The most Emmys ever, and more facts

NEW YORK — Nominations for the annual Emmy Awards were announced on Thursday. Here are the answers to some questions about television’s biggest honour.

Q: HBO’s 'Game of Thrones' was nominated for 24 Emmys this year. Is that the most ever?

A: No. The miniseries “Roots” earned a record 37 Emmy nominations in 1977. The most-nominated drama series in a single year was “NYPD Blue,” with 27 nods in 1994. For a comedy, it was “30 Rock” with 22 in 2009.

Q: Which show has won the most Emmys in a single year?

A: “The West Wing,” which won nine in 2000.

Q: Who has won the most Emmys?

A: That would be Sheila Nevins, with 29. You probably don’t know her, but documentary filmmakers certainly do. She runs the documentary unit at HBO, and there may be no more powerful person to take an interest in your project. Among performers, two graduates of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” are dominant — Cloris Leachman leads women with eight, and Edward Asner leads men with seven.

Q: Where did the name 'Emmy' come from?

A: In 1948, the television academy initially considered “Ike,” the nickname for the television iconoscope tube. Yet that name was already associated with war hero and future president Dwight Eisenhower. “Immy,” a term for the image orthicon camera, was chosen instead and then changed to “Emmy” because it seemed better for a statue of a woman holding an atom.

Q: Was Discovery’s 'Naked and Afraid' really nominated for best costumes?

A: No. But it is up for an Emmy in the category of outstanding unstructured reality program.

2015 Primetime Emmy Awards list of selected nominations:

Outstanding Drama Series:

'Better Call Saul'

'Downton Abbey'

'Game of Thrones'

'Homeland'

'House of Cards'

'Mad Men'

'Orange Is the New Black'

Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

Kyle Chandler, 'Bloodline'

Jeff Daniels, 'The Newsroom'

Jon Hamm, 'Mad Men'

Bob Odenkirk, 'Better Call Saul'

Liev Schreiber, 'Ray Donovan'

Kevin Spacey, 'House of Cards'

Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

Claire Danes, 'Homeland'

Viola Davis, 'How to Get Away With Murder'

Taraji P. Henson, 'Empire'

Tatiana Maslany, 'Orphan Black'

Elisabeth Moss, 'Mad Men'

Robin Wright, 'House of Cards'

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series:

Jonathan Banks, 'Better Call Saul'

Ben Mendelsohn, 'Bloodline'

Jim Carter, 'Downton Abbey'

Peter Dinklage, 'Game of Thrones'

Alan Cumming, 'The Good Wife'

Michael Kelly, 'House of Cards'

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series:

Joanne Froggatt, 'Downton Abbey'

Lena Headey, 'Game of Thrones'

Emilia Clarke, 'Game of Thrones'

Christine Baranski, 'The Good Wife'

Christina Hendricks, 'Mad Men'

Uzo Aduba, 'Orange Is the New Black'

Outstanding Comedy Series:

'Louie'

'Modern Family'

'Parks and Recreation'

'Silicon Valley'

'Transparent'

'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'

'Veep'

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Anthony Anderson, 'Black-ish'

Louis C.K., 'Louie'

Don Cheadle, 'House of Lies'

Will Forte, 'Last Man on Earth'

Matt LeBlanc, 'Episodes'

William H. Macy, 'Shameless'

Jeffrey Tambor, 'Transparent'

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Edie Falco, 'Nurse Jackie'

Lisa Kudrow, 'The Comeback'

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 'Veep'

Amy Poehler, 'Parks and Recreation'

Amy Schumer, 'Inside Amy Schumer'

Lily Tomlin, 'Grace and Frankie'

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:

Andre Braugher, 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine''

Adam Driver, 'Girls'

Keegan-Michael Key,' Key & Peele'

Ty Burrell, 'Modern Family'

Tituss Burgess, 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'

Tony Hale, 'Veep'

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:

Mayim Bialik, 'The Big Bang Theory'

Niecy Nash, 'Getting On'

Julie Bowen, 'Modern Family'

Allison Janney, 'Mom'

Kate McKinnon, 'Saturday Night Live'

Gaby Hoffmann, 'Transparent'

Jane Krakowski, 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'

Anna Chlumsky, 'Veep'

Outstanding Reality Competition Program:

'The Amazing Race'

'Dancing With the Stars'

'Project Runway'

'So You Think You Can Dance'

'Top Chef'

'The Voice'

Outstanding Variety Talk Series:

'The Colbert Report'

'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart'

'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

'Last Week Tonight'

'Late Show With David Letterman'

'The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon'

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program:

Tom Bergeron, 'Dancing With the Stars'

Jane Lynch, 'Hollywood Game Night'

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, 'Project Runway'

Cat Deeley, 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Anthony Bourdain, 'The Taste'

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series:

'Drunk History'

'Inside Amy Schumer'

'Key & Peele'

'Portlandia'

'Saturday Night Live'

Outstanding Television Movie:

'Agatha Christie's Poirot: Curtain, Poirot's Last Case'

'Bessie'

'Grace Of Monaco'

'Hello Ladies: The Movie'

'Killing Jesus'

'Nightingale'

Outstanding Limited Series:

'American Crime'

'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

'Olive Kitteridge'

'The Honorable Woman'

'Wolf Hall'

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:

Adrien Brody, 'Houdini'

Ricky Gervais, 'Derek'

Timothy Hutton, 'American Crime'

Richard Jenkins, 'Olive Kitteridge'

David Oyelowo, 'Nightingale'

Mark Rylance, 'Wolf Hall'

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:

Maggie Gyllenhaal, 'The Honorable Woman'

Felicity Huffman, 'American Crime'

Jessica Lange, 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

Queen Latifah, 'Bessie'

Frances McDormand, 'Olive Kitteridge'

Emma Thompson, 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Live From Lincoln Center)'

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series:

Alan Alda, 'The Blacklist'

Michael J. Fox, 'The Good Wife'

F. Murray Abraham, 'Homeland'

Reg E. Cathey, 'House of Cards'

Beau Bridges, 'Masters of Sex'

Pablo Schreiber, 'Orange Is the New Black'

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series:

Margo Martindale, 'The Americans'

Diana Rigg, 'Game of Thrones'

Rachel Brosnahan, 'House of Cards'

Cicely Tyson, 'How to Get Away With Murder'

Allison Janney, 'Masters of Sex'

Khandi Alexander, 'Scandal'

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series:

Mel Brooks, 'The Comedians'

Paul Giamatti, 'Inside Amy Schumer'

Bill Hader, 'Saturday Night Live'

Louis C.K., 'Saturday Night Live'

Bradley Whitford, 'Transparent'

Jon Hamm, 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series:

Christine Baranski, 'The Big Bang Theory'

Gaby Hoffmann, 'Girls'

Pamela Adlon, 'Louie'

Elizabeth Banks, 'Modern Family'

Joan Cusack, 'Shameless'

Tina Fey, 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:

Richard Cabral, 'American Crime'

Denis O'Hare, 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

Finn Wittrock, 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

Michael Kenneth Williams, 'Bessie'

Bill Murray, 'Olive Kitteridge'

Damian Lewis, 'Wolf Hall'

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:

Regina King, 'American Crime'

Sarah Paulson, 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

Angela Bassett, 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

Kathy Bates, 'American Horror Story: Freak Show'

Mo'Nique, 'Bessie'

Zoe Kazan, 'Olive Kitteridge'

Outstanding Structured Reality Program:

'Antiques Roadshow'

'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'

'MythBusters'

'Property Brothers'

'Shark Tank'

'Undercover Boss'

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program:

'Alaska: The Last Frontier'

'Deadliest Catch'

'Intervention'

'Million Dollar Listing New York'

'Naked and Afraid'

'Wahlburgers'

Outstanding Variety Special:

'Bill Maher: Live from D.C.'

'The Kennedy Center Honors'

'Louis C.K.: Live at the Comedy Store'

'Mel Brooks Live at the Geffen'

'The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special'

'Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE!'

Outstanding Special Class Program:

'Beyonce and Jay Z On the Run'

'The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards'

'The Oscars'

AP and Bang Showbiz