By John H. Foote

Despite being what audiences and critics felt was the weakest season in the history of the Emmy laden drama Game of Thrones, it dominated the Emmy nominations yesterday with a whopping 32 nominations. Other multiple nominee getters were Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with 20,  the HBO drama Chernobyl with 19, Barry and Fosse/Verdon with 17 apiece.

Two very welcome surprises to the line up are Russian Doll, the superb black comedy streaming on Netflix, and the CBC comedy Schitt’s Creek, a cult series booming in the United States.

Streaming has arrived and altered the course of both the Emmy awards and television itself.

I think they need to make a decision, a firm decision on the number of nominees in each category, which has always been five and stick to it. One category has as many as eight actresses nominated for a single award! Way, way too many many nominees. Did they plan to nominate every single actor from Game of Thrones? Certainly seems that way.

Following are the nominees with some commentary about snubs.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

Better Call Saul — Bodyguard — Game of Thrones — Killing Eve — Pose — Succession — This is Us

BEST COMEDY SERIES

Barry — Fleabag — The Good Place — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — Russian Doll — Schitt’s Creek — Veep

BEST LIMITED SERIES

Chernobyl – Escape at Dannemora — Fosse/Verdon — When They See Us

BEST TELEVISION FILM

Black Mirror — Brexit — Deadwood — King Lear — My Dinner with Herve

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jason Bateman (Ozark) — Sterling K. Brown (This is Us) — Kit Harrington (Games of Thrones) — Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) — Billy Porter (Pose) — Milo Ventimiglia (This is Us)

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) — Laura Linney (Ozark) — Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) — Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) — Mandy Moore (This is Us) — Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder) — Robin Wright (House of Cards)

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Anthony Anderson (Black-ish) — Don Cheadle (Black Monday) — Ted Danson (The Good Place) — Michael Douglas (The Kaminsky Method) — Bill Hader (Barry) — Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Christina Applegate (Dead to Me) — Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) -Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) — Julia Louise Dreyfus (Veep) — Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) — Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR FILM

Mahershala Ali (True Detective) — Benicio Del Toro (Escape at Dannemora) — Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal) –Jared Harris (Chernobyl) — Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) — Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon)

Wow! No Ian McShane or Timothy Olyphant in Deadwood?

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR FILM

Amy Adams (Sharp Objects) — Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon) — Joey King (The Act) — Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora) — Niecy Nash (When They See Us) — Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones) — Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) — Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) — Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul) — Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) — Michael Kelly (House of Cards) — Chris Sullivan — (This Is Us)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) — Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) — Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) — Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) — Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) — Julia Garner (Ozark)

LENA HEADEY?? Seriously? For what, her two scenes all season. Bit of overkill? Awarding them all for previous seasons I suspect.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Alan Arkin (The Kaminsky Method) — Anthony Carrigan (Barry) — Henry Winkler (Barry) — Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) — Stephen Root (Barry) — Tony Hale (Veep)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) — Anna Chlumsky (Veep) — Olivia Colman (Fleabag) — Sian Clifford (Fleabag) — Betty Gilpin (GLOW) — Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) — Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) — Sarah Goldberg (Barry)

EIGHT NOMINEES????? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

That covers the major categories, there are more found at www.emmys.com

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