HBO beats Netflix to lead Emmy nominations; other surprises, snubs
What's the story
Nominations for the 71st annual Emmy Awards were announced yesterday and HBO is back in the lead as the most-nominated network with 137 nominations. Last year, Netflix ended HBO's 17-year-long streak and became the network with most Emmy nominations. The awards will be held at the Microsoft Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California, on September 22, 2019. Here are more details.
Details
HBO's lead due to 'Game of Thrones', 'Chernobyl' and 'Barry'
HBO raced to the lead with 32 Emmy nominations for Game of Thrones (new record), 19 nominations for the historical drama Chernobyl, 17 for the dark comedy Barry, and nine for long-running HBO favorite Veep. GoT already holds the record for most Emmys won by a comedy/drama series with 47 wins. Meanwhile, Netflix captured 117 nominations, breaking its own 2018 record of 112 nominations.
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Wait! Wasn't 'Game of Thrones' last season the worst?
Game of Thrones' record-breaking Emmy nominations has come as a surprise to many, as the show's last and final season was its worst-rated. Readers might also find it interesting to know that the show even entered the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series category!
Notable mentions
Here are some other surprises from the Emmy nominations
Other shows that took the Emmy nominations by storm this year include Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with 20 nominations. Hit Canadian comedy Schitt's Creek was finally recognized by the Emmys, gaining its first four nominations. Netflix's Russian Doll (13 nominations) and Ozark (9), and FX's groundbreaking race and queer-inclusive drama Pose (6) also deserve mentions. This is the first eligible year for Pose.
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Phoebe Waller-Bridge's 'Fleabag' and 'Killing Eve' a hit
Phoebe Waller-Bridge also ruled 2019's Emmy nominations with Fleabag—a tragic comedy that she created, wrote, and starred in—and Killing Eve—a spy thriller where she's a producer and was the head writer for season 1. Fleabag and Killing Eve bagged 11 and 9 Emmy nominations respectively.
Snubs
What's an Emmy nomination announcement without snubs?
However, as always, the Emmys gave a few shows the cold shoulder. The Big Bang Theory, an Emmys darling with 55 nominations and 10 wins, received just three nods—Outstanding direction (comedy), Outstanding technical direction, and Outstanding multi-camera editing (comedy). Richard Madden, the lead in Netflix's Emmy-nominated Bodyguard, was also snubbed by the awards, despite having won a Golden Globe this year for the role.