A recognition of excellence in primetime television over the previous year, the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled to be held on Sunday, September 22nd on FOX. Since the nominations were announced back on July 16th, there has been much speculation and discussion about this year’s top picks.

The biggest story of the 2019 Emmy Awards is no doubt Game of Thrones. Though not very well received by fans, the series’ final season did receive 14 major Emmy nominations for a total of 32 this year when combined with its nominations at the Creative Arts Awards. This includes a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series as well as nine acting nominations, one each for Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke in the lead acting categories and seven more nominations across the supporting acting categories.

Game of Thrones is likely to win in many of these categories, especially because three shows that would have served as strong competition – Big Little Lies, Stranger Things, and The Handmaid’s Tale – all premiered too late in the year to be eligible for this season’s Emmy Awards. The Outstanding Drama Series category is still very strong, however, and also includes Better Call Saul, Bodyguard, Killing Eve, Ozark, Pose, Succession, and This is Us.

In the Outstanding Comedy Series category, the final season of HBO’s Veep is also in top contention for the win and has been nominated in four other major categories as well. The show has already won three previous Outstanding Comedy Series awards, but it is going up against some tough competitors. This includes last year’s winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, as well Veep’s sister HBO show Barry, which scored a total of nine major nominations this year (the most in the comedy category).

The wry and clever Netflix comedy-drama Russian Doll also earned a nomination in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, and might just surprise everyone with a win. Another pleasant surprise in the best comedy category is the Canadian series Schitt’s Creek. Now in its final season, the sleeper hit is going out with three Emmy nominations, including one each for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress. Christina Applegate’s nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in Netflix’s Dead to Me caught many by surprise as well.

Just as there were plenty of surprises among the nominations, there were also some interesting snubs. The final season of The Big Bang Theory did not receive any nominations, though lead actor Jim Parsons has won several times previously. Over in the drama categories, Netflix’s Bodyguard did receive a nomination but lead actor Richard Madden, who won the Golden Globe for his role in the series, did not. Another surprising snub was the lack of nomination for Julia Roberts and for her show Homecoming, which was the actress’ very first regular television role.

Whoever gets the win in each category, this year’s Emmy nominees certainly all deserve to be considered. With some slightly unexpected picks like Killing Eve, Pose, and Schitt’s Creek, the Academy has shown that it is more open to listening to the viewing audience than in the past. No matter who comes out on top, it’s sure to be an entertaining evening.