Game of Thrones Aims For One Last Sweep at The 71st Primetime Emmys

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honors television's best tonight, with past Emmy faves Game of Thrones and Veep both favored to take home Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Comedy one last time for their final seasons, but as our Joe Reid points out, their victories seem far less certain today than they did at the start of Emmy campaign season. Also tonight: fresh episodes of premium cable's top series, football, Country Music, The Circus, and more. 

LIVE AWARDS SHOW: From the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, it's The 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Taking a cue from this year's well-received Oscar ceremony, tonight's ceremony will be host-less, with a who's who list of celebrities presenting nominees and announcing winners across 27 categories. Will GoT go out on top? Tune in to find out in real time! 8:00 PM ET on Fox

SPORTS: From FirstEnergy stadium in Cleveland, Sunday Night Football pits the Los Angeles Rams against the Cleveland Browns. Kickoff is at 5:15 PM ET on NBC

NEW EPISODE: Emmy contender Succession finds the Roy children in the U.K. this week, where they're forced to negotiate with their mother, even as they attempt to outmaneuver one another behind the scenes. 9:00 PM ET on HBO

NEW EPISODE: Ken Burns' Country Music resumes tonight with The Sons and Daughters of America, which examines the ways in country music reflected shifts in the American landscape from 1964-1968 as Merle Haggard and Charley Pride emerged on the music scene. 8:00 PM ET on PBS

SEASON PREMIERE: Showtime's political series The Circus returns just in time to cover this past week's whistleblower saga, and the ever-increasing carnival-like atmosphere in Washington. 8:00 PM ET on Showtime

ALSO TONIGHT

• The Affair finds Helen focusing on herself and her first design commission, while Sierra searches for balance between work and parenting. 9:00 PM ET on Showtime
• On Becoming a God in Central Florida catches up with Krystal as she rubs shoulders with high society. 10:00 PM ET on Showtime
• The Righteous Gemstones finds Jesse gathering clues to his blackmailers' identities. 10:00 PM ET on HBO
• The Hunt for Eagle 56 follows investigators as they try to solve the 75 year mystery of what or who sunk the U.S. Navy warship Eagle 56 off the coast of New England. 9:00 PM ET on Smithsonian

Mike Attebery is Senior Editor at Primetimer and the author of seven mystery thrillers. Follow him on Twitter at @mikeattebery.