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.
Drama Series: “Better Call Saul,” AMC; “Downton Abbey,” PBS: Game of Thrones,” HBO; “Homeland,” Showtime; “House of Cards,” Netflix; “Mad Men,” AMC; “Orange is the New Black,” Netflix.
Comedy Series: “Louie,” FX Networks; “Modern Family,” ABC; “Parks and Recreation,” NBC; “Silicon Valley,” HBO; “Transparent,” Amazon Instant Video; “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Netflix; “Veep,” HBO.
Actor, Drama Series: Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul,” AMC; Kyle Chandler, “Bloodline,” Netflix; Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards,” Netflix; Jon Hamm, “Mad Men,” AMC; Jeff Daniels, “The Newsroom,” HBO; Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan,” Showtime.
Actress, Drama Series: Taraji P. Henson, “Empire,” Fox; Claire Danes, “Homeland,” Showtime; Robin Wright, “House of Cards,” Netflix; Viola Davis, “How to Get Away With Murder,” ABC; Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men,” AMC; Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black,” BBC America.
Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul,” AMC; Ben Mendelsohn, “Bloodline,” Netflix; Jim Carter, “Downton Abbey,” PBS; Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones,” HBO; Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife,” CBS; Michael Kelly, “House of Cards,” Netflix.
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey,” PBS; Lena Headey, “Game of Thrones,” HBO; Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones,” HBO; Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife,” CBS; Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men,” AMC; Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black,” Netflix.
Actor, Comedy Series: Anthony Anderson, “black-ish,” ABC; Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes,” Showtime; Don Cheadle, “House of Lies,” Showtime; Will Forte, “The Last Man on Earth,” Fox; Louis C.K., “Louie,” FX Networks; William H. Macy, “Shameless,” Showtime; Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent,” Amazon Instant Video.
Actress, Comedy Series: Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback,” HBO; Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie,” Netflix; Amy Schumer, “Inside Amy Schumer,” Comedy Central; Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie,” Showtime; Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation,” NBC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep,” HBO.
Actor, Limited Series or Movie: Timothy Hutton, “American Crime,” ABC; Ricky Gervais, “Derek Special,” Netflix; Adrien Brody, “Houdini,” HISTORY; David Oyelowo, “Nightingale,” HBO; Richard Jenkins, “Olive Kitteridge,” HBO; Mark Rylance, “Wolf Hall,” PBS.
Actress, Limited Series or Movie: Felicity Huffman, “American Crime,” ABC; Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” FX Networks; Queen Latifah, “Bessie,” HBO; Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honorable Woman,” SundanceTV; Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge,” HBO; Emma Thompson, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Live From Lincoln Center),” PBS.
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Fox; Adam Driver, “Girls,” HBO; Keegan-Michael Key, “Key & Peele,” Comedy Central; Ty Burrell, “Modern Family,” ABC; Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Netflix; Tony Hale, “Veep,” HBO.
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS; Niecy Nash, “Getting On,” HBO; Julie Bowen, “Modern Family,” ABC; Allison Janney, “Mom,” CBS; Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live,” NBC; Gaby Hoffmann, “Transparent,” Amazon Instant Video; Jane Krakowski, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Netflix; Anna Chlumsky, “Veep,” HBO.
Structured Reality Program: “Antiques Roadshow,” PBS; “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” Food Network; “MythBusters,” Discovery Channel; “Property Brothers,” HGTV; “Shark Tank,” ABC; “Undercover Boss,” CBS;
Reality-Competition Program: “The Amazing Race,” CBS; “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC; “Project Runway,” Lifetime; “So You Think You Can Dance,” Fox; “Top Chef,” Bravo; “The Voice,” NBC.
Variety Talk Series: “The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central; “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central; “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC; “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” HBO; “Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS; “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” NBC.
Children’s Program: “Alan Alda and the Actor Within You: A YoungArts Masterclass,” HBO; “Degrassi,” Nickelodeon; “Dog With a Blog,” Disney Channel; “Girl Meets World,” Disney Channel; Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Coming Out,” Nickelodeon.