OH, WHAT A YEAR FOR EMMYS
NETFLIX DE-‘THRONES’ HBO FOR MOST NOMINATIONS, AND OTHER SURPRISES
The Emmys are going to Gilead, Westeros and Atlanta once again.
The annual prime time awards show unveiled its nominations Thursday and a few shiny series stood out among the overwhelming magnitude of Peak TV.
HBO’s beloved fantasy drama “Game of Thrones” led the pack with 22 nominations, including outstanding drama series.
Trailing close behind “Thrones” were HBO’s “Westworld” and “Saturday Night Live,” which each earned 21 nods.
Among those nominated for “Saturday Night Live” were Aidy Bryant, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson, marking Thompson’s first nod after 15 seasons on the NBC sketch show.
“Westworld,” meanwhile, scored a slew of nods in the major categories, with stars Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright and Evan Rachel Wood all earning nominations.
“This Is Us” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” also left happy, with “This Is Us” scoring nods not only for outstanding drama series, but also for its two male leads, Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia.
Hulu’s dystopian drama also cleaned up shop, earning 20 nominations in major categories like outstanding drama and outstanding lead actress. The series won both categories at last year’s Emmy Awards, in addition to outstanding supporting actress in a drama, outstanding guest actress, cinematography and writing.
Despite HBO scoring big with shows like “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld,” Thursday marked the first time in 18 years that the network did not earn the most nominations.
That honor this year belongs to Netflix, which squeezed out a win with 112 nominations to HBO’s 108. Netflix is represented at this year’s ceremony by shows like “Stranger Things,” “The Crown,” “GLOW” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” NBC trailed in third, earning 78.
On the lighter side, Rachel Brosnahan and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” were early favorites, but the crowded field, including “GLOW,” “Atlanta” and “Barry” all earned their own recognition.
Among the surprising snubs was comedy staple “Modern Family.”
The ABC sitcom did not earn an outstanding comedy series nomination for the first time in its ten seasons.
Another comedy left off the board in major categories this year was “Roseanne,” whose star Roseanne Barr was fired in May for a racist tweet that also led to the show’s cancellation. Laurie Metcalf, however, did represent the ABC sitcom with a nod for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy. The year has been an impressive one for Metcalf, who was also nominated for an Oscar (“Lady Bird”) and won a Tony (“Three Tall Women”) this year.
“Roseanne” did also earn a nod for outstanding multicamera picture editing for a comedy series.