Game of Thrones' controversial season 8 finale receives huge Emmy nomination

Nobody saw this coming

Arya, Bran and Sansa Stark in the Game of Thrones finale (HBO)

The Emmys have a history of snubbing some of the best shows in television history, a fact made even harder to bear when considering one of todays nominations.

As expected, HBO series Game of Thrones picked up a large number of nominations for its eighth and final season - the majority of which came in the acting categories (you can find a full list here).

As well as being up for Best Drama Series. it’s earned a total of 10 nods for its actors. It also earned three nominations in the Best Directing category, which will undoubtedly go to Miguel Sapochnik for his tireless efforts on feature-length battle episode “The Long Night”.`

But, fans casting their eyes down the list of nominations might be surprised to see which episode voters have put on the shortlist for Best Writing.

Despite confusion over the fact HBO had submitted the controversial series finale “The Iron Throne” for recognition, it seems its efforts has paid off: the show’s last every episode has been nominated alongside standout episodes of Succession and Better Call Saul.

While the episode had its fans, it seemed like a risky move considering the backlash to the show’s ending.

You can find a full list of this year’s Emmy nominations – which has nods for Fleabag, When They See Us and Barry - here.