Entertainment

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'Game Of Thrones' Is Nominated For A LOT Of Emmys This Year

Game of Thrones is poised to smash records at yet another Primetime Emmys ceremony. Pick a character at random and the actor who plays them has probably been nominated, but fans might be wondering how many Emmy nominations Game of Thrones has total this year. Surpassing its previous series best, Game of Thrones has been nominated for seven major awards in 2019 (often multiple times per category), plus a whopping 16 Creative Arts Emmys.

It's worth noting that the episodes Game of Thrones is nominated for at the 2019 Emmys come from its eighth and final season, so this is the last chance for the series to collect its honors. Polishing off its perfect record, the show has successfully earned eight consecutive Outstanding Drama Series nominations — one for every season it's been on air, including this one. It's won Outstanding Drama for the past three seasons in a row at the 2015, 2016, and 2018 Emmys. (Game of Thrones didn't have an eligible season for the 2017 Emmy Awards.) Series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are also nominated this year for Outstanding Writing for the series finale, "The Iron Throne." The Outstanding Directing category is also stacked in favor of the show, with three nominations for episodes "The Iron Throne," "The Last of the Starks," and "The Long Night."

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Arguably the biggest category for the show this year is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Four of the six actresses in the category come from Game of Thrones, including Gwendoline Christie (for her brilliant work in the episode where Brienne of Tarth is knighted), Lena Headey (for Cersei's death episode), Sophie Turner (for her work as Sansa in the season premiere), and Maisie Williams (for the episode where Arya destroys the Night King). It's Christie and Turner's first Emmy nom each (Christie actually submitted herself for consideration when HBO failed to), Williams' second after being nominated in 2011 for the show's first season, and Headey's fifth. None of the actresses previously nominated have ever won in the category.

Meanwhile, in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) are duking it out. Coster-Waldau was also nominated last year, and Dinklage has been nominated all eight seasons. He's previously won the Emmy for his work as Tyrion in 2011, 2015, and 2018.

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Of course, Game of Thrones also submitted for the Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series categories, and both Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) earned nominations. It's the first time either of them have been nominated in lead role categories; Harrington previously earned a Supporting Actor nom for the show in 2016 and Clarke was nominated for Supporting Actress three times in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Neither of them has never won.

Since the Creative Arts Emmys took place the week before the main event, the results of that haul are already in. Game of Thrones took 10 of the 16 awards it was up for, including ones for casting, costumes, makeup, title design, original score, single-camera and sound editing, sound mixing, special effects, and stunt coordination. Sadly, Carice van Houten, better known to fans as Melisandre, missed out on the Outstanding Guest Actress nomination she earned for her triumphant return in the episode "The Long Night."

It's safe to say that fans are rooting hard for their beloved cast to win some awards, and, considering how stacked the supporting role categories are, they probably stand a good chance.

The 71st Primetime Emmys air Sunday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. on Fox.