Now that the nominations are out, ET breaks down all the numbers, facts and figures that fans need to know heading into the 2019 Emmys.
When the nominees for the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on Tuesday, plenty of records were smashed, historic moments were made and The Help made itself relevant once again during another awards season.
As expected, Game of Thrones dominated the nominations in its final year of competition, leading all the shows with the most nominations and breaking its own records as the most-nominated drama of all time. However, there were a few surprises, particularly in the acting categories, which picked up multiple noms for its ensemble cast.
Meanwhile, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel led the comedy categories, with Veep going out strong in its seventh and final season. The HBO series earned star Julia Louis-Dreyfus another nomination, setting her up for record Emmy wins come September. And then there’s the fan-favorite, Pose, which made history for transgender representation and found itself vying in top categories alongside more established dramas like Better Call Saul, Ozark and This Is Us.
Now that the nominations are out, ET is breaking down all the numbers, facts, figures, snubs and surprises that fans need to know heading into the 2019 Emmys, which will be handed out live from the Microsoft Theater starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sept. 22 on Fox.
137 nominations for HBO. The premium cable network earned the most of any platform this year, returning to the top after Netflix bested it last year. (Netflix, meanwhile, ended up with an impressive 117 nominations.)
96, the age of the oldest Emmy nominee ever. Norman Lear, the producer of Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons, which was nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), is officially the oldest nominee topping the previous record-holder, Carl Reiner, by 114 days.
45 first-time acting nominees. Among the freshman class of nominated actors are a mix of A-list stars and veteran performers, including Amy Adams (Sharp Objects), Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal), Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal), Kristin Scott Thomas (Fleabag), Mandy Moore (This Is Us), Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon) and Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon).
32 nominations for Game of Thrones. The HBO series earned the most of any show this year while also breaking a 25-year record held by NYPD Blue for the most nominations in one season. The other top series includes 20 for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 19 for Chernobyl and 18 for Saturday Night Live.
17, the age of this year’s youngest acting nominee. Asante Blackk became the youngest nominee when he was recognized in the Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie category for his role on Netflix’s When They See Us. His aunt, Orange Is the New Black star and Emmy winner Samira Wiley, took to Instagram to celebrate his honor. “Congratulations to my stupidly talented nephew… Love you so much, Asante,” she wrote.
14 total nominations for RuPaul’s Drag Race. Last year, the reality competition show earned 10 nominations, winning Outstanding Competition Program and a second Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program trophy. Now, the series bested itself with 14 nominations for the main show, Untucked and online, short-form series.
13 nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Ted Danson now holds the record for the most nods in that category, thanks to his work on Cheers and The Good Place. He’s won the category twice.
12 nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Julia Louis-Dreyfus now holds the record for the most nods in that category, thanks to her work on Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep. (Prior to Veep, she won the category twice. For more on her recent winning streak, see below.)
11 nominations for The Handmaid’s Tale, despite being ineligible for top prizes. The series became one of this year’s most-nominated drama series with only three episodes in contention, thanks to a new rule for “dangling episodes,” which aired after the previous year’s eligibility cut-off. Meaning: those remaining episodes could compete for individual merit, earning Cherry Jones and Bradley Whitford acting noms.
7th nomination for the role of Selina Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The actress is now on track to beat her own record -- currently at six -- with the most wins for playing the same character. If she walks away with the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, she’ll also become the most winning actor, with nine total trophies.
6 groundbreaking nominations for Pose. The acclaimed FX series about the transgender community and New York City ballroom scene was recognized for top prizes, including Outstanding Drama Series and Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Billy Porter, who became the first openly gay black man nominated in the category.
6 posthumous nominations for Anthony Bourdain and his series, Parts Unknown. In 2018, the famed TV personality died during filming of the CNN food and travel series. Despite his unexpected death, the series was still able to produce a seven-episode final season, using narrations and additional guest interviews. The nominations for Bourdain, which come shortly after the one-year anniversary of his death, include Outstanding Informational Series or Special and Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program.
5 double-acting nominees. Alex Borstein (Family Guy and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Fiona Shaw (Fleabag and Killing Eve), Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul and Employee Training), Patricia Arquette (The Act and Escape at Dannemora) and Sandra Oh (Killing Eve and Saturday Night Live) were all recognized in two performance categories. While Oh is continuing her historic Emmy run, Shaw is notably the only person nominated for two different shows created by the same person, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
5 nominations for the female stars of Fleabag. Of the 11 nominations the Amazon series received, five of them were for acting for Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, Fiona Shaw, Kristin Scott Thomas and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Unlike any other series with multiple acting nominations this year, it’s the only one to see its many female stars recognized.
5 nominations total for two different Fyre Festival documentaries. Earlier this year, Netflix and Hulu released in-depth looks at the disastrous Fyre Festival, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Fyre Fraud, sparking an unofficial feud between the two streaming platforms. While the reviews favored either film for their access and storytelling, the Television Academy made the final determination about which one was better, awarding the Netflix film with four nominations, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, versus one for the Hulu release. Justice for Andy, who was willing to do whatever it took to save the festival!!!
4 openly transgender people nominated for Emmys. Laverne Cox, Silas Howard, Janet Mock and Our Lady J made history while earning nominations for their respective work. Cox, who was nominated for a third time for playing Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black, is the first and only transgender person nominated for an acting prize. Meanwhile, Howard, Mock and Our Lady J became the first transgender people nominated for Outstanding Drama Series for their work as producers on Pose.
3 nominations for stars of The Help. The Oscar-winning period film about the lives of black maids working for white families in the South has gone on to produce an ensemble of award-winning stars, who have subsequently earned a number of accolades including Oscars for Allison Janney, Emma Stone and Viola Davis. Now, former co-stars Davis (How to Get Away With Murder), Cicely Tyson (HTGAWM) and Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us), are all nominated for Emmys -- Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Guest Actress in a Drama Series and Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, respectively.
3 Levys nominated for Schitt’s Creek. This is the first year that Schitt’s Creek was recognized by the Television Academy. The beloved family sitcom earned a total of four nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, meaning that co-creators and stars Eugene and Dan Levy and Eugene's brother Fred, who is an executive producer, are all nominated. Meanwhile, Catherine O’Hara was finally nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy while her husband Bo Welch was nominated for Outstanding Production Design for his work on A Series of Unfortunate Events. This is the first time they’ve been nominated in the same year, .
2 Moonlight stars nominated for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. Both Mahershala Ali and Jharrel Jerome are up for the same award after starring in the acclaimed series True Detective and When They See Us, respectively. While reflecting to ET about being nominated alongside his Oscar-winning co-star, Jerome said, "The fact that we’re in the same category is a blessing."
1 Julia Roberts, who had the best reaction for being snubbed on Tuesday. “I’m in exceptional company,” she wrote, when she saw that she, George Clooney, Emma Stone and other A-list stars were surprisingly not among this year’s acting nominees.
0 f**king Emmy nominations for The Good Fight. Despite continued acclaim and praise for the CBS All Access spinoff starring Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, the series has only earned two nominations -- for music and lyrics and title music -- in its first two seasons. This year, it was expected to be a contender, with Baranski earning her first Lead Actress nomination, but it was snubbed. As Lockhart would say, “F**k it!”
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