clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Help keep Vox free Reader support helps keep our explainers free for all. Support our mission by making a gift today.

Emmy nominations 2016: The complete list is here!

Watch the live stream of the announcement.

By Emily St. James and Caroline Framke Updated
Actor Anthony Anderson, Television Academy chair & CEO Bruce Rosenblum, and actress Lauren Graham present the 68th Emmy Awards nominations announcement at the Saban Media Center on July 14, 2016, in North Hollywood, California.
Actor Anthony Anderson, Television Academy chair & CEO Bruce Rosenblum, and actress Lauren Graham present the 68th Emmy Awards nominations announcement at the Saban Media Center on July 14, 2016, in North Hollywood, California.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The 68th annual Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced this morning in Los Angeles. Black-ish’s Anthony Anderson and Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham announced the nominees in several categories. Each year, the Emmys hand out prizes in nearly 100 categories — but only a handful are announced during the live broadcast.

You can watch the announcement in the video above (it starts at around 22:50).

Both of the series that won the top awards last year — best comedy Veep and best drama Game of Thrones — remained eligible. The real excitement was in the limited series categories, where The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story had a slim shot at becoming the first series since the 1990s to crest 20-plus nominations in its first season (the last show to do so was ER in 1995).

Major nominations — as expected — went to established players House of Cards, Transparent, and Fargo. New show Mr. Robot locked up an Outstanding Drama Series nomination, as well as a Best Actor nomination for Rami Malek. Meanwhile, the Louis C.K.–created Horace and Pete largely remained absent, save for Supporting Actress in a Drama Laurie Metcalf (who also got nominated as Lead Actress in a Comedy for HBO's Getting On and Guest Actress in a Comedy for The Big Bang Theory).

The 2016 Emmy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, September 18, at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. It will be broadcast live on ABC and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The Creative Arts Emmys — which reward programs’ technical aspects — will be handed out in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 10.

The 2015 Emmys made history by rewarding a black woman for lead actress in a drama series for the first time ever, when Viola Davis won for her work on How to Get Away With Murder. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones handily set the record for the most trophies won by a series in one year, with 12.

Here are the nominations for the 2016 Emmys.

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Comedy Series

Outstanding Limited Series

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series



Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie



Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie


Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series



Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Outstanding Variety Talk Series


Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

  • Documentary Now!
  • Drunk History
  • Inside Amy Schumer
  • Key & Peele
  • Saturday Night Live


Outstanding Variety Special

  • "Adele Live in New York City"
  • "Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo"
  • Lemonade
  • The Kennedy Center Honors
  • "The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Prime Time Special"

Outstanding Reality Competition Series

Outstanding Animated Program

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

  • Downton Abbey, "Episode 9," Michael Engler
  • Game of Thrones, "The Door," Jack Bender
  • Game of Thrones, "Battle of the Bastards," Miguel Sapochnik
  • Homeland, "The Tradition of Hospitality," Lesli Linka Glatter
  • Ray Donovan, "Exsuscito," David Hollander
  • The Knick, "This Is All We Are," Steven Soderbergh

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

  • The Americans, "Persona Non Grata," Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg
  • Downton Abbey, "Episode 8," Julian Fellowes
  • Game of Thrones, "Battle of the Bastards," David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
  • The Good Wife, "The End," Robert King and Michelle King
  • Mr. Robot, "eps1.0_hellofriend.mov (Pilot)," Sam Esmail
  • UnReal, "Return (Pilot)," Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

  • Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, Catastrophe ("Episode 1")
  • Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, Master of None ("Parents")
  • Alec Berg, Silicon Valley ("The Uptick")
  • Dan O'Keefe, Silicon Valley ("Founder Friendly")
  • David Mandel, Veep ("Morning After")
  • Alex Gregory and Peter Hyuck, Veep ("Mother")


Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

  • Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
  • Inside Amy Schumer
  • Key & Peele
  • Last Week Tonight
  • Portlandia
  • Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

  • Aziz Ansari, Master of None ("Parents")
  • Mike Judge, Silicon Valley ("Founder Friendly")
  • Alec Berg, Silicon Valley ("Daily Active Users")
  • Jill Soloway, Transparent ("Man on the Land")
  • Dale Stern, Veep ("Mother")
  • Chris Addison, Veep ("Morning After")

The 18 best TV shows airing right now

Watch: How a TV show gets made

Explanatory journalism is a public good

At Vox, we believe that everyone deserves access to information that helps them understand and shape the world they live in. That's why we keep our work free. Support our mission and help keep Vox free for all by making a financial contribution to Vox today.

Yes, I'll give $120/year

In This Stream

Emmys 2016: Nominees, winners, and highlights

View all 19 stories

Next Up In Culture

The Latest

One of the world’s most controversial philosophers explains himself

By Dylan Matthews

A big El Niño is looming. Here’s what it means for our weather.

By Umair Irfan

Reality, starring Sydney Sweeney, is unsettling, vital viewing

By Alissa Wilkinson

Filed under:

Succession ends exactly how it needed to

By Whizy Kim

How anti-LGBTQ sentiment is affecting Pride

By Ellen Ioanes

What Erdogan’s win means for the West — and the world

By Jen Kirby