Drama producers cite surprising influences

'The Larry Sanders Show' inspired a 'Dexter' EP. If finding success on television is like capturing lightning in a bottle, then creating a show that becomes a cultural touchstone is even more elusive. While all six of this year's Emmy drama nominees have already set their own benchmarks of quality, the producers behind each series say they also draw inspiration from the shows that have come before them."Dexter" executive producer Scott Buck says he was influenced as a writer by shows that immediately declared themselves as different."It might feel odd to say that my work on 'Dexter' has been influenced by shows like 'The Larry Sanders Show' or 'Twin Peaks,' " Buck says, "but those were shows that really stopped me dead in my tracks and made me pay attention, because I knew I was watching something that hadn't been done before.""Boardwalk Empire" co-executive producer Gene Kelly says that the classic storytelling of shows like "The Honeymooners," "Our Gang," "The Little Rascals" and even "The Three Stooges" inform his work."It was the humanity in those shows and the way they touched people universally," Kelly says. "If somebody's trying to think of a way to tell a story, you always sort of wonder how they did it on 'The Little Rascals.' " "Friday Nights Lights" exec producer Jason Katims admits that he doesn't spend a lot of his free time watching TV, but credits "The Sopranos" for raising the bar in general over the last decade. He says his first job in TV continues to influence him day to day." 'My So-Called Life,' which Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz produced was kind of my graduate school," Katims says. "I feel like what I do is a direct descendent of their work.""The Good Wife" executive producers Robert and Michelle King, who say they enjoy "Breaking Bad," cite "The West Wing" as a TV milestone."Not trying to explain everything to the audience is the greatest legacy from that show," Robert King says. "(And) for the fluidity of language and family-like look at a workplace."Adds Michelle King, "We bow at the altar of 'The Sopranos.' " "Game of Thrones" executive producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff also credit many of HBO's iconic series for providing inspiration."It's not just blowing smoke -- the great HBO dramas were hugely inspiring examples of uncompromising, big-canvas storytelling that changed the way we (and everyone) thought about television. 'The Sopranos,' 'Deadwood' -- maybe 'The Wire' most of all," says Weiss.Benioff adds, "Not to be crude, but there are some TV shows you let play while you go to the bathroom. And there are some you pause because you don't want to miss a second. That's what we wanted to make -- a pause-worthy show.""Mad Men" executive producer Matthew Weiner points to many shows that motivate his work, but he says he's always looking for a mixture of humor and weight."I was forbidden to watch TV most of my childhood and caught up as an adult," Weiner says. "Everything I see and saw has become part of the fabric of 'Mad Men.' Of course, 'The Sopranos' taught everyone in television that it was possible to have a muscular plot and still be emotionally complex."Otherwise, it was a somewhat pretentious and strange interest in French cinema as a young boy that made me want to dress up actresses and see them reject men."ROAD TO THE EMMYS: DRAMAThink outside the bucks | Drama producers cite surprising influencesThe nominees Contact Christy Grosz at