A cable-TV drama surge muscled into the Emmy nominations in this year's nominations, announced yesterday.

In the process, some ABC shows were nudged aside, though the O'ahu-filmed "Lost" earned a best drama nod, as did "Lost" star Michael Emerson, nominated for supporting actor in a drama series.

There were no best-show nods, however, for "Grey's Anatomy," "Ugly Betty" or "Desperate Housewives"; the main housewives didn't even get acting nominations.

Instead, first-year cable dramas ruled.

"Mad Men," on AMC, has 16 nominations, including best drama, best actor (Jon Hamm) and two for scripts.

"Damages," on FX, has seven nods, including best drama and best actress (Glenn Close).

The stars of "Saving Grace" (Holly Hunter), "Breaking Bad" (Bryan Cranston) and "In Treatment" (Gabriel Byrne) earned individual nods.

In addition, second-year show "Dexter," which aired on Showtime and reran on CBS, got its first nods for best series and best actor (Michael C. Hall).

That didn't leave much room for the noncable dramas. For best drama, ABC's "Lost," "Boston Legal" and Fox's "House" go against "Mad Men," "Damages" and "Dexter."

The comedy category skipped newcomers. There were best- series nominations for NBC's "30 Rock" and "The Office," CBS' "Two and a Half Men," and HBO's "Entourage" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

In sheer quantity, a few HBO films dominated. There were 23 nominations for "John Adams," including best miniseries; there were 11 for "Recount" and 10 for "Bernard and Doris," including best movie.

Other programs with multiple nods: