“Game of Thrones” was absent from the 2017 Emmys due to the show’s extended hiatus, but it came roaring back when the 2018 Emmy nominations were announced on Thursday morning, July 12. It made a triumphant comeback with 22 nominations, more than any other program in any genre. Those bids include Best Drama Series, Best Drama Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Best Drama Supporting Actress (Lena Headey). Past nominees Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke moved up to the lead categories this year, but neither made the cut. See the complete list of nominees here.
“Westworld” was last year’s most nominated program with 22 bids, and it didn’t lose much ground in 2018, even with the return of “Game of Thrones,” which was angling for nominations in many of the same categories. “Westworld” is up for 21 awards this time around, including return bids for Best Drama Series and Best Drama Actress (Evan Rachel Wood). It’s also in the running twice for Best Drama Actor (Ed Harris and Jeffrey Wright).
“Saturday Night Live” also has 21 nominations, down just one from the 22 it received last year when it was tied with “Westworld.” It’s the defending champion for Best Variety Sketch Series.
But just like last year the acting categories are where “SNL” made its biggest impression with nine performances cited in four categories: Best Comedy Supporting Actor (Kenan Thompson and Alec Baldwin), Best Comedy Supporting Actress (Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones), Best Comedy Guest Actor (Donald Glover and Bill Hader) and Best Comedy Guest Actress (Tiffany Haddish and Tina Fey).
Though “SNL” a variety series it has spent the last several years competing its performers alongside comedy actors, and that has certainly paid off over the years. Last year it also had nine noms, and it won all four categories, making it the first comedy ever to win four acting Emmys in a single year.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is the defending Emmy champ for Best Drama Series. It picked up 12 total nominations last year, but the dystopian Hulu series did even better this time around with 20 bids. The show is back in the running for Best Drama Series and Best Drama Actress (defending champ Elisabeth Moss), and it picked up first-time bids for Joseph Fiennes (Best Drama Supporting Actor) and Yvonne Strahovski (Best Drama Supporting Actress).
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” leads the way among movies and limited series with 18 nominations. That’s short of the total for the last season of FX’s “American Crime Story” anthology, but not by much: “The People v. O.J. Simpson” had 22 noms in 2016 — 23 if you count the short-form nomination for “Inside Look: The People v. O.J. Simpson.” “O.J.” ultimately won nine awards. How many will “Versace” take home?
The biggest comedy of the year is “Atlanta,” which got a huge boost from the television academy. It picked up a whopping 16 nominations, up from just 6 last year. It’s back in the races for Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Actor (defending champ Donald Glover), plus it added first-time noms for supporting stars Zazie Beetz and Brian Tyree Henry.
That total put “Atlanta” just a notch ahead of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which makes its Emmy debut with a substantial 14 nominations, including Best Comedy Series, Best Comedy Actress (Rachel Brosnahan), Best Comedy Supporting Actor (Tony Shalhoub) and Best Comedy Supporting Actress (Alex Borstein).
Check out all of this year’s most nominated shows below.
22 Nominations
“Game of Thrones”
21 Nominations
“Saturday Night Live”
“Westworld”
20 Nominations
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
18 Nominations
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace”
16 Nominations
“Atlanta”
14 Nominations
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
13 Nominations
“Barry”
“The Crown”
“Jesus Christ Superstar”
12 Nominations
“Godless”
“Stranger Things”
10 Nominations
“GLOW”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“The Voice”
9 Nominations
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“Twin Peaks”
8 Nominations
“The Oscars”
“This is Us”
7 nominations
“American Horror Story: Cult”
“Genius: Picasso”
“Jane”
“Silicon Valley”
“USS Callister (Black Mirror)”
6 Nominations
“The Alienist”
“Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
“Dancing with the Stars”
5 Nominations
“Black-ish”
“Blue Planet II”
“The Defiant Ones”
“Fahrenheit 451”
“Ozark”
“Patrick Melrose”
“So You Think You Can Dance”
“Wild Wild Country”
“Will and Grace”
