Will the Emmys Reward ‘Game of Thrones’ for Its Controversial Final Season?

Game of Thrones‘s final season was one of the biggest pop cultural events in history and — depending on who you ask — one of the biggest disappointments in TV history as well. The controversial final season divided fans as we watched the Night King fall in Episode 3, Daenerys snap in Episode 5, and the show’s very own tone shift dramatically from melodramatic sorrow to wry satire in the series finale.

However, try telling Emmy voters that Game of Thrones‘s eighth and final season was anything less than spectacular. The series earned a whopping 32 Emmy nominations this year, including nods for Best Drama, Best Directing, Best Writing, plus 10 nominations for individual actors. At this point, it looks like Game of Thrones has victory cinched on Emmys night. The closest dramas on their heels all have less than a dozen Emmy nominations to brag about.

Still, don’t count on a landslide just yet. Game of Thrones might have earned a polite avalanche of nominations, but it’s still unclear if Emmy voters will actually go through and award HBO’s tent-pole series Emmys in every major category. In fact, there are three scenarios we could see going down for Game of Thrones when the Emmys air on Sunday, September 22.

Game of Thrones SWEEPS the 2019 Emmys

Looking at the show’s overwhelming nominations count, it’s hard to imagine that Game of Thrones won’t take a victory lap at this year’s Emmys. Let me reiterate: the show was nominated for 32 Emmys this year. That’s the same amount that FX earned as a network. It’s 12 more than the next most-nominated show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. And it’s a spread of sought-after big awards (like Best Drama, Best Directing, and Best Acting) and still-valued Creative Arts Emmys.

Game of Thrones isn’t just the show to beat; it’s the show to aspire to be like. Even before this year, it holds the honor for the most wins in one season. If anything, the show’s massive nominations haul proves that Emmy voters are ready to pay homage to one of the biggest shows in history with an avalanche of awards.

Game of Thrones is SHUT OUT of the 2019 Emmys

Look, it could happen. Yes, the show is nominated for 32 nominations, but the chances of it winning all of those awards are slim. After all, in many of those cases, the show’s actors and directors are competing against each other. In these instances where multiple Game of Thrones creatives are nominated against each other, there is another issue that could spell doom. They could cancel each others’ votes out, leaving an underdog a clear path to victory.  Add to that scenario the idea that some voters might assume Game of Thrones is a lock and therefore put their vote towards an underdog…well…you see where I’m heading.

But that’s just a mathematical look at the nominations list. Game of Thrones has another hurdle to overcome and that’s the rancid public opinion that’s bubbled up around it. Industry folks might admire the show’s craftsmanship and hardcore fans might maintain the show’s superiority, but there is a massive backlash brewing against the show in the mainstream. Considering that the final season wasn’t exactly the best season in the show’s run, and you might see the show flail to still the landing on Emmys night.

Game of Thrones WINS Best Drama, but MISSES other major Emmys

If you ask me, the most likely outcome on Emmys night is that Game of Thrones wins and loses.

Given the show’s preposterously long list of nominations, it makes sense that Emmy voters would award Game of Thrones with the top prize, Best Drama. The award wouldn’t just be for the show’s final season, but entire history-making run. Add to that the likelihood that the show will sweep the Creative Arts Emmys, and Game of Thrones is positioned for quite a sweet haul.

Nevertheless, there are obvious chinks in the show’s armor this time around. I’m talking about the categories of Directing, Writing, and Acting. It’s not just that there are extremely talented artists who could pull away wins for other shows in these categories, but each of them is so swamped with Game of Thrones talent, voters might not agree on where to give the show Emmys love. Consider the Best Supporting Actress category, where Gwendoline Christie, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, and Sophie Turner are all nominated. Do Game of Thrones-loving Emmy voters opt for Headey’s tragic last arc, Williams’s ecstatic hero turn, Turner’s rise to power, or Christie’s emotional storyline? Or do they vote for popular actresses Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) or Julia Garner (Ozark), who are also nominated in that category? It’s in these flashy categories that vote-splitting might matter.

Game of Thrones might have the upper hand going into the 2019 Emmys when it comes to nominations, but nothing’s certain when it comes to dragons, White Walkers, and Emmy voters’ whims.

The 2019 Emmy Awards air Sunday, September 22 on Fox. 

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