here are the winners of the 52nd nighttime Emmy Awards, as announced Sunday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. They cover programs aired between June 1, 1999, and May 31, 2000. Programs Comedy series: "Will & Grace," NBC. Drama series: "The West Wing," NBC. Miniseries: "The Corner," HBO. Movie: "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays With Morrie," ABC. Variety, music or comedy series: "Late Show With David Letterman," CBS.

"Law & Order," "24" and "Lost" seldom had lighthearted moments. But Emmy host Jimmy Fallon gave them a comedic poke in the funnybone Sunday night to mark the end of their distinctive runs this year. Fallon channeled Elton John and "Candle in the Wind" for his tribute to "24," noting how Special Agent Jack Bauer never went to the bathroom during all the time he was trying to save the world. His version of Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" saluted "Law & Order," complete with him pouring from a 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor on the stage to mark the passing of the police/legal drama.

Neil Patrick Harris was a hit as the host of last year's Primetime Emmy Awards. This time, comedian Jimmy Fallon is hosting the 62nd event, but Harris may turn out to be a scene-stealer once again. When the Creative Arts Emmys were given out at a ceremony last Saturday, Harris picked up an Emmy for his guest-starring role on Fox's "Glee," as well as for one as host of the 2009 Tony Award. Harris is also nominated for supporting actor in a comedy series for his role as the womanizing Barney on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother.