Is it going to be a bloodbath? “Game of Thrones,” the winningest drama series in Emmy history, is up for the awards for one last time — and it’s hard to imagine voters not giving it more nominations than any other series, even if its final season left some fans disappointed.
But once you get beyond HBO’s dragon-fueled juggernaut, the Emmy drama categories are undergoing one of the biggest category turnovers in history. Of the seven shows that were nominated in the Outstanding Drama Series category last year, five are ineligible this year. “The Americans” has gone off the air, and the other four – “The Crown,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Stranger Things” and “Westworld” – didn’t air enough episodes during the eligibility period to qualify for this year’s awards.