NEW YORK - Ted Danson is relishing his first Emmy nomination since "Cheers."
In a remarkable run, Danson was nominated 11 years in a row for each season of the beloved Boston bar comedy, winning twice and mixing in another nomination for the 1984 TV film "Something About Amelia."
But Danson will be back at the Emmys after being nominated as a supporting actor for his work on the FX drama "Damages." Danson says the honour has more meaning this time around.
"When you're younger and you get nominated, there was part of me - I don't know if I took it for granted - but now it's a very rich experience," said Danson in an interview with the Associated Press. "This is really lovely."
On the FX show, Danson plays Arthur Frobisher, the crooked corporate client of attorney Patty Hewes (Glenn Close). It's a less likable character than Danson has typically played, and he says it has re-energized him.
"Perhaps myself and others kind of got used to me doing this one thing," said the 60-year-old actor. "To go off and get to play a character that's so different than the stuff that I've been doing up to this point, I think, got people's attention. But it certainly got my attention. I really had a great year and a very satisfying year as an actor."
In the last episode of the first season of "Damages," Danson's character is shot and his fate left unclear. Last week at the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles, FX president and general manager John Landgraf said that Frobisher survives and that Danson will be back for next season.
Danson is nominated alongside William Shatner ("Boston Legal"), John Slattery ("Mad Men"), Michael Emerson ("Lost"), and his "Damages" co-star Zeljko Ivanek.