“Game of Thrones” looks pretty unbeatable at the Emmys this year, but most of the readers we polled think there was a show that could have beaten it if only it had been eligible in this Emmy cycle: “Stranger Things,” which didn’t premiere until after the May 31 cutoff. Scroll down to see our complete poll results.
When I say “most readers,” though, it’s not the most by much. It was an extremely close race with 52% of readers saying “Stranger Things” season three would have won and the other 48% saying it would have been “Game of Thrones” anyway. “Thrones” certainly has the stronger track record, with three Best Drama Series victories to date and more Emmy wins overall than any other narrative series in history. However, “Thrones” was also criticized by critics and fans for its abrupt story and character development in its abbreviated final season.
Those criticisms didn’t seem to affect Emmy voters, though. They nominated those last episodes 32 times, more than any other continuing series ever in a single year. But this year’s nominations count may have been skewed by the fact that so many of the show’s former rivals sat out this season: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Crown,” “Westworld” and of course “Stranger Things.” That opened up a lot of nomination slots for “Thrones” to expand into. If “Stranger Things” had been in the running for the 2019 Emmys, there’s a possibility that it too would have seen a nominations increase and cut into that massive “Thrones” total.
But alas, we won’t get to see these two pop cultural behemoths face off again like Godzilla and Mothra laying waste to the city. At least that means Eleven won’t have to bloody her nose fighting that particular beast in 2020.
Be sure to make your Emmy predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before winners are announced on September 22. And join in the fun debate over the 2019 Emmys taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our television forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
