'Game of Thrones' Breaks Record with 32 Emmy Nominations

The final season of "Game of Thrones" smashed the record for most Primetime Emmy nominations by a drama series in a single year, earning a whopping 32 nods Tuesday.

HBO's fantasy epic enraged fans with its bumpy conclusion but still trounced the competition at the small-screen equivalent of the Oscars.

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" -- Amazon's story of a 1950s housewife-turned-stand up comic -- was a distant second on 20 nominations.

"Thrones" was already the most decorated fictional show in the awards' seven-decade history, and now has 161 nominations overall, according to the Television Academy website. 

The show about families vying for the Iron Throne broke a 25-year nominations record for a drama series in a single year previously held by "NYPD Blue," which earned 27 nods in 1994.

Emilia Clarke and Kit Harrington were recognized in the lead acting categories, while eight other "Thrones" cast members swept the board in the supporting and guest acting categories. 

HBO's acclaimed drama "Chernobyl" placed third this year with 19, ahead of perennial Emmys powerhouse "Saturday Night Live" on 18.

HBO's dark hitman comedy "Barry" was joint fifth overall on 17 nods, tied with FX mini-series "Fosse/Verdon."

But there was disappointment for the final season of CBS ratings smash "Big Bang Theory," which failed to land recognition in either the comedy series or comedy actor categories.

And A-lister Julia Roberts was shunned by voters, who failed to select her performance in Amazon's "Homecoming."

- HBO reclaims crown -

This year's nominations also saw HBO reclaim its title for most-nominated network from web streaming giant Netflix, which last year had ended HBO's 17-year winning streak.

HBO claimed 137 nods to Netflix's 117 -- a record for each, meaning the pair tighten their joint stranglehold on the prestigious awards.

Amazon Prime enjoyed a stellar year, more than doubling its haul to reach 47 nods, just behind NBC with 58.

As well as "Maisel," dark British comedy "Fleabag" performed well for Amazon, with five of its actresses receiving nominations including lead Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Waller-Bridge, who is currently rewriting the upcoming 25th James Bond film, also received a writing nomination for "Fleabag."

The Television Academy's 24,000 members sifted through a record number of entries for this year's Emmys.

The nominations were announced in a livestreamed presentation from Los Angeles hosted by "The Good Place" actress D'Arcy Carden and "The Masked Singer" panelist Ken Jeong.  

Final-round voting will now begin to pick winners who will be revealed at a glitzy Los Angeles show on September 22.