Nominees for the 67^th Primetime Emmy Awards have finally been revealed Thursday morning. The hit fantasy drama series "Game of Thrones" leads the list with 24 nominations including 'Outstanding Drama Series'. Its producer HBO bagged a record-high 126 nominations across all award categories.

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Other HBO nominations include citations for "Silicon Valley" and "Veep" in the comedy category.

TV critics say this year's Emmys will showcase one of toughest competitions primarily in drama and comedy categories among broadcast, cable TV, and streaming outlets, the New York Times reported.

"The pool is getting bigger, the number of great shows being produced is getting larger, the end result is that more people are watching more television that ever before," shared Bruce Rosenblum Chairman of the Television Academy in an interview with the news site.

Trailing not so close behind is broadcast producer Netflix which earned 34 nominations, including recognitions for "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards".

"We are deeply proud of our creative partners, the most gifted and visionary collaborators working in television today," Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer said in a statement to New York Times.

Fans and critics alike would agree that this year's nominations showcased diversity in television. Two African American women were nominated for best roles in the drama category, Viola Davis in "How to Get Away With Murder", Taraji P. Henson for "Empire", Los Angeles Times reported.

A win by either actress would be the first time an African-American actress would be recognized with an Emmy in the drama category.

Just like in previous years, this year's Emmys was greeted with snubs and surprises. In a report by CBS News among TV shows seemingly snubbed by the awards is "Empire". Garnering the highest TV ratings for its premiere and with its viewership continually increasing episode after episode, fans are surprised it received only one Emmy nomination.

The hit TV show "Parenthood" which had fans and critics talking about its sensitive storylines will just have to retire without even an Emmy nomination this year, the report added.

In a surprising turn around, David Letterman and Steven Colbert are nominated for best variety series for the "Late Show". 

TagsEmmys 2015, emmy awards, Emmy Nominees, Game of Thrones, Emmy Awards 2015