It was a complicated Emmys for Game of Thrones. The eighth and final season may have taken home the award for Best Drama at the 2019 Emmy Awards, as well as quite a few technical wins last week but it got snubbed elsewhere. All in all, the series has ended its reign on a divisive note — good enough to be called the best but not much else.
The 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were strange and surreal. Game of Thrones may have won 10 awards at the Creative Arts Emmys the week before — largely in technical achievements for costuming, makeup, and stunt work — but it only got two out of 14 awards during Monday’s live event.
Combined, they got 12 out of 32 of this year’s nominations, bringing Game of Thrones’ total Emmy wins up to 50, which is a world record.
In addition to being named Best Drama, Peter Dinklage also won his fourth Supporting Actor Emmy for his performance as Tyrion Lannister. He’s been nominated every year for that role, except in 2017. All the other actors, including Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Gwendoline Christie were ignored. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were both nominated in Best Writing and Directing, with a script that well deserved some mockery, but did not win either one.
This was surprising because this was thought to be Game of Thrones’ year. Despite the mixed response to the final season, most of the acting, writing, and directing categories thought to be in the bag ended up getting beat out by shows like Ozark and Killing Eve. Granted, those are excellent shows and deserved those awards, but this was supposed to be Game of Thrones’ biggest season… as well as its biggest awards show.
In other news, all the awards the fantastic Russian Doll was nominated for went to the also fantastic Fleabag. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was named the Best Television Movie, following up its 2018 Limited Series win for “USS Callister” — and while The Handmaid’s Tale didn’t win a Best Director award for its groundbreaking episode “Holly,” the episode did receive a couple wins during the Creative Arts Emmys last week (including Guest Actress for Cherry Jones, who played June’s mum). Winners in each category are bolded below.
Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
Game of Thrones
Killing Eve
Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us
Comedy Series
Barry
Fleabag
The Good Place
The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
Veep
Drama Lead Actress
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Laura Linney, Ozark
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Robin Wright (House of Cards
Drama Lead Actor
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Billy Porter, Pose
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Comedy Lead Actress
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Comedy Lead Actor
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader, Barry
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Television Movie
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
Brexit
Deadwood: The Movie
King Lear
My Dinner with Herve
Limited Series
Chernobyl
Escape at Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us
Limited Series or Movie Lead Actress
Amy Adams, Sharp Objects
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora
Aunjanue Ellis, When They See Us
Joey King, The Act
Niecy Nash, When They See Us
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Limited Series or Movie Lead Actor
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
Drama Series Supporting Actress
Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Julia Garner, Ozark
Drama Series Supporting Actor
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Alfie Allen, Game of Thrones
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us
Comedy Series Supporting Actress
Sarah Goldberg, Barry
Sian Clifford, Fleabag
Olivia Coleman, Fleabag
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Alex Borstein, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel
Marin Hinkle, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Comedy Series Supporting Actor
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
Stephen Root, Barry
Henry Winkler, Barry
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel
Tony Hale, Veep
Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Reality Competition
The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
Variety Sketch Series
At Home With Amy Sedaris
Documentary Now!
Drunk History
I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman
Saturday Night Live
Who Is America?
Limited Series or Movie Supporting Actress
Emily Watson, Chernobyl
Margaret Qualley, Fosse/Verdon
Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects
Patricia Arquette, The Act
Vera Farmiga, When They See Us
Marsha Stephanie Blake, When They See Us
Limited Series or Movie Supporting Actor
Stellan Skarsgård, Chernobyl
Paul Dano, Escape at Dannemora
Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal
Asante Blackk, When They See Us
John Leguizamo, When They See Us
Michael K. Williams, When They See Us
Directing for a Drama Series
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne”
David Nutter, Game of Thrones, “The Last of the Starks”
Miguel Sapochnik, Game of Thrones, “The Long Night”
Daina Reed, The Handmaid’s Tale, “Holly”
Jason Bateman, Ozark, “Reparations”
Adam McKay, Succession, “Celebration”
Directing for a Comedy Series
Alec Berg, Barry, “The Audition”
Bill Hader, Barry, “ronny/lilly”
Harry Bradbeer, Fleabag, “Episode 1”
Mark Cendrowski, The Big Bang Theory, “The Stockholm Syndrome”
Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, “All Alone”
Daniel Palladino, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, “We’re Going to the Catskills!”
Directing for a Limited Series
Stephen Frears, A Very English Scandal
Johan Renck, Chernobyl
Ben Stiller, Escape at Dannemora
Jessica Yu, Fosse/Verdon
Thomas Kail, Fosse/Verdon
Ava DuVernay, When They See Us
Writing for a Drama Series
Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz, Better Call Saul, “Winner”
Jed Mercurio, Bodyguard, “Episode 1”
David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne”
Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, The Handmaid’s Tale, “Holly”
Emerald Fennell, Killing Eve, “Nice and Neat”
Jesse Armstrong, Succession, “Nobody is Ever Missing”
Writing for a Comedy Series
Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Barry, “ronny/lily”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag, “Episode 1”
Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Stacy Osei-Kuffor, PEN15, “Anna Ishii-Peters”
Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Russian Doll, “Nothing in This World Is Easy”
Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan, The Good Place, “Janet(s)”
David Mandel, Veep, “Veep”
Writing for a Limited Series Or Movie
Russell T Davies, A Very English Scandal
Craig Mazin, Chernobyl
Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin, Jerry Stahl, Escape at Dannemora, “Episode 6”
Brett Johsnon, Michael Tolkin, Escape at Dannemora, “Episode 7”
Steven Levenson, Joel Fields, Fosse/Verdon, “Providence”
Ava DuVernay, When They See Us, “Part Four”
Writing for a Variety Series
Documentary Now!
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live