HBO’s Game of Thrones sets a record with 32 Emmy nominations Tuesday for its eighth and final season, leading HBO back to dominance over Netflix, the streaming service that bumped it last year from atop the increasingly crowded television heap.
The bloodthirsty saga’s total eclipsed the all-time series record of 27 nods earned by NYPD Blue in 1994.
If Game of Thrones successfully defends it best drama series title and claims a fourth trophy, it will join the quartet of most-honored dramas that includes Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, The West Wing and Mad Men.
The Emmy voters’ acclaim stands in sharp contrast to fan reaction to the show’s last hurrah, which included howls of laughter for a to-go coffee cup inadvertently included in one scene and a finale that detractors called unsatisfying. But the show’s ratings never faltered for the series based on George R.R. Martin’s novels, setting new highs for HBO.
A wealth of recognition for the cast and guest stars , including the show’s only previous winner, Peter Dinklage with three awards, helped Game of Thrones add to its already record haul of nominations, now at 161 total.
