"Succession," the HBO drama about an ultra-wealthy family fighting for control of a sinister media empire, led the nominations Wednesday for the Emmys -- television's version of the Oscars.

The show's critically adored final season earned a whopping 27 nods, in a live-streamed announcement overshadowed by the threat of a Hollywood actors' strike that could derail the industry's entire awards calendar.

"Succession" was followed by two more HBO dramas -- video-game adaptation "The Last of Us" (24) and satire "The White Lotus" (23).

Apple TV+'s "Ted Lasso" topped the comedy section with 21, while 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, with a negotiations deadline looming at midnight (0700 GMT Thursday.)

An actors' strike would mean 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 the actors' union said late Tuesday it is "not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement."

amz/sst