With several TV behemoths coming to an end this television season, it was expected that the Emmy voters would show them love one last time. That certainly proved to be true for “Game of Thrones,” which received a landmark 32 nominations across categories. But interestingly, while the Television Academy was focused on sending series off with a celebration, it also focused on honoring some special freshmen.
Aside from the epic drama “Game of Thrones,” HBO has the political comedy “Veep” leaving the television landscape this year. While it was a heavy-hitting awards magnet in the past, and was rewarded with a final nom for series star Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who could win a record ninth acting Emmy, seven for this role alone), overall the show was down from previous years, with nine total nominations this go-round. The last time it was eligible, in 2017, the show scored 17.
Following that trend, the once Emmy favorite “House of Cards” from Netflix barely made a dent on the ballot for its final season, with only three noms (including lead drama actress for Robin Wright and supporting drama actor for Michael Kelly). This was its lowest tally across its six-season run. CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” which ended its 12-season run in May, also only scored three nominations, while “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” was snubbed, receiving zero noms for its final batch of episodes.
On the other end of the spectrum, freshman shows such as Netflix’s “Russian Doll” and FX’s “Pose” stole some spotlight from the outgoing fare. The former took home an impressive 13 total nominations, including lead actress for Natasha Lyonne and comedy series, while the latter scored six nominations, including lead actor for Billy Porter and drama series. HBO’s “Succession” also cracked into the drama series race with its debut season.
But, only time will tell whether any of these new kids on the block will be able to reproduce the multi-season success of the shows bowing out this year.