Poor Jon Snow, No Lead Actor Nom For You

There were a few notable snubs at the 2016 Emmy nominations, with many niche favorites like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Outlander, and BoJack Horseman failing to receive any nominations. Considering that he did receive a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Game of Thrones, rather than Lead Actor is Kit Harington's Emmy nomination actually a snub? The actor who plays the recently resurrected Jon Snow on Game of Thrones was submitted under the Outstanding Supporting Actor category, rather than Oustanding Lead Actor. As one of the most recognizable characters on the show, and perhaps the closest thing to a hero Game of Thrones has, it was a little strange that Harington was submitted for consideration to the Supporting Actor category.

However, Game of Thrones has so many characters that it is difficult to pinpoint any kind of main character. They didn't submit any actor for the Outstanding Lead categories, instead submitting Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau for consideration for Supporting Actor, and Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Carice van Houten, Maisie Williams for Supporting Actress. Game of Thrones has often done well at awards shows, but its acting hasn't received much attention from the Emmys. Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, and Emilia Clarke are the only actors from the show to have been nominated, and the only actor who has won an Emmy is Peter Dinklage in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category in 2011.

Was Harington's nomination a snub in a sense? I would say no, since an integral part of the show seems to be that it doesn't have any lead characters. Sure, Jon Snow played a large role in the last two seasons of Game of Thrones, but so much of the story is still taken up by other characters. Since this was Harington's first Emmy nomination for acting in Game of Thrones, it's definitely something to be celebrated.

Image: HBO