Game of Thrones Emmy submission snubs

Peter Dinklage for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

For a long while, all of the Game of Thrones actors were only ever submitted in the Supporting categories. It made sense; this was a sprawling show with a lot of different plotlines and no one character seemed more important than the others.

After season 7, that changed. HBO nominated Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington (Jon Snow) for consideration in the Lead Actress and Actor categories, while everyone else remained the Supporting Categories. There were a couple of problems with this strategy.

First of all, it didn’t work. Neither Harington nor Clarke made it onto the ballot in 2017. This go-round, HBO is doing the same thing and it may meet with similar results, although Clarke did give one hell of a performance in season 8. Between her and Harington, she has the best chance of breaking through.

Second of all, it’s not necessarily responsive to reality. In season 8, Jon’s journey was very internal. Although Harington still displayed his acting chops — he’s great in the scene where Jon kills Daenerys — his dialogue seemed to be reduced.

Dinklage, though, had a lot to work with, whether he was cracking jokes around a fire in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” or crying over the bodies of his siblings in “The Iron Throne.” I think Dinklage should have been nominated in the Lead Actor category, Harington in Supporting.