The 2016 Emmy Nominations Prove That TV Is Kicking Ass Right Now

If you've been taking a television sabbatical for the past few months, it's probably time to escape the heat wave, blast the AC, and prop yourself in front of your TV. This year has brought a ton of great programming, from limited series to film-to-television adaptations. If you're not sure where to start watching, begin by streaming all of this year's Emmy-nominated shows—because, well, they diverse, and they're all brilliant.

This morning, the Television Academy announced its nominees for the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards Emmy Awards, which will be broadcast on September 18. Once again, Game of Thrones dominated with 23 nominations total. Ryan Murphy's latest, The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, followed with 22 nominations, and then Fargo with 18 nominations. New shows like Mr. Robot and Master of None also received multiple nominations. As did Beyoncé's Lemonade, which received four nominations, further emphasising the versatility of the medium and its capacity for creativity.

If this year's nominations have proved anything, it's that television is one of the greatest, most accessible artistic mediums. There's no gap between what is critically acclaimed and what the public gravitates toward, as there often is in film and music (take a look at the Oscars and the Grammys). The most talked about "blockbuster" shows of the year are superbly executed and lead the pack in terms of nominations, whereas recent blockbuster films have tended to fall flat. With that, some may argue that television is more relevant than film these days.

Check out the list of nominees below.

Drama Series

The Americans

Better Call Saul

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

Homeland

House of Cards

Mr. Robot

Comedy Series

Black-ish

Master of None

Modern Family

Silicon Valley

Veep

Transparent

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Limited Series

American Crime

Fargo

The Night Manager

The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Roots

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Kyle Chandler, Bloodline

Rami Malek, Mr. Robot

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

Matthew Rhys, The Americans

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Claire Danes, Homeland

Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder

Taraji P Henson, Empire

Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Keri Russell, The Americans

Robin Wright, House of Cards

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Bryan Cranston, All the Way

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock

Idris Elba, Luther

Cuba Gooding Jr., The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager

Courtney B. Vance, The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Kirsten Dunst, Fargo

Felicity Huffman, American Crime

Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

Sarah Paulson, The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Lili Taylor, American Crime

Kerry Washington, Confirmation

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish

Aziz Ansari, Master of None

Will Forte, Last Man on Earth

William H. Macy, Shameless

Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley

Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Laurie Metcalf, Getting On

Tracee Ellis Ross, Blackish

Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer

Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Louie Anderson, Baskets

Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Matt Walsh, Veep

Tony Hale, Veep

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Niecy Nash, Getting On

Allison Janney, Mom

Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

Judith Light, Transparent

Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent

Anna Chlumsky, Veep

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul

Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Kit Harington, Game of Thrones

Michael Kelly, House of Cards

Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Lena Headey, Game of Thrones

Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones

Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones

Maura Tierney, The Affair

Constance Zimmer, UnREAL

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jesse Plemons, Fargo

Bokeem Woodbine, Fargo

Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager

Sterling K. Brown, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

David Schwimmer, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

John Travolta, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Melissa Leo, All the Way

Regina King, American Crime

Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel

Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel

Jean Smart, Fargo

Olivia Colman, The Night Manager

Outstanding TV Movie

A Very Murray Christmas

All the Way

Confirmation

Luther

Sherlock

Variety Talk Series

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

The Late Late Show With James Cordon

Real Time With Bill Maher

Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon

Variety Sketch Series

Documentary Now

Drunk History

Inside Amy Schumer

Key & Peele

Portlandia

Saturday Night Live

Reality-Competition Program

The Amazing Race

American Ninja Warrior

Dancing With the Stars

Project Runway

Top Chef

The Voice

Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition

Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars

Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night

Steve Harvey, Little Big Shots

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway

RuPaul Charles, RuPaul's Drag Race