July 12 (UPI) -- This year's Emmy Award nominations featured a number of firsts -- the first streaming service to top the nominee list and the first person of Asian descent to get a lead actress to get a nod -- and there's even an opportunity for another EGOT winner.
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominees Thursday morning, and for the first time in 17 years, HBO didn't land the most considerations. The premium cable network snagged 108 nominations, edged out by Netflix with 112.
It's a meteoric rise for the streaming service, which just three years ago had 34 nominations.
"We are particularly enthused to see the breadth of our programming celebrated with nominations spread across 40 new and returning titles which showcase our varied and expansive slate -- comedies, dramas, movies, limited series, documentary, variety, animation and reality," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix.
Netflix drama The Crown earned the most nods for the service with 13, and cult hit Stranger Things came in next with 12.
But HBO's Game of Thrones led all shows with 22 nominations and its drama Westworld came in a close second with 21.
The Westeros-set fantasy drama is expected to go head-to-head with the second season of Hulu's dystopian series, The Handmaid's Tale. The latter nabbed the 2017 award for Best Drama and Game of Thrones won the two years prior.
Hulu racked up 27 nominations, including 20 for The Handmaid's Tale -- with acting nods for Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes, Kelly Jenrette, Cherry Jones and Samira Wiley -- and four for the limited series The Looming Tower.
And for the first time in six years, someone other than Julia Louis-Dreyfus will go on stage to accept the award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. First-time nominee Issa Rae (Insecure) joins Pamela Adlon (Better Things), Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Allison Janney (Mom), Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) and Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie) in the category.
There was another first in the Best Actress in a Drama Series. Sandra Oh became the first woman of Asian descent to earn a nod in the category for BBC America thriller Killing Eve. She previously earned six nominations for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Grey's Anatomy, but has yet to win an Emmy.
Another notable individual achievement this year could happen if John Legend wins an Emmy for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role in Jesus Christ Superstar. Should he win, he would become the 13th person to secure a so-called EGOT, trophies from the four major awards ceremonies -- Emmys, Grammys, Oscars and Tonys.
"I'm so proud of our Jesus Christ Superstar team! 13 Emmy nominations! We really had so much fun working on this together. So happy for everyone involved," he said on Twitter about the show's nominations.
