'Game of Thrones' takes crown at Emmy nominations

Fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" topped nominations for television's coveted Primetime Emmy awards announced Thursday, with nods in no fewer than 24 categories.

The grisly show's nominations included for outstanding drama series, where it is up against "Better Call Saul," "Downton Abbey," "Homeland," "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black" and "Mad Men."

"American Horror Story: Freak Show" scored the second highest tally with 19 nods, followed by "Olive Kitteridge" with 13. "Bessie" scored 12 nominations for television's equivalent of the Oscars.

Cult retro series "Mad Men" also had a strong showing with 11 nominations for the final season of the show, set in a fictional 1960s Manhattan advertising company.

Political thriller "House of Cards" also scored 11 nods, as did dark comedy "Transparent," which won a first ever Golden Globe for online retail giant Amazon earlier this year.

"American Crime" and "Boardwalk Empire" took 10 nominations each, followed by political comedy "Veep" with nine.

"Game of Thrones" also garnered the most nominations for last year's Emmy awards, but was beaten in the show by cult TV drama series "Breaking Bad" and comedy hit "Modern Family."

For best comedy series the contenders are "Louie," "Modern Family," "Parks and Recreation," "Silicon Valley," "Transparent," "Veep" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

The Primetime Emmys will be handed out in Los Angeles on September 20, hosted by comedian Andy Samberg, star of the award-winning series "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

"This was truly a remarkable year in television," said Television Academy chairman Bruce Rosenblum.

"From the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, to David Letterman's retirement and the conclusion of 'Mad Men,' television's creativity, influence and impact continue to grow and have never been stronger," he added.