‘Thrones’ leads pack with 24 nods

By Lynn Elber

AP Television Writer

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.

The elaborate fantasy saga “Game of Thrones” received a leading 24 Emmy Awards nominations Thursday, 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.

However, two-time nominee Kerry Washington of “Scandal” was left out this year.

“I gotta win! I gotta win for history!” an exuberant Henson said in May when asked about the prospect during an “Empire” panel.

However, two-time nominee Kerry Washington, the black star of “Scandal,” was left out this year.

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, 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.

Other top awards 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.

The nominations reflect the steadily rising tide of cord-cutting networks. No commercial broadcast network drama made the cut for best series, with cable, streaming service Netflix and non-commercial PBS dividing up the spoils instead.

“The Good Wife” was the last broadcast nominee in the category, in 2011.

Programs getting a last chance for Emmy glory include best drama series nominee “Mad Men,” a four-time winner in the category that would be the most-honored drama ever with a fifth trophy.

For star Hamm’s portrayal of Don Draper, it’s a final shot after seven previous nominations.

David Letterman, who retired from “Late Show,” and Stephen Colbert, who left “The Colbert Report” to succeed Letterman this fall, both received variety talk show nominations for their former shows.

Joining “Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men” and “Better Call Saul” in the best drama category are “Downton Abbey,” “Homeland,” House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black,” which switched over from comedy series contention because of an Emmy rules change.

On the comedy series side, perennial TV academy favorite “Modern Family,” whose ensemble cast includes Youngstown native Ed O’Neill, is nominated again, along with “Louie,” “Silicon Valley,” “Transparent,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Veep.”

“Modern Family” has won in the category a record-tying (with “Frasier”) five times. Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell of “Modern Family” received nods for Supporting Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series.