What season 8 controversy? Early Emmy wins hint at big night for Game of Thrones

By Rick Marshall Published September 19, 2019

The final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones generated plenty of controversy and criticism, but that doesn’t appear to have affected its standing in the awards arena. The record-breaking series claimed 10 Creative Arts Emmy Awards over the weekend, which suggests it’s headed for a big night at the official Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on Sunday.

Announced the week before the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Creative Arts Emmy Awards honors the year’s best television projects, actors, and creative teams in lower-profile categories that don’t necessarily make the cut for the annual Emmy Awards show. Along with providing well-deserved recognition to a wide range of people who helped make some of the best TV of the year possible, the Creative Arts Emmys can sometimes provide insight on the shows and actors likely to earn the lion’s share of attention (and trophies) at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

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This is the final year that perennial favorite Game of Thrones is eligible for Emmy Awards, after having concluded its eighth and final season in May.

Although the show’s final season earned mixed reactions from fans — with some even calling for the season to be rewritten and shot again — that polarizing response to the final arc of Game of Thrones wasn’t reflected in its performance at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony. Game of Thrones was honored in the following 10 categories:

Sound Editing for a Comedy Or Drama Series (one hour)
Special Visual Effects (for the episode The Bells)
Fantasy/Sci-fi Costumes (for The Bells)
Makeup for a Single-camera Series — non-prosthetic (for The Long Night)
Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie
Main Title Design
Music Composition for a Series (original dramatic score)
Casting for a Drama Series
Single-camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (for The Long Night)
Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series — one hour (for The Long Night)

HBO’s Game of Thrones has won 47 Primetime Emmy Awards to date, the most by any drama series and a total that will likely increase during this year’s ceremony. With nominations in 32 categories this year, Game of Thrones broke the single-season record for any show — a record previously held by NYPD Blue, which received 26 nominations in 1994. The series also holds the current record for overall Emmy nominations for a series with 161 across its eight seasons.

The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. ET on September 22 and will be broadcast on Fox.

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