TV.com

There are never enough opportunities for the people of Hollywood to tell one another how awesome they are, and the latest organization to dole out pats on the backs is the Television Critics Association (TCA). The group of some 200 television journalists today announced the nominations for its TCA Awards, and the field is full of familiar faces.

Leading all networks with nominations is perennial award winner HBO, which netted 10 nods. The final season of David Simon's The Wire tied for the lead for all shows with four nominations, including Program of the Year, Achievement in Drama, Individual Achievement in Drama (David Simon), and the annual Heritage Award, which is presented to the show that has displayed worthy social impact beyond the screen.

Matching The Wire for nominations was AMC's breakout hit Mad Men. The Golden Globe winner is up for Program of the Year, Achievement in Drama, Individual Achievement in Drama (actor Jon Hamm), and New Program of the Year.

Also up for Program of the Year are HBO's miniseries John Adams, two-time winner Lost, and PBS's The War.

In the genre awards, Damages, Friday Night Lights, and Lost join Mad Men and The Wire in Achievement in Drama, and 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Flight of the Conchords, and The Office will fight over Achievement in Comedy.

The rookies in competition include Damages, Flight of the Conchords, Pushing Daisies, and AMC's Mad Men and Breaking Bad, making AMC's first two forays into original programming legitimate critics' favorites.

The non-gender-specific individual awards hold some very worthy candidates, including a surprising (but well-deserved) recognition for Ray Wise, who plays the Devil in the CW's Reaper. He'll be up against Tina Fey (30 Rock), Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), and Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report).

On the drama front, critics did the right thing and nominated Friday Night Lights' Connie Britton for her role as Tami Taylor in the small-town drama. She'll be surrounded by a crew that are no strangers to the podium: Glenn Close (Damages), Paul Giamatti (John Adams), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and David Simon (The Wire).

The awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on July 19. All of the nominations are listed below.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
John Adams (HBO)
Lost (ABC)
Mad Men (AMC)
The War (PBS)
The Wire (HBO)

ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
30 Rock (NBC)
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
The Office (NBC)

ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Damages (FX)
Friday Night Lights (NBC)
Lost (ABC)
Mad Men (AMC)
The Wire (HBO)

ACHIEVEMENT MOVIES, MINISERIES AND SPECIALS
John Adams (HBO)
Masterpiece: Cranford (PBS)
Masterpiece: Jane Austen Collection (PBS)
Ken Burns' The War (PBS)
A Raisin in the Sun (ABC)

NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Damages (FX)
Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
Mad Men (AMC)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
Christina Applegate (Samantha, Who?)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Ray Wise (Reaper)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
Glenn Close (Damages)
Paul Giamatti (John Adams)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
David Simon (The Wire)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING
Curious George (PBS)
High School Musical 2 (The Disney Channel)
Hannah Montana (Disney Channel)
Word Girl (PBS)
Yo Gabba Gabba (Nickelodeon)

ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION
Alive Day Memories (HBO)
This American Life (Showtime)
Frontline (PBS)
Nimrod Nation (Sundance Channel)
Ken Burns' The War (PBS)

HERITAGE AWARD
M*A*S*H (CBS)
Roots (ABC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Sesame Street (PBS)
The Wire (HBO)