| COMEDY |  |
| Series | 30 Rock | Entourage | The Office | Two and a Half Men | | |
| Lead actor | Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock | Steve Carell, The Office | Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies | Tony Shalhoub, Monk | Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men | |
| Lead actress | Christina Applegate, Samantha Who | America Ferrera, Ugly Betty | Tina Fey, 30 Rock | Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine | Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds | |
| Supporting actor | Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men | Kevin Dillon, Entourage | Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother | Jeremy Piven, Entourage | Rainn Wilson, The Office | |
| Supporting actress | Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies | Amy Poehler,* Saturday Night Live | Jean Smart, Samantha Who? | Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men | Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty | |
| Directing | Daniel Attias, Entourage | James Bobin, Flight of the Conchords | Michael Engler,* 30 Rock | Paul Feig, The Office | Paul Lieberstein, The Office | |
| Writing | James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Flight of the Conchords | Jack Burditt, 30 Rock | Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupinsky, The Office | Tina Fey, 30 Rock | Bryan Fuller, Pushing Daisies | |
| |
| DRAMA |  |
| Series | Boston Legal | Damages | Dexter | House | Lost | Mad Men |
| Lead actor | Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment | Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad | Michael C. Hall, Dexter | Jon Hamm, Mad Men | Hugh Laurie, House | James Spader, Boston Legal |
| Lead actress | Glenn Close, Damages | Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters | Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU | Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer | Holly Hunter, Saving Grace | |
| Supporting actor | Michael Emerson, Lost | Zeljko Ivanek,* Damages | William Shatner, Boston Legal | John Slattery, Mad Men | | |
| Supporting actress | Candice Bergen, Boston Legal | Rachel Griffiths, Brothers and Sisters | Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy | Dianne Wiest, In Treatment | Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy | |
| Directing | Allen Coulter,* Damages | Arlene Sanford,* Boston Legal | Alan Taylor, Mad Men | Greg Yaitanes, House | | |
| Writing | Michael Angeli, Battlestar Galactica | Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman, Damages | Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner, Mad Men | Matthew Weiner, Mad Men | | |
| |
| UNSCRIPTED | |
| Nonfiction series | American Masters (tie), Biography, Deadliest Catch, Inside the Actors Studio |
| Reality program | Antiques Roadshow, Dirty Jobs, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Intervention |
| Reality-competition program | The Amazing Race, American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway, Top Chef |
| (2008 Emmy winner in bold) *Eligible in 2009 with different programs |