The HBO dramas Game of Thrones and True Detective, the critically exalted miniseries Fargo and the man behind the voice of The Simpsons' billionaire tyrant Mr Burns emerged as early winners at this year's Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

For Game of Thrones, True Detective and Fargo the wins are a good omen for the main game, next weekend's 66th annual prime-time Emmy Awards.

Kit Harington as John Snow in HBO's Game of Thrones.

The creative arts awards, which are held a week prior to the main Emmy Awards, focus on the behind-the-scenes creative disciplines of television production, such as hair-styling, picture editing, casting and art direction.

They also exist so the producers of the main broadcast can, to some extent, keep it trimmed down to the size of a mountain.