by Julia Pierrepont III
LOS ANGELES, July 21 (Xinhua) - The nominations for the 71st annual Emmy Awards were announced at Wolf Theatre in Hollywood earlier this week, highlighting the escalating real-life game of thrones race going on behind the scenes.
The race pits legacy media apex cable provider, HBO, against new, mega-media streamer, Netflix, in a battle of the titans for dominance in high-quality content creation.
HBO had been the uncontested Emmy champion for 17 straight years, until last year when Netflix edged it out of the top nomination spot with 112 noms to HBO's 108. The two companies ultimately tied for Emmy wins, but HBO was determined not to share the crown this year.
Quick out of the gate, HBO vaulted to the top of the noms heap with a record-breaking 137 nominations vs 117 for Netflix.
"Game of Thrones" led HBO's comeback and made the history books by clocking in 32 nominations -- the most ever received in a single year for a drama series. It still holds the title for most Emmys won by a series in a single season, 12, in both 2015 and 2016, and the record for the most wins overall, 42.
Since "Game of Thrones" is bowing out this season, it will be tough to beat, since this is the last chance Academy voters will have to reward everyone involved for their superb work.
Not only nominated for "Best Drama Series", ten acting nominations were handed out to, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Alfie Allen, Gwendoline Christie and guest star, Carice van Houten, as well as many nominations for below-the-line categories.
"Game of Thrones" creators, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, also received two shared nominations each for their work writing and directing the series finale, while series directors, Miguel Sapochnik and David Nutter, both received nominations as well.
HBO also racked up another fistful of nominations from perennial favorite "Veep" (4), which is also having its last laugh this season; plus, intense drama, "Chernobyl" (19); and killer comedy, "Barry" (17), amongst others.
But Netflix is giving them a run for their money. Pursuing a successful long game strategy of shelling out cash for high-volume original programming in virtually every category, Netflix has achieved a steady rise in nominations and awards over the past ten years, going from only 13 noms in 2013 to 91 in 2017. It has set its sights on the prize of toppling HBO from the throne.
And the streamer has an arsenal behind them. Ava De Vernay's "When they See Us" nabbed 16 nominations; "Russian Doll" (13); "Our Planet" (10); "Ozark" (9); and many, many more.
Other networks, cable nets and streamers also grabbed some of the limelight, with NBC pulling in 58 nominations, Amazon Prime Video got 47, CBS nabbed 43 and FX took home 32.
This lineup is all part and parcel of the sea-change that the entertainment industry is undergoing as online streaming video providers snare more viewers from network and cable TV, with massive players like AT&T, Comcast, Apple, Disney, and Amazon poised to join the streaming wars within the year.
"The Handmaid's Tale" netted 11 noms, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," 20, "Saturday Night Live," 18, and Beyonce sang her way to 6 nominations for her Netflix film, "Homecoming", while Asian American Sandra Oh was again nominated for her seminal role in "Killing Eve."
Bradley Whitford might also make history by being the first actor to win "Best Guest Actor" in the both the Drama and Comedy categories, if he can clinch "Best Guest Actor" for his riveting dramatic role in "The Handmaid's Tale," to join the statuette he won in 2015 for his comic performance in "Transparent." Such heavy-hitting TV names as Bob Newhart, William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, Hank Azaria and Stanley Tucci have come close too, but no cigar.
Notably absent, however, were Emmy nods for audience favorites like comedy "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," zombie comedy, "The Santa Clarita Diet," sci fi thriller, "OA," and Ricky Gervais' dark comedy, "After Life."
The 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards show will take place on September 22 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, airing at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. There is no host announced at the moment.
