This morning the nominees for the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced. And while every year it seems like more people are interested in talking about what didn't get nominated than what did, but this time around it's actually a different story. With the huge amount of television that's being produced in this age of Peak TV, there was plenty to take notice of and some long overdue acknowledgment. But before the conversation shifts to an analysis what was overlooked, it's time to recognize what was deemed worthy of a nomination.
There were plenty of surprises, as most of the nominees in the top categories were filled with a mix of new and familiar faces. Last year's big winner, HBO's Game of Thrones was back, while FX's superlative The Americans received three nominations, including Outstanding Drama. Tom Hiddleston and The Night Manager landed a few nominations, while The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story garnered noms for Cuba Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, and Sarah Paulson.
Without further adieu, here is the list of nominees for the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards:
OUTSTANDING DRAMA
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Mr. Robot (USA)
The Americans (FX)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Keri Russell, The Americans
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Robin Wright, House of Cards
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Constance Zimmer, UnReal
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES AND TV MOVIE
American Crime (ABC)
Fargo (FX)
The Night Manager (AMC)
The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Roots (History)
TV MOVIE
A Very Murray Christmas (Netflix)
All the Way (HBO)
Confirmation (HBO)
Luther (BBC America)
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (BBC America)
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Idris Elba, Luther
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager
Cuba Gooding Jr., The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Courtney B. Vance, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
LEAD ACTRESS LIMITED
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Lili Taylor, American Crime
Kerry Washington, Confirmation
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Sarah Paulson, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
OUTSTANDING COMEDY
black-ish (ABC)
Master of None (Netflix)
Modern Family (ABC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
Laurie Metcalf, Getting On
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louie-Dreyfus, Veep
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Niecy Nash, Getting On
Allison Janney, Mom
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Judith Light, Transparent
Gaby Hoffman, Transparent
Anny Chlumsky, Veep
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Titus Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tony Hale, Veep
Matt Walsh, Veep
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There's plenty to be surprised about with these nominations. The inclusion of Kit Harington is a surprise, especially given that Christian Slater didn't get a nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category. Meanwhile, it's great to see Louie Anderson get a much-deserved nod for is role in Baskets, a show that seemed compelled to up its game to his level as the first season went on. The same can be said for Aziz Ansari and Master of None. Both deserved the nomination and could be a strong contender for the win considering the first-season love being handed the series.
Maybe most surprising is the absence of The Good Wife and UnReal in the big categories, as well as Empire and Orange is the New Black. Uzo Aduba (Suzanne Warren) was the winner last year, so her absence and the series' absence here is a big surprise. Other surprise omissions include, The Leftovers, Show Me a Hero, and Louie C.K.'s Horace & Pete.
The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air on Sunday, September 18, 2016, on ABC with host Jimmy Kimmel.