From Julia Roberts to 'Game of Thrones,' ET breaks down the biggest TV surprises and snubs.
The nominations for the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards are here.
While there were plenty of worthy nominees Tuesday morning, there were several big surprises and snubs. With the final season under its belt, Game of Thrones dominated nomination morning, racking up a total of 32 for its farewell episodes, including honors for 10 of its actors, while the heartbreaking miniseries, When They See Us, ruled supreme with eight of its main stars recognized.
But it wasn't all good news. There were head-scratching omissions for Golden Globe winner Richard Madden, star of U.K. sensation Bodyguard to snubs for A-list stars like Julia Roberts and George Clooney. And what about the final season of The Big Bang Theory? No love for the outgoing comedy series either.
Following this morning's Emmy nominations announcement, ET breaks down the biggest TV surprises and snubs.
SURPRISES
Schitt's Creek Breaks Through
Pop TV's cult comedy finally broke through for the first time with major nominations in the top comedy categories, Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Eugene Levy and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Catherine O'Hara, and it's about damn time. The series had been bubbling under the surface, ready to pounce when the opportunity arose, and it looks like 2019 was finally the year.
Mandy Moore Scores Her First
It came one year later than we would've liked (season two remains Moore's best work yet on This Is Us), but the Pearson matriarch landed the first nomination of her career for her work in season three of This Is Us. After being left on the outside looking in the last two years, it didn't seem like the singer-actress would ever get her shot. Thankfully, Emmy voters had other thoughts this year. Moore wasn't the only This Is Us cast member to receive major love; joining multiple-time nominees Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia, Chris Sullivan -- who wasn't on many shortlists -- got a surprise nomination, along with guest star Michael Angarano. (No surprise that Phylicia Rashad and Ron Cephas Jones, a past Emmy winner, also got nods.)
It's Jodie Comer's Year
The Killing Eve standout, who has awed audiences as the prickly yet charming villain Villanelle, joined Sandra Oh in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category for the first time, her snub last year ruffling some feathers. Comer's performance this past season, it should be noted, was the season's highlight. With Comer and Oh competing against each other, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Game of Thrones Slays
While we expected Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke to secure nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, respectively, the fact that almost every one of their co-stars eligible this year also scored a nomination came as a surprise. Very clear to us that many Emmy voters felt it necessary to give the farewell season its due. Alfie Allen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Peter Dinklage are up for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, while Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Lena Headey and Gwendoline Christie will all go head-to-head for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The popular HBO show also received a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
When They See Us Dominates
We anticipated Ava DuVernay's heartbreaking miniseries about the Exonerated Five to be a major Emmys player, but we didn't think seven of its actors would get love. From frontrunner Jharrel Jerome to Niecy Nash to Aunjanue Ellis, When They See Us also recognized Marsha Stephanie Blake, Vera Farmiga, Asante Blackk, Michael K. Williams and John Leguizamo.
SNUBS
The Big Bang Theory Gets No Love in Farewell
The CBS comedy said goodbye after 11 seasons earlier this year, but if you thought that meant there would be one final push at the Emmys, you'd be wrong. The Jim Parsons-led series went out not with a bang, but a whimper, failing to score any major nominations for its final season. Big Bang instead landed three nominations in technical categories.
From Golden Globe Winner to Emmy Snub
If Richard Madden thought winning a Golden Globe would give him the momentum when Emmy nominations came around, he was sorely mistaken Tuesday. The Bodyguard star was shockingly shut out of the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category after winning hardware in January at the Globes. It's not all bad news for the British series; it is one of eight nominees for Outstanding Drama Series.
Julia Roberts Shut Out
Out of all this year's snubs, we found this one most surprising! Many were hoping Roberts would finally take home a Primetime Emmy Award for her role as social worker Heidi Bergman on Amazon's Homecoming, arguably one of her best performances in years. Unfortunately, when the nominations were called out for Best Actress in a Drama Series, Roberts was not on the list. The show was completely shut out this year, save for one nomination in Outstanding Cinematography. (The Homecoming that the Television Academy did recognize was Beyonce's Netflix special.)
No Go for George Clooney
With a big name actor like Clooney as the lead, in a role that marked his much-anticipated return to TV following ER, we were expecting Hulu's Catch-22 to score at least one nomination. Like Roberts, Clooney didn't make the cut. (Catch-22 only managed two nominations in technical categories.)
Desiree Murphy contributed to this article.
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The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 22 on Fox. Check out the full list of nominees below and check out ET Live and ETonline for ongoing coverage of the awards.
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