The People v OJ Simpson runs it a close second with 22 nominations, in list that showcases diversity of television compared with Hollywood

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Winter is coming – again. Game of Thrones confirmed its dominance of the TV landscape on Thursday when its sixth season picked up 23 nominations for the Emmy awards, just one short of the record 24 nominations it received last year.

The awards nominations include the top honour, outstanding drama series, which the hugely popular swords-and-sorcery epic won last year. At the previous Emmys, Game of Thrones took 12 awards in all, setting a new record.

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However, the acclaimed show The People v OJ Simpson, a dramatisation of the notorious trial, was only one nomination behind, netting 22, including an acting nomination for Sarah Paulson, who played prosecutor Marcia Clark. This makes it the first series since the 1990s to take over 20 nominations in its first season. The last show to do so was ER in 1995.

Perhaps surprisingly, The Good Wife, whose final episode was aired in May after seven seasons and which received huge critical approbation, missed out on the top awards. There was also nothing for the show’s lead actor Julianna Margulies, who has previously won two Emmys, or for Alan Cumming, who was nominated last year.

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However, spy drama The Americans received five award nominations many commentators thought were overdue, including outstanding drama series, best actor for Matthew Rhys, best actress for Keri Russell, and best writing for the final show in the season. The other contenders for outstanding drama series are Better Call Saul, Downton Abbey, Homeland, House of Cards and Mr Robot.

Other shows that received multiple nominations included Fargo with 18, Veep with 17 and Saturday Night Live, which scooped 16.

HBO was once again the dominant network, receiving 94 nominations, though this was down on the 126 it amassed in 2015.

It was a morning that showcased the diversity of television compared with Hollywood, with actors of colour nominated in all the leading actor categories – a first. Black-ish, a highly praised American sitcom about an African American family starring Anthony Anderson, received nominations including outstanding outstanding comedy series, up against Master of None, Modern Family, Silicon Valley, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Veep, which took the prize in 2015.

Meanwhile, in the best actor in a limited series category, three of the nominees were black, including Courtney B Vance, Idris Elba and Cuba Gooding Jr. In all, 18 actors of colour received nominations across 16 acting categories. Two were from the hit soap Empire, Tracee Ellis Ross and Taraji P Henson. How to Get Away with Murder’s Viola Davis, who took the prize for lead actress in a drama last year with a stirring speech, also received a nomination in the same category.

The other nominees in the lead actress in a drama category are Claire Danes for Homeland, Taraji P Henson for Empire, Tatiana Maslany for Orphan Black, Keri Russell for The Americans and Robin Wright for House of Cards.

The nominees for outstanding lead actor in a drama are Kyle Chandler (Bloodline), Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Kevin Spacey (House of Cards), Rami Malek (Mr Robot), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) and Liev Schrieber (Ray Donovan).

The talkshow category received a shakeup, with The Daily Show, usually a shoo-in for the Emmys, missing out on the outstanding talkshow category. Stephen Colbert also failed to receive a nod for his new show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

However, Jerry Seinfeld’s digital series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee was nominated, along with The Late Late Show with James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Real Time with Bill Maher and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Beyoncé may add to her groaning awards cabinet in September – her much talked-about “visual album” Lemonade received four nods.