Los Angeles, California - Succession rules the Emmy nomination list released Wednesday with a whopping 27 nods, including best drama, in an announcement overshadowed by the threat of a Hollywood actors' strike that could derail the industry's entire awards calendar.

For the second year in a row, Succession dominated the acting categories, becoming the first ever show to earn three of the six available slots for best lead actor in a drama.

Echoing their characters in the series, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and Kieran Culkin will now battle each other for the award, while their co-star Sarah Snook is the favorite for best lead actress.

Succession, which has twice won best drama series at the Emmys, was followed in this year's nominations count by two more shows from HBO, which claimed 127 nods overall.

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The Last of Us became the first live-action video game adaptation to earn major nominations, with 24, including best drama and acting nods for Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

The White Lotus, a satire on wealth and hypocrisy which switched from the limited series categories to drama after returning for a second season set in Sicily, earned 23 nods.

Apple TV+'s feel-good Ted Lasso topped the comedy section with its much-maligned third and possibly final season, taking 21 nominations.

Netflix's Beef and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story led the limited series category with 13 nods apiece.

After a final round of voting by the Television Academy's 20,000-odd members, the 75th Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on September 18.

But that ceremony is highly likely to be delayed if the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) calls a strike, which would trigger a boycott of the ceremony by stars.

Studios including Netflix and Disney have called in federal mediators to help resolve the deadlock over pay and other conditions, but have so far steadfastly refused to meet the union's demands.

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The actors' union said late on Thursday that negotiations have ended without a deal, paving the way for a vote on the first actors strike in more than four decades.

Other shows that proved popular with voters included Amazon Prime's period comedy The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which earned 14 nods, and The Bear,"a cult hit that takes viewers inside the astonishingly stressful kitchen of a run-down Chicago sandwich shop, with 13.

Disney+'s Star Wars was also recognized, with The Mandalorian, Andor, and Obi-Wan Kenobi earning 22 nods between them.

In the battle of the mega-budget fantasy series, HBO's Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon bested Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power by eight nominations to six.

Perennial Emmy winners Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Saturday Night Live will go head-to-head in the new scripted variety series category, while RuPaul's Drag Race returns as favorite for best reality competition program.

"In these dark political times, the Television Academy's gracious recognition of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' is a bright light. Thank you for the love," host RuPaul Charles said.