LOS ANGELES — “Game of Thrones” conquered the Emmy kingdom Sunday, honored as top drama for the second consecutive year and becoming the most honored prime-time TV series ever on a night of surprises and sharp political jabs. The HBO series already has nine statuettes from last weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, which mainly reward behind-the-scenes personnel, giving it a total haul over the years of 35 -- more than any other drama series. That gives it a total haul over the years of 38 — more than any other narrative series since the first Television Academy prize-giving in 1949, overtaking the haul of 37 won by long-running comedy “Frasier.”

But it went down to the wire, as “Thrones” drew a blank in the acting categories, despite being a hot favorite and having multiple nominees, and only set the record with the last prize of the night. Three of its stars — Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Maisie Williams — dominated the betting in the supporting actress category, but the statuette went to Maggie Smith of “Downton Abbey.”

Peter Dinklage missed out on a supporting actor trophy, as did co-star Kit Harington, the category’s favorite, with Ben Mendelsohn picking up the prize for “Bloodline.”

“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” already picking up several awards, while Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won her fifth consecutive Emmy in the comedy actress category. Its victory for best limited series is seen as the surest thing of the night while Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance are expected to be rewarded for their acclaimed portrayals of sparring attorneys Marcia Clark and Johnnie Cochran. The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, the television drama based on the murder trial of OJ Simpson, was named outstanding limited series, while Sarah Paulson, Courtney B Vance and Sterling K Brown won awards for their roles in the show. Rami Malek was a first time winner as he took home the coveted Outstanding Actor in a Drama gong for his role in Mr. Robot’ star Rami Malek leads with 8/11 odds.”

And in the best actress in a comedy category, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is going for her fifth consecutive Emmy for her role as the hapless acting president on HBO’s “Veep.”

In the battle of the networks, perennial favorite HBO leads the nominations, though with a reduced tally from last year.
The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards is held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles with Game of Thrones winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, Veep winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story winning the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series.