After two years in which the film industry was shamed for its "all-white" Oscars, the Emmy Awards have sent a powerful message about diversity with more than a dozen non-white actors nominated across its key acting categories.

The awards have also heaped nominations on HBO's blockbuster fantasy series Game of Thrones, demonstrating its potency in popular culture, with 23 nominations overall - including two for best supporting actor and three for best supporting actress.

The fallout from the #OscarsSoWhite controversy forced the film Academy to drastically restructure its membership, to give artists of all ethnicity better representation in the award which claims to honour the best of the best. Among the leading nominees for this year's Emmy Awards are American Crime Story's Cuba Gooding Jr. and Courtney B. Vance, Luther's Idris Elba, Empire's Taraji P. Henson and Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross from Black-ish.

The strong representation of non-white nominees follows last year's groundbreaking win for Viola Davis who became the first African-American woman to win the best actress in a drama series Emmy Award for her work on How to Get Away With Murder. In her acceptance speech, Davis said the "only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity."
Which is not to say that this year's Emmy Awards are not without controversies of their own, including some surprise inclusions, and surprise omissions.

The five actors nominated from Game of Thrones include past winner Peter Dinklage, who is joined in the supporting actor in a drama series category by Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow. Three women from the show received recognition in the supporting actress in a drama series category - Lena Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen and Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark.

The other most nominated programs were The People vs OJ Simpson with 22 nominations, Fargo (18), Veep (17), Saturday Night Live (16), House of Cards (13), The Night Manager (12), Silicon Valley (11) and Downton Abbey (10).

Among the surprise exclusions were the drama series Billions and Orange is the New Black, as well as actress Julianna Marguiles and Christine Baranski, who were shut out of the outstanding actress and supporting actress in a drama categories. Netflix, creator of Orange is the New Black, has, in the past, circumvented the intense competition in the drama category by submitting it as a comedy, but last year the Emmys governing body, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ruled that it was ineligible in the comedy category.

Similarly, there was no sign of Christian Slater in supporting actor in a drama for his work on Mr Robot; the same role netted him a Golden Globe earlier this year.

There was some good news for Australians: actor Ben Mendelsohn, who stars in the Netflix drama Bloodline, was among the nominees, in the category of supporting actor in a drama series.

Though much is made of the ground which HBO has ceded to Netflix in terms of quality television, HBO still led the nominee list, securing 94 nominations across all of the Emmy categories.

The cable channel FX followed - but well behind - with 56 nominations, followed in succession by Netflix (54), the commercial networks NBC (41), ABC (35), CBS (35) and Fox (29), the US public broadcaster PBS (26), the cable channels AMC (24), Showtime (22) and Comedy Central (17) and the streaming platform Amazon (16).

But there is a tectonic shift taking place: Netflix's 54 nominations represented a lift of 24 - more than double - it's yield last year.

And House of Cards, its flagship drama, held its record high of last year with 13 nominations.

The 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on Sunday, September 18.

List of 2016 Emmy Nominees 

Outstanding drama series
The Americans (FX) 
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Mr. Robot (USA)

Outstanding comedy series
Black-ish (ABC)
Master of None (Netflix)
Modern Family (ABC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)

Outstanding limited series
American Crime (ABC)
Fargo (FX)
The Night Manager (AMC)
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Roots (History)

Outstanding television movie
A Very Murray Christmas (Netflix)
All the Way (HBO)
Confirmation (HBO)
Luther (BBC America)
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (PBS)

Outstanding reality competition
The Amazing Race (CBS)
American Ninja Warrior (NBC)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

Outstanding actor in a drama series
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline (Netflix)
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot (USA)
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (Showtime) 
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)

Outstanding actress in a drama series
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

Outstanding actor in a comedy series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish (ABC)
Aziz Ansari, Master of None (Netflix)
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (Fox)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Showtime)

Outstanding actress in a comedy series
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Laurie Metcalf, Getting On (HBO)
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish (ABC)
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (Netflix)

Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie
Bryan Cranston, All the Way (HBO)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (PBS)
Idris Elba, Luther (BBC America)
Cuba Gooding, Jr., The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager (AMC)
Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)

Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo (FX)
Felicity Huffman, American Crime (ABC)
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (HBO)
Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Lili Taylor, American Crime (ABC)
Kerry Washington, Confirmation (HBO)

Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Michael Kelly, House of Cards (Netflix)
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (Netflix)
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)

Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Maura Tierney, The Affair (Showtime)
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Constance Zimmer, UnREAL (Lifetime)

Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy
Louis Anderson, Baskets (FX)
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
Matt Walsh, Veep (HBO)

Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)
Gaby Hoffman, Transparent (Amazon)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Judith Light, Transparent (Amazon)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Nicey Nash, Getting On (HBO)

Outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie
Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager (AMC)
Jesse Plemons, Fargo (FX)
David Schwimmer, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)

Outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or movie
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel (FX)
Olivia Colman, The Night Manager (AMC)
Regina King, American Crime (ABC)
Melissa Leo, All the Way (HBO)
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel (FX)
Jean Smart, Fargo (FX)

Reuters