LIST: ‘Game of Thrones’ earns a leading 24 Emmy Award nominations

This image released by HBO shows Kit Harington as Jon Snow, left, in a scene from “Game of Thrones.” The series was nominated for an Emmy Award on Thursday, July 16, 2015, for outstanding drama series. The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Sept. 20, 2015. (Helen Sloan/HBO via AP)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California— The elaborate fantasy saga “Game of Thrones” received a leading 24 Emmy Awards nominations Thursday (Friday, Manila time), its stature apparently untouched by backlash over a female character’s rape scene.

The series is a contender again for top drama honors, an award that has eluded it since it debuted in 2011. TV academy voters rarely give shows in the sci-fi or other genres the ultimate accolade, with “Lost” among the rare exceptions.

The TV academy took a modest step toward recognizing TV’s increasing embrace of diverse TV talent, giving best actress nods to black stars Taraji P. Henson for “Empire” and Viola Davis for “How to Get Away with Murder.”

“This is what it’s supposed to be like. You should recognize actors and creative people in this industry from every level of all colors who do great work,” Queen Latifah said.

The nominations set up the possibility of a history-making win: An African-American actress has never won the top drama acting award.

“I gotta win! I gotta win for history!” an exuberant Henson said in May when asked about the prospect during an “Empire” panel.

Family comedy “black-ish” earned an acting bid for star Anthony Anderson, but failed to gain a best series nomination.

Also snubbed: freshman hit hip-hop-family drama “Empire,” which was left out of the best drama series category, and series star Terrence Howard, who failed to get a best drama actor bid.

Instead, voters gave nods to favorites such as “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey of “House of Cards” and newcomer Bob Odenkirk for “Better Call Saul.” The prequel to the now-concluded “Breaking Bad” earned a best drama bid in its first season out.

Gina Rodriguez, the standout Latina star of “Jane the Virgin,” failed to get a comedy acting nod despite winning a Golden Globe award for her performance. Sofia Vergara, a four-time nominee for “Modern Family,” was snubbed for the second year in a row.

The relatively expansive ethnic diversity that TV offers — compared to movies, which honored only white actors this year — also is in play when it comes to sexuality. “Transparent” and Jeffrey Tambor’s portrayal of a transsexual’s life received best comedy series and acting bids.

Other top nominees are “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” with 19 nominations; TV movies “Olive Kittridge” and “Bessie,” with 13 and 12 bids, respectively; and “House of Cards,” ”Mad Men” and “Transparent” with 11 nominations.