TV’s growing prestige evident in tonight’s Emmy’s

IMICHAEL STOREY t’s Emmy time! Pick some favorites and cheer them on.

The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards with host Seth Meyers is set for 7-10 p.m. Monday on NBC.

The Emmys, which rotate among the networks, usually air just before the new fall season begins, but this year they’re coming about a month early and on a Monday instead of the normal Sunday.

Why? Because NBC has Sunday Night Football kicking off Sept. 7. Nothing, not even TV’s night to shine, interferes with the ratings behemoth of pro football.

And the Emmys aren’t on tonight because there’s the MTV Video Music Awards at 8 p.m. We can’t have dueling awards shows.

They may be a month early, but the Emmys will make it up to us with one of the most promising programs in years. The nominated shows are deserving, the individual nominees include a number of big-name movie stars, and Meyers should be on top of his game with his first opportunity as host.

Even the presenters have a heightened star appeal this year with Oscar winners Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey and Halle Berry among those handing out statuettes.

The first two also happen to be up for Emmys this year — an indication of TV’s growing status and increasing appeal to A-list actors in Tinseltown.

Berry is starring in the CBS summer series Extant, Roberts is nominated for HBO’s The Normal Heart and McConaughey is up for Best Actor honors for the HBO miniseries True Detective.

Others scheduled to present include Emmy nominees Bryan Cranston ( Breaking Bad), Woody Harrelson ( True Detective), Julia Louis-Dreyfus ( Veep), Julianna Margulies ( The Good Wife), Jim Parsons ( The Big Bang Theory), Amy Poehler ( Parks and Recreation), and Kerry Washington ( Scandal).

Not nominated, but also on trophy duty are Zooey Deschanel ( New Girl) along with Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani from NBC’s The Voice.

For your viewing convenience Monday, here’s the list of the major nominations with my picks in boldface type.

Best Drama: BreakingBad (AMC); Downton Abbey (PBS); Game of Thrones (HBO); House of Cards (Netflix); Mad Men (AMC); True Detective (HBO).

Actor, drama: Bryan Cranston ( Breaking Bad); Jeff Daniels ( The Newsroom); Jon Hamm ( Mad Men); Woody Harrelson ( True Detective); Matthew McConaughey ( True Detective); Kevin Spacey ( House of Cards).

Actress, drama: Lizzy Caplan ( Masters of Sex); Claire Danes ( Homeland); Michelle Dockery ( Downton Abbey); Julianna Margulies ( The Good Wife); Kerry Washington ( Scandal); Robin Wright ( House of Cards). Best Comedy: TheBigBang

Theory (CBS); Louie (FX); Modern Family (ABC); Orange Is the New Black (Netflix); Silicon Valley (HBO); Veep (HBO).

Actor, comedy: Louis C.K. ( Louie); Don Cheadle ( House of Lies); Ricky Gervais ( Derek); Matt LeBlanc ( Episodes); William H. Macy ( Shameless); Jim Parsons ( The Big Bang Theory).

Actress, comedy: Lena Dunham ( Girls); Edie Falco ( Nurse Jackie); Julia Louis-Dreyfus ( Veep); Melissa McCarthy ( Mike & Molly); Amy Poehler ( Parks and Recreation); Taylor Schilling ( Orange Is the New Black).

Miniseries: American Horror Story: Coven (FX); Bonnie and Clyde (A&E); Fargo (FX); Luther (BBC America); Treme (HBO); The White Queen (BBC America).

Actor, miniseries or movie: Chiwetel Ejiofor ( Dancing on the Edge); Martin Freeman ( Fargo); Billy Bob Thornton ( Fargo); Idris Elba ( Luther); Mark Ruffalo ( The Normal Heart); Benedict Cumberbatch ( Sherlock: His Last Vow).

Actress, miniseries or movie: Jessica Lange ( American Horror Story: Coven); Sarah Paulson ( American Horror Story: Coven); Helena Bonham Carter ( Burton and Taylor); Minnie Driver ( Return to Zero); Kristen Wiig ( The Spoils of Babylon); Cicely Tyson ( The Trip to Bountiful).

And one final category that usually gets left off the “major” lists — Supporting Actress, miniseries or movie. This year there’s an Arkansas connection.

Texas native and relative unknown Allison Tolman stole almost every one of her scenes in her breakout role as officer Molly Solverson in Fargo. Her performance contributed to the miniseries being nominated for 18 Emmys, only one behind top nominee Game of Thrones.

The connection? The 32-yearold Tolman spent plenty of time as a girl visiting relatives in Arkansas. Her grandmother, Natalie Tolman, and her aunt, Laurie Lovett, now live in Hot Springs.

Tolman faces stiff competition and I would be surprised if she won. Just look at the distinguished company she’s in:

Frances Conroy ( American Horror Story: Coven); Kathy Bates ( American Horror Story: Coven); Angela Bassett ( American Horror Story: Coven); Ellen Burstyn ( Flowers in the Attic); Julia Roberts ( The Normal Heart).

Bates, Burstyn and Roberts have all won Academy Awards. Among them they have 11 Oscar nominations.

If I had to guess, I’d say the statuette will go to Roberts. But it’s Hollywood and fairy tales do come true.