Emmys 2019: Game of Thrones scores record-breaking 32 nominations as HBO trumps Netflix, no big bang for Big Bang Theory

HBO's "Game of Thrones" slashed its way to a record-setting 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 acting nominations for the cast and guest stars, including the show's sole previous winner, Peter Dinklage, helped boost "Game of Thrones" to a new record of 160 total nominations — breaking its own previous record of 128. 

Series star Emilia Clarke's decision to seek a best actress nomination after a series of supporting actress bids paid off. She's competing in a category that's notable for its diversity, including past winner Viola Davis for "How to Get Away with Murder" and repeat nominee Sandra Oh for "Killing Eve," who has another chance to become the first actress of Asian descent to win the trophy. She lost last year to Claire Foy for Netflix's "The Crown." 

Last year's best comedy series, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," led the comedy pack with 20 bids, including for its star and defending champion Rachel Brosnahan. She'll vie with Emmy record-holder Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "Veep," who didn't compete in last year's awards because her breast cancer treatment delayed production of the political satire. 

Louis-Dreyfus, who with Cloris Leachman shares the record for most Emmys won by a performer, eight, has a shot at solo glory if she wins again. 

"Veep" received a total nine nominations for its final season, a warm farewell and one that wasn't to be for "The Big Bang Theory," the long-running sitcom that failed to capture a best comedy nod or any for its actors. The show has company in other hit sitcoms of the past: Neither "Friends" nor "Frasier" were nominated for best series for their final year, both in 2004. 

"Frasier" stars Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce did collect actor and supporting actor Emmys, respectively, while the "Friends" cast members with bids came away empty-handed. 

Other top nominees include the nuclear disaster miniseries "Chernobyl" with 19 nominations and "Saturday Night Live," which dew on Robert De Niro's talents to play Robert Mueller last season, with 18. "When They See Us," the miniseries that dramatized the Central Park Five case and its aftermath, received 16 bids. 

The 71st Emmy Awards will air Sept. 22 on Fox, with the host yet to be announced. 

Here's the full list:

Outstanding drama series

Better Call Saul (AMC)
Bodyguard (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
Ozark (Netflix)
Pose (FX)
Succession (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)

Outstanding comedy series

Barry (HBO)
Fleabag (Amazon Prime Video)
Russian Doll (Netflix)
Schitt's Creek (Pop TV)
The Good Place (NBC)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video)
Veep (HBO)

Outstanding limited series

Chernobyl (HBO)
Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)
Fosse/Verdon (FX)
Sharp Objects (HBO)
When They See Us (Netflix)

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Laura Linney (Ozark)
Mandy Moore (This Is Us)

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Billy Porter (Pose)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones)
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
Julia Garner (Ozark)

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
Chris Sullivan (This Is Us)

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)
Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll)
Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek)
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

Bill Hader (Barry)
Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
Anthony Anderson (black-ish)
Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek)
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

Sarah Goldberg (Barry)
Sian Clifford (Fleabag)
Olivia Colman (Fleabag)
Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)
Stephen Root (Barry)
Henry Winkler (Barry) 
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method) 
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Tony Hale (Veep)

Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie

Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora)
Michelle Williams (Fosse/Verdon)
Amy Adams (Sharp Objects)
Joey King (The Act)
Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us)
Niecy Nash (When They See Us)

Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie

Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal)
Jared Harris (Chernobyl)
Benicio del Toro (Escape at Dannemora)
Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon)
Mahershala Ali (True Detective)
Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us)

Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or movie

Emily Watson (Chernobyl) 
Margaret Qualley (Fosse/Verdon)
Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects)
Patricia Arquette (The Act)
Marsha Stephanie Blake (When They See Us)
Vera Farmiga (When They See Us)

Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie

Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal)
Stellan Skarsgard (Chernobyl)
Paul Dano (Escape at Dannemora)
Asante Blackk (When They See Us)
John Leguizamo (When They See Us)
Michael K. Williams (When They See Us)

Outstanding variety talk series

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Outstanding variety sketch series

At Home with Amy Sedaris (truTV)
Documentary Now! (IFC)
Drunk History (Comedy Central)
I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman (Hulu)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Who Is America? (Showtime)

Outstanding documentary or nonfiction special

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (Netflix)
Jane Fonda in Five Acts (HBO)
Leaving Neverland (HBO)
Love, Gilda (CNN)
Minding the Gap (Hulu)
The Inventor: Our for Blood in Silicon Valley (HBO)

Outstanding documentary or nonfiction series

30 for 30 (ESPN)
American Masters (PBS)
Chef's Table (Netflix)
Hostile Planet (National Geographic)
Our Planet (Netflix)

Outstanding structured reality program

Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
Shark Tank (ABC)
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (Netflix)
Who Do You Think You Are? (TLC)

Outstanding unstructured reality program

Born This Way (A&E)
Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel)
Life Below Zero (National Geographic)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (VH1)
Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)
United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)

Outstanding competition program

American Ninja Warrior (NBC)
Nailed It! (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1)
The Amazing Race (CBS)
The Voice (NBC)
Top Chef (Bravo)

Outstanding host for a reality or competition program

Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen's Game of Games)
Amy Poehler & Nick Offerman (Making It)
RuPaul (RuPaul's Drag Race)
James Corden (The World's Best)
Marie Kondo (Tidying Up with Marie Kondo)

Outstanding television movie

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (Netflix)
Brexit (HBO)
Deadwood: The Movie (HBO)
King Lear (Amazon)
My Dinner with Hervé (HBO)

(With inputs from AP)