Every summer, the TV industry is abuzz about the Emmy Award nominations. Nominated shows get a boost and fans talk about who may or may not win. There's also always debate on who got snubbed.
Since 2011, Game of Thrones was a constant at the Emmys. During its eight-season run, the series got 164 Emmy nominations with 59 wins, a record for a scripted television series. That includes four wins for Outstanding Drama Series. Interestingly, the only member of the cast to ever earn a primetime Emmy award was Peter Dinklage, who won four Emmys for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his turn as Tyrion Lannister. However, almost all of the regular cast were nominated at least once during the show's run.
When House of the Dragon premiered in 2022, many expected it to follow in Game of Thrones' footsteps and dominate the Emmys. It did earn a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series and won in the category of Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costuming. Now, however, the streak has ended. While House of the Dragon season 2 was eligible for the Emmys this year, it got nothing in terms of primetime awards, including acting nominations. For the first time since Game of Thrones began, a new season in the franchise was not been nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, ending a 14-season streak.
Why was House of the Dragon snubbed?
House of the Dragon wasn't completely left out. It received nominations for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling, Outstanding Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup, Outstanding Title Design, and Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie.
In terms of snubs, other past Emmy darlings like Squid Game and The Handmaid's Tale likewise missed major nominations. Still, the lack of awards recognition for the second season for House of the Dragon only shows what a comedown it was.
While the first season of House of the Dragon was well-received, the second came in for more criticism. Many took issue with the pacing, the writing, and the fact that the whole year appeared to be setting up a third season rather than its own dramatic turns. While the cast turned in excellent performances, the series didn't connect with fans as well as the first year did, and that's without George R.R. Martin himself famously calling out the showrunners for altering his book Fire & Blood.
One can hope that season 3 can be a return to form for the show that earns more accolades. It's due out on HBO and HBO Max sometime next year.