HOUSEWIVES CLEAN UP; ABC LEADS WITH ELEVEN NOMINATIONS

June 2, 2005, Los Angeles, CA — The Television Critics Association today unveiled its 2005 TCA Award nominations.

ABC’s smash hit “Desperate Housewives” had the most nominations, five. ABC’s “Lost” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” were next with 4 nominations each.

The 21st annual TCA Awards honor the finest work of the 2004-05 season as selected by the association’s 200-plus member critics and journalists. The winners will be announced at a July 23rd ceremony at Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Craig Ferguson, host of CBS’s “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson,” will open the awards show.

This year, ABC leads the list with eleven nominations. Fox programs received eight nominations and HBO received seven nods.

In addition to “Desperate Housewives,” ABC received accolades for another first-year series, “Lost.” Another newcomer gaining the critics’ praise is Fox’s “House.”

Past winners up for honors this year include Jon Stewart (“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”), Ian McShane (“Deadwood”), Fox’s “24,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Fox’s “Arrested Development,” PBS’s “Frontline,” ABC’s “Nightline” and Nickelodeon’s “Nick News.”

For the fourth year in a row, the TCA chose candidates for its Heritage Award, which recognizes a long-standing program that made a lasting cultural or social impact. PBS has two shows nominated in this legacy category: “Sesame Street” and “Frontline.”

The TCA also voted for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s programming with Nickelodeon series receiving three of the five nominations.

Below is a complete list of this year’s TCA Award nominations. Please note, career achievement nominees are not listed, but a winner in that category will be chosen by TCA members.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
“Arrested Development” (Fox)
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central)
“Deadwood” (HBO)
“Desperate Housewives” (ABC)
“Lost” (ABC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
“Arrested Development” (Fox)
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central)
“Desperate Housewives” (ABC)
“Everybody Loves Raymond” (CBS)
“Gilmore Girls” (The WB)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
“24” (Fox)
“Deadwood” (HBO)
“House” (Fox)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Rescue Me” (FX)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT MOVIES, MINI-SERIES AND SPECIALS
“Lackawanna Blues” (HBO)
“The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers” (HBO)
“The Office Special” (BBC America)
“Something The Lord Made” (HBO)
“Sometimes In April” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
“Desperate Housewives” (ABC)
“House” (Fox)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Rescue Me” (FX)
“Veronica Mars” (UPN)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development”)
Marcia Cross (“Desperate Housewives”)
Teri Hatcher (“Desperate Housewives”)
Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”)
Jon Stewart (“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Kristen Bell (“Veronica Mars”)
Matthew Fox (“Lost”)
Hugh Laurie (“House”)
Ian McShane (“Deadwood”)
Kiefer Sutherland (“24”)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING
“DeGrassi: The Next Generation” (The N)
“Dora The Explorer” (Nickelodeon)
“Nick News” (Nickelodeon)
“Postcards From Buster” (PBS)
“SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION
“60 Minutes” Sunday edition (CBS)
“The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
“Frontline” (PBS)
“Meet the Press” (NBC)
“The News Hour With Jim Lehrer” (PBS)
“Nightline” (ABC)

HERITAGE AWARD
“Frontline” (PBS)
“M*A*S*H” (CBS)
“Nightline” (ABC)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“Sesame Street” (PBS)