What If Search Results Determined the Emmy Winners?

Kit Harington - Game of Thrones
Helen Sloan/HBO
GAME OF THRONES 49 (season 5, episode 9): John Bradley, Kit Harington. photo:

Come Sunday night, Game of Thrones will have to slice down the final season of Mad Men if it wants to take home the Emmy for best drama series. But if the winner was determined by how often TV viewers search online for the show, Thrones would already have it in the bag.

This is all according to new research from iQuanti, a company that specializes in predictive data. iQuanti tabulated the search frequency via Google and Bing for the nominees in 16 categories and ranked them in order of most- to least-searched shows and people. (Results were limited to searches from the past year in the U.S.)

So who else would take home the trophy if the Emmys were a search-based popularity contest? Empire favorite Taraji P. Henson would beat out frontrunner Viola Davis for lead actress in a drama, while House of Cards’ Kevin Spacey would aid in Jon Hamm’s continued losing streak for lead actor.

On the comedy side, searchers are right in-line with Emmy voters, as they’ve crowned Modern Family, which has won for the past five years. Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s three-year run would come to a close, leaving lady-of-the-moment Amy Schumer to sweep in for the steal. And though Jeffrey Tambor is considered a lock for lead actor in a comedy, Louis C.K. trumped him as the most-searched nominee in his category.

Check out the full list below of who would win the major Emmy categories, if search frequency was the deciding factor. But tune into the live telecast to see what really happens this Sunday at 8/7c on Fox.

  • Drama Series: Mad Men
  • Comedy Series: Modern Family
  • Lead Actress in a Drama: Taraji P. Henson, Empire
  • Lead Actor in a Drama: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
  • Lead Actress in a Comedy: Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
  • Lead Actor in a Comedy: Louis C.K., Louie
  • Supporting Actress in a Drama: Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
  • Supporting Actor in a Drama: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Julie Bowen, Modern Family
  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Adam Driver, Girls
  • Variety Talk Show: The Colbert Report
  • Variety Sketch Series: Saturday Night Live
  • Miniseries: American Crime
  • Actress in a Miniseries or a TV Movie: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
  • Actor in a Miniseries or a TV Movie: Adrien Brody, Houdini

RELATED: Visit Our Emmys Page for More Coverage