'Game of Thrones' looks to go out with a bang on Emmy Night

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented Sunday in a ceremony likely to become a going-away party for HBO's "Game of Thrones,'' a heavy favorite to continue stuffing its already crowded trophy case.

The celebrated fantasy drama, which debuted in 2011 and ended its 73-episode run on May 19, already holds the record for scripted series with 57 Emmy wins -- including the 10 it collected last weekend during the Creative Arts Emmy Award ceremonies.

With just three more wins Sunday night, "Game of Thrones'' will break its own record for Emmys won by a show in a single season. The series won 12 Emmys in 2015. The 32 nominations "Game of Thrones'' received were the most by a program in a single season, besting a 25-year-old record set by the ABC police drama "NYPD Blue.''

The show has won the Emmy for outstanding drama series each of the last three years it was eligible. It wasn't eligible for the 2017 award because its only new episodes airing during the eligibility period were part of the body of work considered for its 2016 victory.

The series will compete for the drama prize with AMC's "Better Call Saul,'' Netflix's "Bodyguard'' and "Ozark,'' BBC America's "Killing Eve,'' FX's "Pose,'' HBO's "Succession'' and NBC's "This is Us.''

Although "This is Us'' has been nominated three years in a row, a series from the major broadcast networks has not won the outstanding drama series Emmy since Fox's "24'' in 2006.

HBO's "Veep,'' which ended its seven-season run on May 12, is the sentimental favorite in the comedy series category. The show won the

outstanding comedy series Emmy each year from 2015 through 2017. Its final season was delayed to allow star Julia Louis-Dreyfus enough time to recuperate after undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

Also nominated for the comedy series prize are HBO's "Barry,'' Prime Video's "Fleabag,'' NBC's "The Good Place,'' Prime Video's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,'' Netflix's "Russian Doll'' and Pop TV's "Schitt's Creek.''

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' won the Emmy last year during "Veep's'' hiatus.

Louis-Dreyfus is nominated for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, along with last year's winner, Rachel Brosnahan of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,'' Christina Applegate for Netflix's "Dead to Me,'' Natasha Lyonne of "Russian Doll,'' Catherine O'Hara for "Schitt's Creek'' and Phoebe Waller-Bridge for "Fleabag.''

Louis-Dreyfus could make Emmy history if she wins the comedy actress prize. She is tied with Cloris Leachman for the most Emmys won by a female performer, with eight.

Louis-Dreyfus holds the record for most wins by a performer in the same role in the same series, thanks to her six consecutive wins for "Veep'' -- a string that ended last year when the show went on hiatus. She also won Emmys for her work on "The New Adventures of Old Christine'' and "Seinfeld.''

Competing for best actor in a comedy series are Anthony Anderson for ABC's "Black-ish,'' Don Cheadle for Showtime's "Black Monday,'' Ted Danson of "The Good Place,'' Michael Douglas of Netflix's "The Kominsky Method,'' Bill Hader for "Barry'' and Eugene Levy of "Schitt's Creek.''

Hader won the award last year.

Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia are both nominated for best drama series actor for their work in NBC's "This is Us.'' Jason Bateman is nominated for his work in Netflix's "Ozark,'' as are Bob Odenkirk for "Better Call Saul,'' Billy Porter for "Pose'' and Kit Harrington for "Game of Thrones.''

Harrington's co-star Emilia Clarke is nominated for best drama series actress for "Game of Thrones.'' Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh are both nominated in the category for "Killing Eve,'' as are Viola Davis of ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder,'' Mandy Moore for "This is Us,'' Robin Wright for Netflix's "House of Cards'' and Laura Linney for "Ozark.''

CBS' "The Amazing Race'' is again among the nominees for outstanding reality-competition program. It has been nominated each of the preceding 17 years the category has been in existence. It won each of the first seven years, and again in 2011, 2012 and 2014. It will compete for the Emmy with NBC's "American Ninja Warrior'' and "The Voice''; VH1's "RuPaul's Drag Race''; Bravo's "Top Chef''; and Netflix's "Nailed It.''

"RuPaul's Drag Race'' won in 2018 and "The Voice'' won in 2017.

Competing for outstanding limited series will be FX's "Fosse/Verdon,'' Netflix's "When They See Us,'' Showtime's "Escape at

Dannemora'' and HBO's "Sharp Objects'' and "Chernobyl.''

Nominated for outstanding television movie are Netflix's "Bandersnatch (Black Mirror),'' Prime Video's "King Lear'' and HBO's "Brexit,'' "Deadwood'' and "My Dinner with Herve.''

Mahershala Ali is nominated for best actor in a limited series or movie for his work in HBO's "True Detective.'' Sam Rockwell is in the category for his work on "Fosse/Verdon,'' along with Benicio del Toro for "Escape at Dannemora,'' Hugh Grant for Prime Video's "A Very English Scandal,'' Jared Harris for "Chernobyl'' and Jharrel Jerome for "When They See Us.''

For best actress in a limited series or movie, nominees are Amy Adams for "Sharp Objects,'' Patricia Arquette for "Escape at Dannemora,'' Aunjanue Ellis and Niecy Nash for "When They See Us,'' Joey King for Hulu's "The Act'' and Michelle Williams for "Fosse/Verdon.''

The 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which honor programming initially airing between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. between June 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019, will be presented at the Microsoft Theater and air on Fox.