HBO may have picked up 101 Emmy nominations, more than any other network, but the cable giant has a lot of work to do with scripted series. Only 17 of those nominations came for drama and comedies with True Blood leading the pack with just five nominations. For a comparison, The Sopranos averaged 16 nominations every season it was on.

To compensate, HBO is developing a number of new dramas that are sure to up the network's pedigree. Here's the latest news on three shows to look forward to.

Boardwalk Empire

The next big drama for HBO, this period piece set in 1920s Atlantic City comes from Sopranos veteran Terence Winter and stars Steve Buscemi. HBO recently announced that the series will premiere September 19 at 9pm, taking over Sunday nights once True Blood's third season is over.

New Alan Ball Project

Speaking of True Blood, the man in charge, Alan Ball (who also created HBO's Six Feet Under) is now developing a new pilot for the network, and like everything else he does, it's about death. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ball is working on an adaptation of Charlie Huston's crime novel The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death. The story is about a man who takes a job cleaning up crime scenes who then gets involved in a world full of seedy characters.

Miraculous Year

The third HBO show in the works is Miraculous Year from The Hurt Locker's Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow. The show is about a New York family centered around a Broadway composer.

EW's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Pushing Daisies star Lee Pace and Law and Order attorney Linus Roache have joined the cast which already features a Broadway all-star cast with Tony nominees Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) and Hope Davis (an Emmy nominee this year for the HBO movie The Special Relationship) plus Tony winners Eddie Redmayne (who won this year for the play Red) and Broadway legend Patti Lupone.


In addition to these new dramas, HBO has ordered new seasons of True Blood, Big Love, Treme and In Treatment.


Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, EW.com
(Image courtesy of WENN)