Killing Eve stars Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh will battle it out off-screen for the best actress award at this year's Emmys.

The comedy thriller series has nine nominations in total at the ceremony.

The show's original writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge is also up for lead actress in a comedy series for Fleabag.

Her show has 11 nominations in total, while Game of Thrones has 32, including acting nods for Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke.

That's the highest total for any programme in a single year, beating NYPD Blues which received 26 in 1994.

However, mixed reviews for the final series of epic fantasy show could damage its chances outside the technical categories.

Game of Thrones goes up against British series Bodyguard and Killing Eve for outstanding drama series, alongside Better Call Saul, Ozark, Pose, Succession and This is Us.

Sky Atlantic 2019 Emmy nominations 32 Game Of Thrones

20 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

19 Chernobyl

18 Saturday Night Live

17 Barry; Fosse/Verdon Source: Television Academy

Comer, whose portrayal of Killing Eve's psychopathic assassin Villanelle won her a Bafta earlier this year, received her first Emmy nomination on Tuesday.

She failed to make the cut last year, when her co-star Sandra Oh lost the best actress category to Claire Foy, who played the Queen in Netflix's The Crown.

This year, both Comer and Oh are nominated alongside Clarke, Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder), Laura Linney (Ozark), Mandy Moore (This Is Us) and Robin Wright (House Of Cards).

Hugh Grant is nominated for best actor in a limited series or movie for A Very English Scandal.

His competition, aside from Harington, is Mahershala Ali (True Detective), Benicio Del Toro (Escape at Dannemora), Jared Harris (Chernobyl), Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) and Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon).

Dreyfus hoping for history

Fleabag, a dark comedy about a Londoner grappling with the death of her best friend and her troublesome family, sees nominations for all five of its female stars - Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman, Sian Clifford, Kristin Scott Thomas and Fiona Shaw - who picks up a second nomination for her role as MI6 chief Carolyn Martens in Killing Eve.

However, Andrew Scott, aka Fleabag's "sexy priest", was overlooked.

Waller-Bridge, who created both Killing Eve and Fleabag, faces stiff competition in the best comedy actress category.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who already holds the record for the most Emmy awards for a single role, will be hoping to pick up a seventh prize for her portrayal of vainglorious US President Selena Meyer in Veep.

Voters may be persuaded to honour the star for her last outing in the HBO series, which ended earlier this year.

Last year's winner, Rachel Brosnahan, is also a favourite for Amazon Prime's comedy-drama The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, in which she plays an aspiring comedian in 1950s New York.

Image copyright HBO / Amazon Prime / BBC Image caption Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Rachel Brosnahan and Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Although the BBC's ratings hit Bodyguard, is nominated for best drama series - there is nothing for the show's star, Richard Madden, who picked up a Golden Globe for his performance earlier this year.

This year's Emmy ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on 22 September.

The nominations and winners are voted for by the 25,000 Emmy members and recognise the best of television. The awards are the biggest TV awards show in the US.

Emmys 2019: Main nominees

Lead actor in a drama series

Jason Bateman - Ozark

Sterling K. Brown - This is Us

Kit Harington - Game of Thrones

Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul

Billy Porter - Pose

Milo Ventimiglia - This is Us

Lead actress in a drama series

Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones

Jodie Comer - Killing Eve

Viola Davis - How To Get Away

Laura Linney - Ozark

Mandy Moore - This Is Us

Sandra Oh - Killing Eve

Robin Wright - House of Cards

Lead actor in a comedy series

Anthony Anderson - Black-ish

Don Cheadle - Black Monday

Ted Danson - The Good Place

Michael Douglas - The Kominsky Method

Bill Hader - Barry

Eugene Levy - Schitt's Creek

Lead actress in a comedy series

Christina Applegate - Dead to Me

Rachel Brosnahan -The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep

Natasha Lyonne - Russian Doll

Catherine O'Hara - Schitt's Creek

Phoebe Waller-Bridge - Fleabag

Lead actor in a limited series

Mahershala Ali - True Detective

Benicio del Toro - Escape at Dannemora

Hugh Grant - A Very English Scandal

Jared Harris - Chernobyl

Jharrel Jerome - When They See Us

Sam Rockwell - Fosse/Verdon

Lead actress in a limited series

Amy Adams - Sharp Objects

Aunjanue Ellis - When They See Us

Patricia Arquette - Escape at Dannemora

Joey King - The Act

Niecy Nash - When They See Us

Michelle Williams - Fosse/Verdon

Outstanding comedy series

Barry

Fleabag

The Good Place

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Russian Doll

Schitt's Creek

Veep

Outstanding drama series

Better Call Saul

Bodyguard

Game Of Thrones

Killing Eve

Ozark

Pose

Succession

This Is Us

Outstanding limited series

Chernobyl

Escape at Dannemora

Fosse/Verdon

Sharp Objects

When They See Us

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