Game of Thrones could sweep the show. Netflix and HBO are going head-to-head. The 71st Primetime Emmys will air on Fox on tonight, Sunday, September 22, with plenty of awards, upsets, and drama on tap.
Game of Thrones has been nominated for a whopping 32 nominations for its final season, including for Best Drama. HBO’s fantasy epic has already won 10 trophies at the Creative Arts Emmys and is the clear favorite going into Sunday’s show.
Tonight’s Emmy ceremony put on by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will take place in Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater. Here’s what you need to know about the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, including top categories and how to watch the show online.
When and where to watch
The Emmys will be broadcast on Fox starting at 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, September 22. Fox’s red carpet preshow will start at 3:30 p.m. PT, with 90 minutes of coverage of celebrities arriving for the big show. If you want to see what (and who) your favorite celebrities are wearing, you don’t need cable. Entertainment Tonight will broadcast the whole thing on ET Live starting about 90 minutes before the main event.
How to watch the Emmys without cable
Don’t worry: You don’t need cable or satellite to watch the Emmys. Fox will livestream the show on its Fox Now app on iOS and Android, and on Fox’s Emmy page.
The show will also be available on several streaming services by choosing the Fox channel, including Playstation Vue, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV, and YouTube TV.
What shows have been nominated for the big Emmy awards?
More than we could possibly list here, which is why we covered the nominees when they were first announced in August. That said, here are the major categories:
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Bodyguard (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Killing Eve (AMC)
Ozark (Netflix)
Pose (FX)
Succession (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Barry (HBO)
Fleabag (Amazon Prime)
Russian Doll (Netflix)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
The Good Place (NBC)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)
Veep (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us (NBC)
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Billy Porter, Pose (FX)
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us (NBC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Alfie Allen, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Michael Kelly, House of Cards (Netflix)
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us (NBC)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (AMC)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve (AMC)
Mandy Moore, This Is Us (NBC)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve (AMC)
Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Julia Garner, Ozark (Netflix)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC)
Don Cheadle, Black Monday (Showtime)
Ted Danson, The Good Place (NBC)
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
Bill Hader, Barry (HBO)
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Carrigan, Barry (HBO)
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
Stephen Root, Barry (HBO)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)
Henry Winkler, Barry (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll (Netflix)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag (Amazon Prime)
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg, Barry (HBO)
Sian Clifford, Fleabag (Amazon Prime)
Olivia Colman, Fleabag (Amazon Prime)
Alex Bornstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)
Betty Gilpin, GLOW (Netflix)
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)
Who’s going to win big?
Most likely Game of Thrones. There’s precedent for a beloved show in its final season to sweep the Emmys – in 2014, Breaking Bad won almost every award its last season was nominated for. That means even though Season 8 got a mixed reception from fans online, it’ll probably walk away with the most accolades. According to a poll conducted by YouGov, 52% of people who watched the final season were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with it – and 72% think it deserves the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.
The other major thing to watch out fo is whether Netflix or HBO will walk away with the most wins. HBO has been nominated for 137 awards for Thrones, along with shows like Veep and Chernobyl. Netflix has 117 nominations, including for House of Cards, Russian Doll, and Ozark.
Of course, our predictions could be wrong — you’ll have to watch the Emmys to find out.
