Emmy nominations 2019: ‘Game of Thrones’ breaks record with 32 nods, followed by ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ and ‘Chernobyl’
By Emily Yahr, Elahe Izadi, Bethonie Butler, and Travis M. Andrews - The Washington Post
Despite its controversial final episodes, HBO’s unstoppable “Game of Thrones” earned 32 Emmy Award nominations on Tuesday morning, including best drama series, and shattered the record for the most nods for a show in a single season.
Close behind were Amazon’s critic-favorite comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” with 20 nominations and HBO’s surprise hit “Chernobyl” with 19. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” also walked away with 18 and landed plenty of noms for its celebrity guest hosts, including Sandra Oh, Emma Thompson, Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, John Mulaney and Adam Sandler.
FX’s absorbing drama “Fosse/Verdon” and HBO’s dark comedy “Barry” tied with 17 each, while Netflix’s “When They See Us,” Ava DuVernay’s searing miniseries about the Central Park Five, scored 16 nominations.
Although TV critics typically complain about the Emmys ignoring their favorite shows, they have plenty to celebrate this year: Critically adored series such as Netflix’s “Russian Doll,” Amazon’s “Fleabag” and FX’s “Pose” were all nominated, along with Canadian import “Schitt’s Creek.”
And despite cable and streaming services dominating as usual, network TV still managed to break through in the major categories. NBC’s “This Is Us” earned nine nominations, including best drama series. Over on ABC, Viola Davis landed a lead-actress-in-a-drama nod for “How to Get Away With Murder,” while Anthony Anderson was nominated in the lead-actor-in-a-comedy category for “Black-ish.” However, there was one glaring absence: CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” which ended its run in May as one of TV’s most popular shows, didn’t get a single nomination — even for its star Jim Parsons, a four-time winner for lead actor in a comedy.
Many Beyoncé fans were also thrilled to see that “Homecoming,” the Netflix special that chronicled the behind-the-scenes of the singer’s groundbreaking 2018 Coachella performance, received six nominations, including variety special (prerecorded).
The 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards air Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. on Fox. A host has not yet been announced.
Nominations by network
HBO: 137
Netflix: 117
NBC: 58
Amazon: 47
CBS: 43
FX: 32
ABC: 26
Hulu: 20
Fox: 18
CNN: 17
VH1: 14
National Geographic: 13
AMC: 11
Nominations for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding comedy series
"Veep” (HBO)
"Barry” (HBO)
"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
"Fleabag” (Amazon)
"The Good Place” (NBC)
“Schitt’s Creek” (Pop)
“Russian Doll” (Netflix)
Immediate reaction: This category played out about as expected, with one exception. The dark horse in this race was “Schitt’s Creek,” the CBC sitcom picked up by Pop TV, which also secured nominations for its two leads: Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara. Surprisingly, Chuck Lorre’s Netflix show “The Kominsky Method,” helmed by Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin, didn’t make the cut, despite both leads earning nods.
Outstanding drama series
"Game of Thrones” (HBO)
"Succession” (HBO)
"Killing Eve” (BBC America)
"Bodyguard” (Netflix)
"Ozark” (Netflix)
"Pose” (FX)
"Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“This Is Us” (NBC)
Immediate reaction: Unsurprisingly, “Game of Thrones” leads the pack here. The HBO megahit, which wasn’t eligible for the Emmys last year, returned with the vengeance of the Night King. For its final season, the fantasy drama broke a 25-year standing record by earning a whopping 32 nominations. The beloved female-led, cat-and-mouse assassin drama “Killing Eve” might give the show a run for its money — but that seems unlikely.
Outstanding lead actor in a drama series
Kit Harington, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Billy Porter, “Pose” (FX)
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Jason Bateman, “Ozark” (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Milo Ventimiglia, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Immediate reaction: Lots of familiar faces here, including Brown, who earned a third nomination for his tear-jerking performance in “This Is Us.” But, as with many of these categories, the return of “Game of Thrones” could be a game-changer. Harington’s final six episodes as Jon Snow, who emerged as the HBO show’s true hero, makes him a front-runner. Don’t sleep on Bateman, though, who returns to the category for his sinister turn as a financial planner turned money launderer in Netflix’s bleak crime drama “Ozark.”
Outstanding lead actress in a drama series
Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve” (BBC America)
Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve” (BBC America)
Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Laura Linney, “Ozark” (Netflix)
Robin Wright, “House of Cards” (Netflix)
Mandy Moore, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away With Murder” (ABC)
Immediate reaction: This is a somewhat unexpected turn for this category, where we (and many Emmy predictors) expected to see Julia Roberts for Amazon’s “Homecoming” and perhaps “The Good Fight’s” Christine Baranski. But it’s a win for network television, thanks to the nods for Davis, who was overlooked for her work on HTGAWM last year, and Moore, who nabs her first-ever Emmy nomination following a particularly devastating character arc on NBC’s “This Is Us.” It’s also a win for the many “Killing Eve” fans who (rightfully) thought Comer was snubbed last year.
Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series
Bill Hader, “Barry” (HBO)
Ted Danson, “The Good Place” (NBC)
Don Cheadle, “Black Monday” (Showtime)
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish” (ABC)
Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop)
Immediate reaction: This category includes a lot of fresh blood, with only three repeats from last year: Danson, Anderson and Hader. Levy, who plays the kindhearted but aloof Johnny Rose in the riches-to-rags comedy “Schitt’s Creek” might be the most unexpected entry here, but he might have a fighting chance. The show, which he writes with his son Daniel, clearly has momentum, earning nominations in three important categories, including best comedy and best lead actress in a comedy. Even so, Hader’s titular assassin/struggling actor Barry will be tough to beat — he easily won the Emmy in 2018.
Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” (HBO)
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag” (Amazon)
Natasha Lyonne, “Russian Doll” (Netflix)
Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me” (Netflix)
Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop)
Immediate reaction: It’s tough to predict a category that includes Louis-Dreyfus’s final bow in a beloved HBO comedy and — last year’s winner — Brosnahan. And that’s before we even get to acclaimed performances from Waller-Bridge, Lyonne and Applegate, in one of TV’s most unexpectedly delightful new series. O’Hara, a fan favorite on “Schitt’s Creek,” seems like a long shot, but we still can’t rule her out.
Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or a movie
Mahershala Ali, “True Detective” (HBO)
Benicio Del Toro, “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
Hugh Grant, “A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)
Jared Harris, “Chernobyl” (HBO)
Sam Rockwell, “Fosse/Verdon” (FX)
Jharrel Jerome, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Immediate reaction: No real surprises here, though it’s exciting to see Jerome, who first captured attention in Barry Jenkins’s “Moonlight,” get recognized for his stunning performance in Ava DuVernay’s miniseries about the Central Park Five. The young actor faces steep competition — from his “Moonlight” co-star, Ali, in particular — but you really can’t discount anyone in this category.
Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or a movie
Amy Adams, “Sharp Objects” (HBO)
Patricia Arquette, “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
Joey King, “The Act” (Hulu)
Michelle Williams, “Fosse/Verdon” (FX)
Niecy Nash, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Aunjanue Ellis, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Immediate reaction: “When They See Us” is clearly a favorite of the Television Academy this year, with both Nash and Ellis scoring nods for their work as mothers to members of the Central Park Five. It strikes us that Adams, who explores family trauma in “Sharp Objects,” is the only one here landing a nomination for playing a fictional character. But these are acclaimed performances all around, making this category a hard one to call.
Outstanding limited series
“Chernobyl” (HBO)
“Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
“When They See Us” (Netflix)
“Fosse/Verdon” (FX)
“Sharp Objects” (HBO)
Immediate reaction: As one of the year’s buzziest — and bleakest — series, “Chernobyl” leads the Emmys pack in this category with 19 nominations overall. That the HBO series is joined by “Fosse/Verdon” (with 17 nods overall) and “When They See Us” (16) is not a big surprise. But it turns out the Television Academy voters were still thinking of HBO’s “Sharp Objects.” We had anticipated “A Very English Scandal” to fare better, but the Amazon series only netted two acting nominations.
Outstanding reality-competition program
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
“The Voice” (NBC)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
“American Ninja Warrior” (NBC)
“Nailed It!” (Netflix)
Immediate reaction: This list has tended to be stagnant over the years, so let’s all give a warm welcome to “Nailed It!,” Netflix’s series featuring amateur bakers trying to redeem themselves in the kitchen. We think bubbly host Nicole Byer probably has something to do with this unexpected addition to the category. Upsets aside, the honor will most likely go to a past winner — perhaps marking a repeat win for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” or a return to victory for “The Voice,” which took home the trophy for three consecutive years, beginning in 2015.
Outstanding variety talk series
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
“The Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (TBS)
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
Immediate reaction: This category played out exactly as it did last year. Most interesting is what show is missing: Seth Meyers’s “Late Night,” which has earned a reputation for taking President Trump to task through its “Closer Look” segments, was yet again snubbed. That means it still has never been nominated in this category. Meanwhile, “The Daily Show” was nominated a second time since Trevor Noah inherited it from Jon Stewart.
Outstanding TV movie
“Brexit: The Uncivil War” (HBO)
“King Lear” (Amazon)
“Deadwood: The Movie” (HBO)
“My Dinner With Hervé” (HBO)
“Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” (Netflix)
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series
Julia Garner, “Ozark” (Netflix)
Lena Headey, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Sophie Turner, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Maisie Williams, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Fiona Shaw, “Killing Eve” (BBC America)
Gwendoline Christie, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Immediate reaction: Four of the record-setting 32 Emmy nominations for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” are in this category, which might seem strange considering how much criticism was levied at the show for its treatment of female characters. All of the actresses here are deserving, but the multiple nominations might have an adverse effect by essentially splitting the vote. If that’s the case, keep an eye on Garner, the breakout actress from Netflix’s Southern gothic “Ozark.”
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series
Chris Sullivan, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Alfie Allen, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Michael Kelly, “House of Cards” (Netflix)
Giancarlo Esposito, “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Immediate reaction: We expected that the final season of “Game of Thrones” would pull in a boatload of nominations for its notable cast members, but we didn’t expect Allen to be one of them. Allen fans will be relieved that the actor finally received a nomination for his turn as Theon Greyjoy (looks like his sacrifice to protect Bran was really worth it). He’s joined by another first-time nominee from a show that couldn’t be more different from the HBO series: Sullivan, who plays Toby in the weepy NBC drama “This Is Us.”
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series
Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Anna Chlumsky, “Veep” (HBO)
Sian Clifford, “Fleabag” (Amazon)
Olivia Colman, “Fleabag” (Amazon)
Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Betty Gilpin, “GLOW” (Netflix)
Marin Hinkle, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Sarah Goldberg, “Barry” (HBO)
Immediate reaction: This category of comedic heavy-hitters predictably showed there is still some love for “Mrs. Maisel.” And SNL’s McKinnon has now appeared in this category six times and already won twice. But Amazon’s “Fleabag” showed up big this year, netting 11 nominations overall, including two in this category for Clifford and Colman.
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series
Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
Anthony Carrigan, “Barry” (HBO)
Tony Hale, “Veep” (HBO)
Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Henry Winkler, “Barry” (HBO)
Stephen Root, “Barry” (HBO)
Immediate reaction: HBO cleaned up in this category. “Barry,” an Emmy favorite, did especially well with three nominations. But Hale’s final turn as Gary Walsh, the long-suffering assistant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Selina Meyer, is an easy favorite. Hale has been nominated six times now over the show’s seven-season run, winning twice.
Outstanding reality host
RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
Ellen DeGeneres, “Ellen’s Game of Games” (NBC)
Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, “Making It” (NBC)
Marie Kondo, “Tidying Up” (Netflix)
James Corden, “The World’s Best” (CBS)
Immediate analysis: Finally, a category where broadcast TV has a shot against streaming and cable — although unlikely, as RuPaul has won this prize for the past three years. Either way, it has resulted in plenty of Twitter jokes about what decluttering expert and organization extraordinaire Kondo would actually do if she won an Emmy trophy (it would presumably spark joy, right?!), so either way, it’s a solid list.
Outstanding variety sketch series
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“Documentary Now!” (IFC)
“Drunk History” (Comedy Central)
“At Home With Amy Sedaris” (TruTV)
“Who Is America?” (Showtime)
“I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman” (Hulu)
Immediate reaction: Here’s another category with several familiar faces. “Saturday Night Live,” which has a total of 260 nominations and 62 Emmys under its 44-year-old belt, remains a front-runner. After targeting President Trump in its cold-open sketches on a near-weekly basis, the show won the category last year. But if punking on politics is what voters are looking for, Sacha Baron Cohen’s divisive prank show “Who Is America?,” which produced real-world impact, including the resignation of a Georgia lawmaker, might be just the ticket.
Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or a movie
Patricia Clarkson, “Sharp Objects” (HBO)
Patricia Arquette, “The Act” (Hulu)
Emily Watson, “Chernobyl” (HBO)
Marsha Stephanie Blake, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Vera Farmiga, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Margaret Qualley, “Fosse/Verdon” (FX)
Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or a movie
Asante Blackk, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Paul Dano, “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
John Leguizamo, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Ben Whishaw, “A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)
Michael Kenneth Williams, “When They See Us” (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgard, “Chernobyl” (HBO)
Outstanding guest actress in a drama series
Cherry Jones, “The Handmaid's Tale” (Hulu)
Cicely Tyson, “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC)
Carice van Houten, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” (FX)
Phylicia Rashad, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Laverne Cox, “Orange Is the New Black” (Netflix)
Outstanding guest actor in a drama series
Michael Angarano, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid's Tale” (Hulu)
Ron Cephas Jones, “This Is Us” (NBC)
Kumail Nanjiani, “The Twilight Zone” (CBS)
Glynn Turman, “How to Get Away With Murder” (ABC)
Michael McKean, “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series
Jane Lynch, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Maya Rudolph, “The Good Place” (NBC)
Emma Thompson, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Sandra Oh, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Kristin Scott Thomas, “Fleabag” (Amazon)
Fiona Shaw, “Fleabag” (Amazon)
Outstanding guest actor in a comedy series
Peter MacNicol, “Veep” (HBO)
John Mulaney, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Adam Sandler, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Matt Damon, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Robert De Niro, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Rufus Sewell, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Luke Kirby, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Outstanding structured reality program
“Antiques Roadshow” (PBS)
“Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives” (Food Network)
“Queer Eye” (Netflix)
“Shark Tank” (ABC)
“Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” (Netflix)
“Who Do You Think You Are?” (TLC)
Outstanding unstructured reality program
“Born This Way” (A&E)
“Deadliest Catch” (Discovery)
“Life Below Zero” (National Geographic)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” (VH1)
“Somebody Feed Phil”(Netflix)
“United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell” (CNN)
Outstanding variety special (live)
“72nd Annual Tony Awards” (CBS)
“The 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards” (NBC)
“The 61st Grammy Awards” (CBS)
“Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’” (ABC)
“The Oscars” (ABC)
“Rent: Live” (Fox)
Outstanding variety special (prerecorded)
“Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live From Liverpool” (CBS)
“Hannah Gadsby: Nanette” (Netflix)
“Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” (Netflix)
“Springsteen on Broadway” (Netflix)
“Wanda Sykes: Not Normal” (Netflix)
Informational series or special
“Surviving R. Kelly” (Lifetime)
“Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown” (CNN)
“My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman” (Netflix)
“Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (Netflix)
“Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” (A&E)
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Originally Posted by Muddy
Other than when they do blatant callbacks to Breaking Back like having Mike, Gus and Nacho show up.
