Sopranos heads Emmy nominations

HBO's mobster saga, The Sopranos, led the field of prime-time series announced yesterday as contenders for US television's highest honours, with 20 Emmy nominations, including a nod for best drama.

Sopranos, rubbed out by The West Wing in three previous Emmy Award match-ups, will compete again with the NBC political drama and two other nominees from last year, Fox espionage thriller 24 and TV's highest-rated drama, CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Joining this year's roster of best-drama contenders is first-time challenger Joan of Arcadia, the CBS show about a teen-age girl who talks with God.