‘SNL,’ ‘Westworld’ lead Emmy nominees

By Lynn Elber

AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES

“Saturday Night Live,” powered by madcap skits skewering the Trump administration, earned 22 Emmy Award nominations, including bids for Alec Baldwin’s florid portrayal of the president and Melissa McCarthy’s manic, gender-busting take on press secretary Sean Spicer.

The long-running NBC variety show tied with HBO’s sci-fi drama “Westworld,” which also earned 22 bids on Thursday, to jointly top the field for the 69th Primetime Emmys to be presented in September.

Netflix shouldered into the best drama category with three contenders, “The Crown, “House of Cards” and “Stranger Things,” a best-ever total for streaming as the platform grows in strength as a competitor to broadcast and cable.

The drama field opened up with the absence of HBO’s dominant “Game of Thrones,” which aired outside the eligibility window for Emmy consideration this year. It won 12 Emmys last year, including its second-consecutive best drama award.

Newcomers were ready to step in, including breakout series “This Is Us.” It received 11 nods, including the first best-drama series for a network show since “The Good Wife” in 2011. NBC’s intricately told story of an extended family, a hit with viewers and critics, also earned bids for Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia, who are competing with each other in the best actor category.

Sci-fi series “Stranger Things” received an impressive 18 bids, including one for star Millie Bobby Brown, while “The Crown,” a lavish peek at the life of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as played by the nominated Claire Foy, received a total of 13 bids.

The Emmys are scheduled to air Sept. 17 on CBS, with Stephen Colbert as host.