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Game of Thrones breaks all-time Emmy record with 32 nominations in one season
This morning, Ken Jeong (Gooseumps 2: Haunted Halloween) and D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place) announced the nominees for the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, the winners of which will be announced this September.
Despite some fan backlash, Game of Thrones' final season on HBO proved itself worthy of the Iron Throne with a slew of nominations, including a nod for the top category, Outstanding Drama Series. It also nabbed noms for Kit Harington (Jon Snow) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) for Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Lead Actress in a Drama Series, respectively — the first time either has been nominated for a lead performance.
In the supporting drama actor/actress categories, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), and Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) are all competing against one another.
Even Carice van Houten was recognized for her short return as Melisandre, aka the "Red Woman" in Season 8. Turner, Christie, Allen, and van Houten have never been nominated for Emmys until this year.
For outstanding directing in a drama series, Game of Thrones occupies three of the seven spots thanks to the work of D.B. Weiss and David Benioff ("The Iron Throne"), David Nutter ("The Last of the Starks"), and Miguel Sapochnik ("The Long Night").
Per Variety, the popular fantasy drama broke the record for most nominations in a single season, with 32 chances to take home some coveted television gold. The previous record holder was ABC's NYPD Blue with 26 nominations. Across its eight seasons, GoT managed to secure 161 Emmy nominations in total.
Other genre shows earning nominations this year include NBC's The Good Place, which racked up three nods Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Comedy Writing, and Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Ted Danson). The show's fourth and final season airs this September.
Netflix also had a sizable showing with the recognition of Bandersnatch: Black Mirror (Outstanding Television Movie) and Russian Doll (Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Natasha Lyonne). The latter, which was also nominated for Outstanding Comedy Writing (among other things), was renewed for a second season last month.
In particular, Bandersnatch represented a new horizon for storytelling by allowing viewers at home to guide the outcome of the '80s-set story via a "Choose Your Own Adventure" type format. Indeed, Netflix is already looking for more ways in which to expand the concept to other shows and movies. It was so successful, that even YouTube is looking to get in on the budding action.
The Handmaid's Tale, Our Planet, A Series of Unfortunate Events, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, GLOW, Star Trek: Discovery, The Big Bang Theory, Castle Rock, Good Omens, Robot Chicken, Love, Death & Robots, SpongeBob SquarePants, Steven Universe, Teen Titans Go!, Sesame Street, Star Wars Resistance, Drunk History, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Big Mouth, Bob's Burgers, BoJack Horseman, Gotham, The Man in the High Castle, The Orville, The Umbrella Academy, Cobra Kai, The Tick, and What We Do in the Shadows were also among the genre nominees.
The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will air on Fox on Sunday, Sept. 22. As always, the ceremony will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
For the full list of the 2019 nominees, click here.
