'Game of Thrones' Showrunner D.B. Weiss Admits Emmy Nominations Were 'Kind of Surprising'

With the Emmys only a few weeks away, fans and stars have understandably been talking about the huge number of nominations Game of Thrones gathered, especially considering how poorly Season 8 was received. The final season was criticized so highly, fans even turned to Change.org to make a petition that it be remade with "competent writers," reaching 1.7 million signatures.

Despite the negative reception, Thrones still scored 32 nominations, a number that surprised many including showrunner D.B. Weiss himself. In an interview with the Japanese publication Star Channel, as reported by CNET, Weiss said:

"It was kind of surprising...I did not know that we expected. In my mind, I thought the last season would have been the peak, and that we would have ended up with a couple less [nominations] at best."

Season 7 of Thrones earned 22 Emmy nominations and won for Best Drama Series, according to CNET. Fans will no doubt anxiously watch to see how the final season compares on the night of the awards, which will take place Saturday, Sept. 14.

Weiss and fellow showrunner David Benioff also recently discussed the misplaced coffee cup that became a famous meme from Season 8. Benioff joked, "In Persian rugs it's tradition that you make a little mistake when you're making the rug because only God can do anything perfect."

Weiss added jokingly, "That's why I put the coffee cup there. It was a conscious, concerted statement of imperfection."

Mistakes or not, Weiss and Benioff spent ten years making Thrones and even with mixed reviews of the final season, it's nice to see their hard work paying off with the huge sweep of Emmy nominations.