Tomorrow, September 1, will mark 20 days until the prestigious Emmy awards. This countdown of days is an exciting time for cable television viewers and advertisers alike, as cable came out on top of the nominations once again this year.

When the nominees for the Emmy awards were announced in mid-July, fans of cable television’s great variety of original programs were happy to see their favorites named across the board. With the exception of network TV’s 30 Rock, cable programs dominated most major nomination categories, with drama and comedy being the most impressive. Drama and comedy were widened this year with seven nominations available in each, and cable successfully filled the new spots with its popular niche programming.

AMC’s Mad Men was the star of the drama category, with nominations for best drama series, best actor and best actress among others. Mad Men saw 16 nominations total, which topped any other cable series in the running. Best drama also saw nominations given to FX’s Damages, HBO’s Big Love and Showtime’s Dexter.

Comedy also showed a record turnout for cable television. In addition to Showtime’s Weeds, HBO’s Entourage and CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, Fox’s Family Guy could make history with its nomination by being the first animated series to ever win an Emmy.

As for stations, HBO dominated the entire race with 99 total Emmy-nominated programs across the board. The nominations earned by other cable favorites can be found by visiting the comprehensive list available at TV Week.

Be sure to tune in on September 20th to view the winners!