‘Game of Thrones’ Reigns Supreme at Emmy Nominations, But Will Its Luck Hold?

With the announcement of the nominees for the 71st Primetime Emmys, the television awards season is now in full swing, and Screen Talk Emmy Edition has returned to breakdown the nominees for awards aficionados.

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” saved its best performance at the Emmy nominations for last, scoring a record-breaking 32 nominations for its final season, demolishing the single-season nomination record previously held by the first season of ABC’s “NYPD Blue” and achieved in 1994. But as former AMC Emmy darling “Mad Men” would have you remember, racking up a lot of nominations doesn’t guarantee a happy evening come Emmy night – the period drama went 0-for-17 at the ceremony in 2012, after winning the Emmy for drama series four consecutive years.

IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson and TV Awards Editor Libby Hill delve into matters of “Game of Thrones” and beyond, taking time to explore all manner of nominations, including those that flummox, fluster, delight, and demoralize.

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Final-round Emmy voting is open from Thursday, Aug. 15 through Thursday, Aug. 29 at 10 p.m. PT. Winners for the 71st Primetime Emmys Creative Arts Awards will be announced the weekend of Sept. 14 and 15, with the Primetime Emmys ceremony broadcast live on Fox on Sunday, Sept. 22.

Also on tap is early analysis of why, exactly, “Game of Thrones” had such a strong showing, despite flagging reviews for its final episodes, as well as which shows head into the next phase of competition looking strong, including HBO’s “Chernobyl” and Amazon Prime Video’s “Fleabag,” and those that should just be happy to still be in the conversation, including Netflix’s “House of Cards” and NBC’s “This is Us.”

Listen to the episode below, and remember to subscribe to Screen Talk on Apple Podcasts or via your preferred listening source. New Emmy edition episodes will resume imminently, while traditional Screen Talk episodes — with Thompson and IndieWire Executive Film Editor and Chief Critic Eric Kohn — will continue to hit the site each Friday. Make sure to listen to IndieWire’s other podcasts, as well, including Chris O’Falt’s Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast.

For more on this year’s Emmy race, please head over to IndieWire’s Awards page, where you’ll find breaking news, Consider This profiles, and Emmy predictions in 21 categories.