Bright and early this morning, Chandra Wilson and Jim Parsons announced the nominees for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards.

Just like last year, we saw many first-timers named and a long list of cable acknowledgements (for both pay and basic channels). Thanks to expanded categories, we also saw a number of surprises (Flight of the Conchords, Family Guy) and overdue nominations (How I Met Your Mother, Big Love).

For the second year in a row, Mad Men, with its 16 nominations, topped all drama programs. Meanwhile, 30 Rock broke comedy records with a whopping 22 noms. Overall, HBO was the most-nominated network with 99 mentions while NBC - yes, NBC - came in second.

This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris on Sept. 20 on CBS.

• Big Love
• Breaking Bad
• Damages
• Dexter
• House
• Lost
• Mad Men (last year’s winner)

• Simon Baker, The Mentalist
• Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
• Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad  (last year’s winner)
• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, House

Notable omission: No more nominations for Boston Legal‘s James Spader. Woo hoo!

• Glenn Close, Damages  (last year’s winner)
• Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters (last year’s winner)
• Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
• Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
• Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

• Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
• Michael Emerson, Lost
• William Hurt, Damages
• Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
• William Shatner, Boston Legal
• John Slattery, Mad Men

Notable item: William Shatner…again?? I thought we were done with that show!

• Rose Byrne, Damages
• Hope Davis, In Treatment
• Cherry Jones, 24
• Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
• Dianne Wiest, In Treatment  (last year’s winner)
• Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy

Notable omission: Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy (Guess that cancer storyline didn’t work for her after all.)

• 30 Rock (last year’s winner)
• Entourage
• Family Guy
• Flight of the Conchords
• How I Met Your Mother
• The Office
• Weeds

Notable item: Family Guy. (First animated series since 1961’s The Flintstones to be nominated in this category. I’m sure The Simpsons are pissed.)
Notable omissions: Two and a Half Men (Ratings apparently don’t mean much.)

• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock  (last year’s winner)
• Steve Carell, The Office
• Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords
• Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
• Tony Shalhoub, Monk
• Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Notable item: Jim Parsons. (Didn’t you know nerds were hot again?)

• Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
• Toni Collette, United States of Tara
• Tina Fey, 30 Rock (last year’s winner)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
• Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
• Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program

Notable omissions: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (I doubt the show’s move to Fridays will help her next year.)

• Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
• Kevin Dillon, Entourage
• Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
• Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
• Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
• Rainn Wilson, The Office

Notable item:McBrayer and Morgan. (I’m surprised it’s taken this long to get them on here.)
Notable omissions: Jeremy Piven (Entourage), last year’s winner. (Was his absence a result of mercury poisoning?)

• Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
• Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
• Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
• Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
• Kristin Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
• Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Notable item: Kristin Wiig (What’s more shocking than two SNL ladies at the same time?

. The fact that the Academy spelled her first name wrong!)
Notable omission: Jean Smart, Samantha Who? (last year’s winner)

(You can find the full list of nominees here.)