LIST: Nominations, 2016 Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES, USA –  Fantasy drama Game of Thrones led the field for television’s coveted Primetime Emmy awards Thursday, July 14 for a third straight year, with nominations in 23 categories. (READ: ‘Game of Thrones’ tipped to top Emmys nods)

HBO’s fantasy epic about noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne will compete for the prestigious outstanding drama series trophy for the 5th year in a row, the Television Academy announced. 

The show, which raked in a record-breaking 12 awards last year, faces competition from House of Cards, Better Call Saul, Mr. Robot, Downton Abbey, The Americans, and Homeland.

FX’s hotly-tipped The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story scored the second highest tally with 22 nods, followed by Fargo with 18. 

Anthony Anderson, star of ABC’s hit series Black-ish, and Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham presented the nominations for the 68th Emmy Awards at the Television Academy in Los Angeles.

Anderson whooped when Graham read out his name in the best comedy actor category, shouting: “Hi momma – I know you’re watching!”

HBO’s political comedy Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as hapless President Selina Meyer – scored 17 nominations for television’s equivalent of the Oscars, to be handed out on September 18 in Los Angeles. 

Several hotly tipped shows missed out on widely-expected nods, however, including The Good Wife, which was shut out of best show honors, and Netflix’s prison comedy drama Orange is the New Black which failed to pick up a single nomination.

“Television dominates entertainment conversation and is enjoying the most spectacular run in its history… Today marks the start of our annual celebration of the best of the best,” said Academy chairman Bruce Rosenblum. 

Here are the nominees:

Drama Series

• The Americans
• Better Call Saul
• Downton Abbey
• Game of Thrones
• Homeland
• House of Cards
• Mr. Robot

Comedy Series

• Black-ish
• Master of None
• Modern Family
• Silicon Valley
• Veep
• Transparent
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Limited Series

• American Crime
• Fargo
• The Night Manager
• The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• Roots

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
• Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
• Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
• Matthew Rhys, The Americans
• Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
• Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Claire Danes, Homeland
• Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
• Taraji P Henson, Empire
• Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
• Keri Russell, The Americans
• Robin Wright, House of Cards

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

• Bryan Cranston, All the Way
• Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
• Idris Elba, Luther
• Cuba Gooding Jr., The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager
• Courtney B. Vance, The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

• Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
• Felicity Huffman, American Crime
• Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
• Sarah Paulson, The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• Lili Taylor, American Crime
• Kerry Washington, Confirmation

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
• Aziz Ansari, Master of None
• Will Forte, Last Man on Earth
• William H. Macy, Shameless
• Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
• Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

• Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
• Laurie Metcalf, Getting On
• Tracee Ellis Ross, Blackish
• Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
• Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Supporting Actor in a Comedy

• Louie Anderson, Baskets
• Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele
• Andre Braugher, Brooklyn  Nine-Nine
• Ty Burrell, Modern Family
• Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Matt Walsh, Veep
• Tony Hale, Veep

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

• Niecy Nash, Getting On
• Allison Janney, Mom
• Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
• Judith Light, Transparent
• Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent
• Anna Chlumsky, Veep

 

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

 

• Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
• Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
• Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
• Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
• Michael Kelly, House of Cards
• Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

 

 

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
• Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
• Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
• Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
• Maura Tierney, The Affair
• Constance Zimmer, UnREAL

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

• Jesse Plemons, Fargo
• Bokeem Woodbine, Fargo
• Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager
• Sterling K. Brown, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• David Schwimmer, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
• John Travolta, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

• Melissa Leo, All the Way
• Regina King, American Crime
• Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel
• Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel
• Jean Smart, Fargo
• Olivia Colman, The Night Manager

Outstanding TV Movie

• A Very Murray Christmas
• All the Way
• Confirmation
• Luther
• Sherlock

Variety Talk Series

• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
• Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
• The Late Late Show With James Cordon
• Real Time With Bill Maher
• Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon

Variety Sketch Series

• Documentary Now
• Drunk History
• Inside Amy Schumer
• Key & Peele
• Portlandia
• Saturday Night Live

Reality-Competition Program

• The Amazing Race
• American Ninja Warrior
• Dancing With the Stars
• Project Runway
• Top Chef
• The Voice

Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition

• Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
• Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
• Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night
• Steve Harvey, Little Big Shots
• Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway
• RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race

Star-studded

Empire, Fox’s debut melodrama about family feuds in a musical empire, picked up just one nomination despite its success with TV viewers, 17.6 million of whom tuned into the first season finale.

That went to Taraji P. Henson in the best actress in a drama category for her portrayal of family matriarch Cookie Lyon. Henson would be only the second African American actress to pick up prize.

Another black actress, Viola Davis, won the category last year and is nominated in the same category for her work on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder.

Comedy show Saturday Night Live scored 16 nominations to squeeze into the top five, edging out political thriller House of Cards, which managed 13 nods. 

The Television Academy’s 19,000 members were given two weeks in June to sift through a crowded field of more than 8,000 entries from shows aired during the previous 12 months across 113 categories.

The most star-studded category was perhaps lead actor in a limited series or TV movie which included six-time Emmy winner Bryan Cranston, who has received rave reviews for anchoring HBO’s Lyndon B. Johnson biopic All the Way.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Idris Elba, Cuba Gooding Jr, Tom Hiddleston and Courtney B. Vance were also nominated while other big name contenders in the category including Bill Murray and Johnny Depp missed out.

The topic of race figured heavily in the limited series category – formerly known as “outstanding miniseries” – with The People v. O.J. Simpson matched up with historical saga Roots and ABC’s American Crime.

Downton Abbey, which picked up eight nominations last year but won only for hairstyling, marks its final season with 10 nods, including a fourth in the prestigious outstanding drama category. – Rappler.com