'Game of Thrones' and 'Orphan Black' win Emmy Awards

I opened Ten Emmy Awards for 'Game of Thrones' plus other speculative fiction winners by listing the awards it had already won then counting how many it still could win.

"Game of Thrones" won ten Creative Arts awards last weekend: Outstanding Casting – Drama, Outstanding Non-Prosthetic Makeup – Single-Camera, Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup, Outstanding Costumes – Period/Fantasy, Outstanding Production Design – Hour-Long, Outstanding Production Design – Contemporary/Fantasy, Outstanding Stunt Coordination – Drama/Limited, Outstanding Special Visual Effects, Outstanding Picture Editing – Drama, and Outstanding Sound Mixing – One-Hour.  Ten down, up to five to go.

Those five were Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Outstanding Direction, and Outstanding Writing.  It won three of them, Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Direction, and Outstanding Writing.  ABC News reports on "Game of Thrones" and the other major shows in 2016 Emmy Awards HIGHLIGHTS: Biggest Winners, Moments.

"People v O.J. Simpson" and "Game of Thrones" were big winners at the 68th annual awards show.

Fantasy, crime, and politics, three of my favorite topics in fiction, all produced big winners on Sunday.  For both Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "Veep" and "Game of Thrones," the wins were historic.  It was the fifth time she had won for the same role, making her the first actress to do so.  As for "Game of Thones," the show has now won 39 Emmy Awards, making it the most recognized show in the history of television.

The other speculative fiction winner on Sunday was Tatiana Maslany earning Outstanding Actress in a Drama for her role in "Orphan Black."  Here's what Wochit Entertainment reported in Tatiana Maslany On Her Unexpected Emmys Win

Tatiana Maslany can't believe she won! The Orphan Black star took home the trophy for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2016 Emmys, but even after she received her award she was still reeling from her big win. News' Catt Sadler afterwards, Maslany admitted she wasn't expecting to win. "Not remotely," she said when asked if she thought it was a possibility. The women in my category are just mind-blowing, incredible actors." "I can't wait to talk to my family," she told Catt.

Blastr put her and her competition into perspective.

Arguably the biggest win? Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama, beating out some equally excellent actresses, such as Keri Russell (The Americans), Claire Danes (Homeland) and Taraji P. Henson (Empire). Maslany plays at least a half dozen characters on the series, and dives so deep you often forget you’re watching the same actress.

It was a good night for speculative fiction, and, unlike last year, it didn't suck all the oxygen away from other speculative fiction shows.  With that, congratulations to all the winners!