Game of Thrones typically sweeps at the Emmys, but didn’t even earn a nom this year. So what gives? Let us break down why the HBO show didn’t get nominated.
In case you missed it, Game of Thrones is a television tour de force. The entirety of season 7 demonstrated the power of HBO by delivering dragon after dragon, some zombies, and a few cool sword fights, too. For a show that consistently wows the audience, at least, visually, many people felt surprised when they noticed that Game of Thrones didn’t make the nominations list this year. Luckily, some other very worthy shows did pick up a nomination, like Stranger Things, FEUD: Bette and Joan, and obviously, several HBO shows.
Related: For all the 2017 Emmy nominations, check out the list right here.
Game of Thrones doesn’t pick up Emmys just because it’s an HBO darling, though. It’s a really technically gifted show that also boasts an incredible score each week. So far, the series has taken home 38 Emmys, the most for any scripted show.
This year, they didn’t qualify because of the delayed debut of season 7. To qualify for the Emmys, a show must air between June 1 of one year and May 30 of the next, which made Game of Thrones‘ July debut just out of the window.
However, many Game of Thrones fans questioned why Game of Thrones‘ season 6 episodes didn’t count for something. Well, according to the official Emmys rules, a premiere needs to be in the window and partial seasons don’t count.
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So that’s why Game of Thrones didn’t earn any nominations this year. But the good news is that there are still plenty of other shows to root for. The competition is really stiff this year, even if you only look at HBO. Big comedy shows like Veep will be there to represent, as will Westworld.
The 2017 Emmys will air on CBS on Sept. 17.