How Sport of Thrones Managed to Win Massive on the 2019 Emmys Regardless of Its Controversial Remaining Season

Their watch has formally ended.

Sport of Thrones took house one of many night time’s largest awards on the 2019 Emmys on Sunday, successful Excellent Drama Collection for the HBO juggernaut’s eighth and ultimate season. It ought to’ve been a joyous event backstage then because the solid and government producers fielded questions within the press room earlier than popping champagne bottles, proper? Properly, when one of many first questions is about how they’ve all dealt with the unfavourable response GOT’s ultimate six-episode swan tune acquired final spring, it is not precisely your typical victory lap.

“I am going to take this one,”Package Harington mentioned, channeling Jon Snow, his protecting character, earlier than happening to downplay the concept any “controversy” negated the general expertise of being on the largest present on the planet had for the solid and crew during the last 10 years. 

“Controversy. I nonetheless have not seen the present, in order that’s how I handled that controversy. I have not seen the ultimate season, however I do know what it took to shoot it and it was onerous, and everybody put their love and energy into it,” the present’s main man, who was nominated for Excellent Efficiency By an Actor in a Drama Collection, started.

“Controversy for us—we knew what we have been doing was proper story-wise and we knew that it was proper for the characters as a result of we lived with them for ten years. Controversy for us—did not actually impact us.”

And finally, that controversy—which included a petition signed by over 1.7 million followers demanding HBO re-do all the ultimate season—did not cease Sport of Thrones from coming away from TV’s largest night time with the highest prize, in addition to a win for Peter Dinklage within the Excellent Efficiency By a Supporting Actor in a Drama Collection, his fourth (record-setting) trophy for his flip as Tyrion Lannister. 

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Nominated for 32 whole nominations—a record-breaking quantity—GOT’s ultimate outing took house 10 trophies on the Artistic Arts Emmys final weekend, together with Excellent Casting, Excellent Costuming and Excellent Major Title Design, earlier than its two huge wins on Sunday night time.

Given the large outcry from followers voicing their , some Hollywood insiders have been not sure if goodwill and world domination can be sufficient to assist GOT take house the massive win, particularly when HBO’s beloved and critically acclaimed comedy Veep was defeated by Fleabag, with the present and star Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who had gained Excellent Lead Actress in a Comedy Collection for seven straight seasons) each shedding in a number of the night time’s largest upsets for its recently-wrapped ultimate season.

However again in July, HBO president Casey Bloys wasn’t all that involved by the backlash Sport of Thrones’ ultimate season acquired, together with that pesky petition demanding a do-over. 

“There are only a few downsides to having a vastly standard present. One I can consider, if you attempt to finish it, many individuals have opinions on how you can finish it,” he informed reporters. “I feel that comes with the territory. The petition exhibits plenty of enthusiasm and keenness for the present, however it wasn’t one thing we severely thought of. I am unable to think about one other community would.”

Nonetheless, although HBO has no real interest in giving into the calls for of the individuals who signed the petition, followers are persevering with to voice their frustrations over how the present ended, even pitching their concepts to the celebrities. 

“I get plenty of theories. I get plenty of , ‘If I had carried out It, I might do it like this,'” Emilia Clarke informed E! on the carpet on the Emmys of followers nonetheless approaching her concerning the ending. “‘Can I get a selfie and in addition can I pitch you a brand new season?'”

And possibly they’re pitching the actors as a result of showrunners Dan Weiss and D.B. Benioff went radio silent towards the tip of the eighth season, opting out of doing any postmortem interviews following the polarizing sequence finale in Could.

Then, simply days earlier than Sport of Thrones’ ultimate panel at San Diego Comedian-Con, it was introduced that the pair would not be attending. 

Whereas their stars had defended them and the ultimate season in varied interviews, with Sophie Turner calling the petition “disrespectful,” Weiss and Benioff lastly broke their silence in August in an interview with a Japanese TV community, Star Channel.

Of their first public interview in nearly 5 months, Weiss and Benioff, who’re at present engaged on a Star Wars film, admitted they discovered the report variety of Emmy nominations GOT acquired “sort of stunning.”

“I didn’t know that we anticipated that. No less than in my thoughts, I believed that the [previous] season would have been the height and that we’d’ve ended up with possibly a pair much less [nominations], at greatest,” Weiss mentioned. “I felt very comfortable for all of our staff of individuals, all the actors and all the crew who received acknowledged. Every made us really feel actually happy with them and comfortable for them, as a result of we all know first-hand how onerous they labored; we noticed it daily for a few years.”

Whereas they did not discuss concerning the unfavourable fan response (and opinions, with the ultimate episode netting a series-low 57 p.c on Rotten Tomatoes), they did deal with one of many largest controversies of the ultimate season: the rattling Starbucks espresso cup that was left in a scene, the error heard ‘around the Web. (It even acquired a shout-out through the Emmys’ opening sequence.)

“It is, like, you recognize, I feel in Persian rugs, it is custom that you just make just a little mistake when making the rug, as a result of solely God can do something good,” Benioff joked, earlier than Weiss continued, “That is why I put the espresso cup there,” Weiss added. “Acutely aware, concerted assertion of our imperfection.”

All jokes apart, Benioff did say the goof was  “a humiliation,” explaining, “We have been concentrating a lot on Daenerys and Jon Snow that we simply did not see this espresso cup proper within the center. So, at first I could not imagine it, after which it was embarrassment. ‘How did we not see this espresso cup in the course of the shot?’ After which, ultimately, it was simply sort of humorous. This one is only a mistake, and it is sort of humorous to us now.”

It is nonetheless humorous to us, too.

And whereas its ultimate season was underwhelming (to place it mildly), Sport of Thrones’ general impression on tv can’t be overstated, because the HBO sequence’ is among the medium’s most profitable, bold and costly endeavors. In an period of streaming and countless choices, GOT’s final hurrah was a popular culture occasion, with the sequence finale bringing in a record-breaking 19.three million viewers in its first airing (with the season general averaging 44.2 million viewers as soon as all types of viewing are counted).

So consider the eighth season successful Excellent Drama Collection as a profession achievement award for the epic sequence, with the Academy selecting to guage it based mostly on its general 73-episode run somewhat than its ultimate six outings. Quite than break the wheel by giving the dignity to HBO’s new favourite youngster Succession or your uncle’s favourite present Ozark, voters let it spin one final time, with the Emmys even bringing the principle solid out earlier within the night time to bid a ultimate farewell (they acquired a standing ovation). 

“These final 10 years have been the most effective years of our lives. For everybody who labored with us on it, I am unable to imagine we completed it,” Benioff mentioned. “I am unable to imagine we did it, we did all of it collectively and it is over. We will by no means see the like once more.”

No less than till these prequels come alongside…

Watch E! Information tonight at 7 p.m. for the largest moments and OMG moments from the 2019 Emmy Awards!