71st Primetime Emmy Nominations Highlight the Success of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones,’ Amazon’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ and Pop TV’s ‘Schitt’s Creek’

Primetime Emmy nominations for the 2019 television season were announced this week, marking the start of this year’s awards season. Actors D’arcy Carden from The Good Place and Ken Jeong from Crazy Rich Asians made the official announcement at 8:30am PDT on Tuesday.

The announcement gave several networks reason to celebrate. Showtime received 18 Emmy nominations, which included their second nomination in a row for Escape at Dannemora in the Outstanding Limited Series Category. The network also was honored with a nomination for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series for Who Is America. Including its nomination for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, Who Is America brought in an impressive 12 Emmy nominations overall.

Moreover, the Primetime Emmy nominations announcement made history by honoring Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek with four primetime nominations: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Eugene Levy, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Catherine O’Hara, and Outstanding Contemporary Costumes. The four nominations are a first for Pop TV, which produces Schitt’s Creek in association with CBC.

Show creators and stars Eugene and Dan Levy were quick to express their excitement over the news in a Pop TV press release. “To say this is very exciting news is the definition of an understatement,” said the real-life father and son duo. “On behalf of our cast and crew, we thank the Television Academy for including us among the best in TV. What an absolute thrill! Team Canada is heading to the Emmys!”

Pop TV president Brad Schwartz also weighed in on the historic news. “The momentum going into the final season of Schitt’s Creek couldn’t be more amazing and what a way to celebrate six years of groundbreaking, critically acclaimed, fan adored work,” he said. “The support of this series, driven by one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases on television, has clearly captured the attention of the Industry and we’re thrilled that the entire Schitt’s Creek team is being recognized in this way. We thank the Television Academy greatly for this honor.”

Schitt’s Creek is a character-driven scripted comedy series that was co-created by Eugene and Daniel Levy. The cast includes Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliott, Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan, Sarah Levy and Karen Robinson. Season six will premiere in January 2020 on Pop TV in the United States. In the meantime, fans can watch seasons one through five on Pop Now, Pop TV’s streaming app.

HBO was likewise greeted with a record breaking number of nominations Tuesday morning, which they detailed in a press release. They received 137 primetime nominations. This is the most primetime nominations of any network in 2019, and also marks the highest number of Primetime Emmy nominations in HBO’s 46 year history. HBO’s former nomination record was set four years ago in 2015 with 126 Primetime Emmy nominations.

This also means that HBO has outdone their notorious awards season competitor, Netflix, which received 117 nominations for the 2019 season across 40 different shows.

Of HBO’s 137 nominations, Game of Thrones received a record breaking 32 for its eighth and final season. This happens to be the most of any television program nominated in 2019. But the success for the major network did not end with the hugely popular high fantasy series. Chernobyl received 19 nominations; Barry was honored with 17; Veep, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and True Detective received nine nominations each. In total, HBO boasts nominations in most major categories.

Amazon Studios also performed well this year with a total of 47 nominations, including 20 for their original scripted comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 

Michael Schneider and Elaine Low from Variety commented on several surprises that came with this year’s list of nominations. Television newcomers like Succession, Pose, Fleabag and Russian Doll all made appearances on the official list of nominations. They both noted that Netflix’s The Kominsky Method was not nominated in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. Conversely, Netflix’s When They See Us made a big impression this year with nine nominations.

The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards are scheduled to air on September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Find the complete list of Emmy Primetime nominations below:

Outstanding Comedy Series
Barry
Fleabag
The Good Place
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
Veep

Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
Game of Thrones
Killing Eve
Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Kit HaringtonGame of Thrones
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Billy Porter, Pose
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emilia ClarkeGame of Thrones
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Viola DavisHow to Get Away with Murder
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra OhKilling Eve
Mandy MooreThis Is Us
Robin WrightHouse of Cards

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Mahershala AliTrue Detective
Benicio Del Toro, Escape at Dannemora
Hugh GrantA Very English Scandal
Jared HarrisChernobyl
Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Amy AdamsSharp Objects
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora
Joey King, The Act
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Aunjenaue Ellis, When They See Us
Niecy Nash, When They See Us

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Don CheadleBlack Monday
Ted DansonThe Good Place
Michael DouglasThe Kominsky Method
Bill HaderBarry
Eugene LevySchitt’s Creek

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel BrosnahanThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-DreyfusVeep
Natasha LyonneRussian Doll
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek

Outstanding Reality Competition
The Amazing Race
Nailed It!
American Ninja Warrior
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Variety/Talk Series
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Late Show with James Corden
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Outstanding Limited Series
Chernobyl
Escape at Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony CarriganBarry
Alan ArkinThe Kominsky Method
Stephen RootBarry
Tony HaleVeep
Tony ShalhoubThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Henry Winkler, Barry

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Alfie Allen, Game of Thrones
Nikolaj Coster-WaldauGame of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg, Barry
Sian Clifford, Fleabag
Olivia Colman, Fleabag
Alex Bornstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Anna ChlumskyVeep

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Gwendoline ChristieGame of Thrones
Julia Garner, Ozark
Lena HeadeyGame of Thrones
Fiona Shaw, Fleabag
Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones
Maisie WilliamsGame of Thrones

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us
Michael McKean, Better Call Saul
Glynn Turman, How to Get Away with Murder
Michael Angarano, This Is Us
Kumail Nanjiani, The Twilight Zone
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Matt DamonSaturday Night Live
Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Peter MacNicol, Veep
John MulaneySaturday Night Live
Robert De Niro, Saturday Night Live
Adam Sandler, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Fiona Shaw, Fleabag
Kristin Scott Thomas, Fleabag
Ann-Margaret, The Kominsky Method
Jane Lynch, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Sandra OhSaturday Night Live
Maya Rudolph, The Good Place
Emma Thompson, Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal
Asante Blackk, When They See Us
Paul Dano, Escape at Dannemora
Stellan Skarsgard, Chernobyl
John Leguizamo, When They See Us
Michael Kenneth Williams, When They See Us

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Cherry Jones, The Handmaid’s Tale
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away with Murder
Carice van Houten, Game of Thrones

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Patricia Arquette, The Act
Margaret Qualley, Fosse/Verdon
Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects
Marsha Stephanie Blake, When They See Us
Vera Farmiga, When They See Us
Emily Watson, Chernobyl

Outstanding Variety/Sketch Series
At Home with Amy Sedaris
Documentary Now
Drunk History
I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman
Saturday Night Live
Who Is America

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program
Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen’s Game of Games
Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, Making It
RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Marie Kondo, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
James Corden, The World’s Best

Hannah Klein: As a junior at Wellesley College, Hannah Klein is pursuing a degree in English and creative writing. Bolstered by an extensive background in theatre, she continually seeks opportunities to engage with large creative teams. She has a passion for writing in all forms, acting, directing in theatre, and editing. She is currently studying English at the University of Cambridge as part of Pembroke College's fall semester programme.
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