Emmy nominations 2015: Game of Thrones leads with 24 nods

Los Angeles: Epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones led the pack of contenders for television’s coveted Primetime Emmy awards Thursday for a second straight year, with nods in an impressive 24 categories.

The grisly show will once again vie for the coveted outstanding drama series trophy – an honor that has so far eluded it – against Better Call Saul, Downton Abbey, Homeland, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Mad Men.

American Horror Story: Freak Show scored the second highest tally with 19 nods, followed by Olive Kitteridge with 13.

Bessie – an HBO film about the life of blues singer Bessie Smith starring Queen Latifah – scored 12 nominations for television’s equivalent of the Oscars, to be handed out on 20 September.

There were also some notable snubs, including perennial favorites The Good Wife, Lena Dunham’s Girls, and The Big Bang Theory – all shut out of best show honors.

Empire, Fox’s debut melodrama about family feuds in a musical empire, only garnered three nominations despite its success with TV viewers, 17.6 million of whom tuned into the first season finale.

But fan favorite Taraji P. Henson could make history if she wins in the best actress in a drama category for her portrayal of family matriarch Cookie Lyon – no African American actress has ever won that prize.

Another black actress, two-time Oscar nominee Viola Davis, is nominated in the same category for her work on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder.

Wildly popular retro-cool Mad Men – set in the sex- and booze-fueled world of 1960s Madison Avenue ad firms – again had a strong showing with 11 nominations for the second half of its final season.

Political thriller House of Cards also scored 11 nods, as did dark comedy Transparent, which won the first-ever Golden Globes for online retail giant Amazon earlier this year.

“American Crime” and “Boardwalk Empire” took 10 nominations each, followed by political comedy Veep with nine.

Game of Thrones already garnered the most nominations for last year’s Emmy awards, but went home with none of the big prizes. Drama Breaking Bad and long-time comedy hit Modern Family were named the best shows.

- More female nominees -

The hotly-anticipated nominations were announced in Los Angeles by Orange Is The New Black star Uzo Aduba and Cat Deeley, host of So You Think You Can Dance.

For best comedy series, defending champion Modern Family will go up against Louie, Parks and Recreation, Silicon Valley, Transparent, Veep and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Louie star Louis C.K. is up for best comedy actor, against Anthony Anderson for Black-ish, Matt LeBlanc for Episodes, Don Cheadle for House of Lies, Will Forte for The Last Man On Earth, William H. Macy for Shameless and Jeffrey Tambor for Transparent.

Transparent, about a family patriarch who comes out as transgender, was one of the biggest hits last year for Amazon, which is battling to catch up with streaming pioneer Netflix – home of House of Cards and Orange – for awards glory.

The Primetime Emmys – to be handed out in Los Angeles – will be hosted by comedian Andy Samberg, star of the award-winning series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Touching on the perennial theme of lack of diversity in Hollywood, Emmys organizers were keen to point out Thursday that the nominee list included a 60 percent increase in female screenwriters and directors since last year.

“This was truly a remarkable year in television,” said Television Academy chairman Bruce Rosenblum.

“From the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, to David Letterman’s retirement and the conclusion of Mad Men, television’s creativity, influence and impact continue to grow and have never been stronger.”

AFP