Emmy Awards 2016: Keri Russell, Kit Harington and other first-time nominees who deserve to win

The highly-anticipated Emmy Awards 2016, where this year's best performances and prestigious shows on television will be honoured, is just two days away, and this year's nominees include a number of renowned actors who are receiving their first nominations.

Below, we have listed some of these first-time nominees who deserve to win.

The Americans – This is the first time both Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys have been nominated for an Emmy Award, despite the show doing really well since its premiere in 2013. Russell has been nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category and her on-screen husband Rhys is a favourite to bag the award in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category.

Talking about the surprise nomination, Rhys told Vulture in a recent interview that they had given up hopes of ever bagging a nomination when it was announced that they were in the Emmys running.

"I know FX and people like that really wanted the Emmy recognition for three years, and it never came and by the fourth year we were like, 'You know we're never gonna be one of those Emmy shows and it's kind of great.' You just get on with it. Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, the nomination came and we were like, 'Oh, wow!' Maybe it was just because Mad Men and Breaking Bad were no longer on the air," Rhys said.

"Game of Thrones" – Both Kit Harington and Maisie Williams are in the running in the supporting actor and actress categories. While it's doubtful if Williams will bag an award, critics believe Harington deserves an award for essaying Jon Snow in the fantasy drama based on George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

"It is a serious understatement to say that I am somewhat stunned," Harington said in a statement back in July when the nominations were announced. "For my work on Game of Thrones to be recognized in this way is an emotional moment for me. I could not be more humbled."

"The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" -- Courtney B Vance got his first Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie category for playing defence attorney Johnnie Cochran in the show, and according to experts, he could easily walk away with the trophy.

Here are other first-time nominees:

• John Travolta
• Sterling K Brown
• Cuba Gooding Jr.
• Tom Hiddleston
• Constance Zimmer
• Aziz Ansari

The 68^th Primetime Emmy Awards will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. ABC will air the event live from 8 pm ET, and viewers in India can catch the show on Star English Entertainment Network's channels on Monday, Sept. 19 at 4.30 am.