Maybe I'm going soft. Maybe all the events of this year — the writers' strike, a relative dearth of exciting new shows — have lowered my resistance and my expectations.

But, whatever the cause, I'm actually fairly pleased with this year's Emmy nominations. I know. I couldn't believe it myself.

Usually, I spend the days after the nominations come out ranting and raving about all the quality shows, actors, and actresses who were snubbed in favor of less worthy selections. However, when the noms were announced Thursday, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there were some heartbreaking omissions, as there are every year.

HBO's excellent urban drama "The Wire" failed to garner a best drama nomination for its final season, which is upsetting. Though the last season wasn't the show's best, it was still better than half the dramas out there. Plus, this is the kind of show that deserved a sort of cumulative nomination for its general high quality over five seasons.

Another sad omission was that of Ray Wise, who didn't get a nomination for his suave, funny work as Satan on the CW series "Reaper." According to the lists of Emmy finalists posted on the Los Angeles Times' awards blog, Gold Derby, in the weeks leading up to the awards Wise wasn't even a finalist in either the lead or supporting comic actor categories.

That's a shame. Wise is a treasure, and deserves recognition.

Other than that, though, my quibbles are mostly minor. Yes, I would have loved to see

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Chi McBride get a supporting actor nomination for his work on the freshman comedy "Pushing Daisies," but I was thrilled to see that lead actor Lee Pace and supporting actress Kristin Chenoweth got some Emmy love.

And I would have loved to see a best comedy series nomination for HBO's delightful "Flight of the Conchords," but I realize the musical comedy was probably a bit too slight for awards consideration. Plus, it did garner nominations for some of its fantastic songs, which cheered me.

Mostly, though, I was impressed with this year's Emmy noms. In recent years, the awards committee has become more cognizant of the increasingly superior shows airing on cable networks, but it seemed that cable series and actors dominated this year's awards.

It was no shock to see AMC's breakout critical darling "Mad Men" get a best drama nomination, but I was a little stunned to see nominations in that category for FX's "Damages" and Showtime's "Dexter," a show that was roundly snubbed in last year's nominations.

"Damages" and "Mad Men" actually broke ground in this category, becoming the first basic cable shows nominated for best drama. Though I don't think "Damages" is quite as good as some of FX's other dramas, such as "The Shield" (not eligible for competition this year) and "Rescue Me," it's nice to see one of the network's many fine shows get recognized.

In other good news, "Dexter" star — and one of my favorites — Michael C. Hall, who failed to get a nomination last year, is a contender in this year's best drama actor race. Even better, one of his competitors in that category is Bryan Cranston, who got a nomination for playing a chemistry teacher-turned drug dealer on AMC's new series, "Breaking Bad."

"Breaking Bad" is one of many shows that kind of got overlooked during the writers' strike, and I was worried that Cranston's fierce, heartbreaking performance would be forgotten. Thankfully, it wasn't.

There also were many nice surprises in the best supporting drama actor category. Yes, the academy gave the obligatory, rubber stamp nomination to William Shatner for "Boston Legal," but also included some daring choices. Though I was expecting Ted Danson to get a nomination for his brilliant work as the corrupt yet sympathetic Arthur Frobisher on "Damages," I was pleasantly surprised to see Zeljko Ivanek also nominated for his work as Frobisher's tortured attorney. And my heart leapt with glee at the inclusion of John Slattery, an acid-laced delight as Roger Sterling on "Mad Men."

The remaining nomination went to Michael Emerson, of ABC's "Lost," the only acting nod for that series. Of course, he's bar none the best actor on that show, so the nom is tough to argue with.

Here are a few more highlights (and one lowlight) from the nominations.

? I think it's a little odd that Amy Poehler of "Saturday Night Live" is competing in the best supporting comic actress category, instead of getting relegated to the variety show category. However, I can never argue with recognition for Poehler, especially since her fantastic Hillary Clinton impression was one of the best things about "SNL" this season.

? Though Sharon Gless was reportedly a finalist in the best supporting drama actress category for "Burn Notice," she didn't make the cut. But she did gain nomination for her guest-starring role as a batty stalker on FX's "Nip/Tuck." It's weird, because she basically gave the same performance on both shows. Her "N/T" character was slightly more insane, so maybe that gave her the edge.

? Is it just me, or is it completely ludicrous that David Morse got a supporting actor nomination for playing George Washington in the HBO miniseries "John Adams?" Morse is a fine actor, and he looked great in his Washington makeup, but come on! He's barely in "Adams." It's a joke to nominate him alongside Stephen Dillane and Tom Wilkinson for their more substantial roles as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

For a complete list of this year's Emmy nominees, visit www.emmys.tv.

Newsroom@ctpost.com Amanda Cuda can be reached at acuda@ctpost.com. Visit her blog at forum.connpost.com/turnedon.