And the Nominees Always Are...

When it comes to this year's Emmy nominations, it was no surprise that there were so few surprises. The lineups have become a tradition: Anthony Edwards, Jimmy Smits and Dennis Franz were all nominated for best lead dramatic actor for the fourth straight year. "Frasier," "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Seinfeld" are all best comedy series nominees for the fifth year running. (To brush up on the other nominees, see EW Online's complete list.) "There are other people out there doing good work, but the academy can't see beyond their regular shows," says EW general editor Mary Kaye Schilling. Here are more of Schilling's Emmy insights:

Best Comedy Series: Critically and qualitatively it was not a great year for "Seinfeld." However, the fact that it's won only once for Best Comedy is shocking. It should win just because it was the most groundbreaking sitcom of the '90s.

Best Actress in a Comedy: It's great that Jenna Elfman and Calista Flockhart are in there because they're both newcomers and both terrific. It will be interesting to see if voters stick with the old school. Helen Hunt just won an Oscar, and they're going to lean toward her for credibility.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Phil Hartman probably got nominated because he died, which is a shame: He deserved it while he was alive. He was very subtle, a comedian's comedian, but he was probably too quiet for the nominating committee. I have a funny feeling they'll give it to him this year, although it would be nice if Jason Alexander got it. With six nominations, he's never won, which is mind-boggling.