For the first time since 2011, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” was missing from the Emmys. Ever since “Game of Thrones” made its debut in 2011, the HBO show has been nominated every single year. The most awarded drama in Emmy history, “Game of Thrones” snagged 23 nods and also won the best drama series for the second year in a row at the 2016 Emmys.
But during the 69th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which held on Sunday, September 17, 2017, the HBO hit series was absent, with not even a single nomination to its name.
The show wasn’t snubbed, it was simply not eligible to be nominated. In order to be considered for a 2017 Emmy nomination, shows had to have premiered between June 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017. The seventh season of GOT premiered on July 16, missing the Emmys’ eligibility period by just 17 days. Previous seasons of the show had debuted in April, within the required time frame. However, the 7th season was delayed because Winter finally came, and the producers felt that the storyline would be better served by starting production when the weather changes, later than usual. The good news here is that “Game of Thrones” seventh season will be eligible for the 2018 Emmy Awards.
“Game of Thrones” absence from the awards this year opened up the field for new shows like “Stranger Things,” “The Crown,” “Westworld,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “This Is Us.” Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” emerged the Emmys 2017 best drama series. It beat the above-mentioned series to nab the biggest award of the night. The eighth and final season of the epic show, which will only be six episodes in length, is expected to premiere in 2019.
