It’s EMMY Awards time again! The second biggest night only to OSCAR night! There have been so many great programs on television in recent years it’s just not fair to choose one show or one performance and say it was the ‘Best’. One of my favorite shows from this past year, The Leftovers wasn’t even nominated! But many great shows were and I will predict what I think will win and what will probably win. I don’t watch the comedy shows so I’m not including them in my predictions.  Here we go!

Best Drama Series

Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
House Of Cards
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld

My pick is Westworld. It was the most inventive, complicated and satisfying. I have a feeling though that Stranger Things will get the award. Times being what they are, Stranger Things is a show that takes us back to nostalgic times and feels comforting.

Best Actress – Drama

Viola Davis                         How To Get Away With Murder
Claire Foy                           The Crown
Elisabeth Moss             The Handmaid’s Tale
Keri Russell                        The Americans
Evan Rachel Wood       Westworld
Robin Wright                      House of Cards

Elisabeth seems to be a shoe in for her first Emmy. She should have won one for Mad Men which makes it even more inevitable. However, if Evan Rachel Wood wins I would be over the moon!  She was just amazing in Westworld.

Best Actor – Drama

Sterling K. Brown        This Is Us
Anthony Hopkins   Westworld
Bob Odenkirk          Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys             The Americans
Live Schreiber             Ray Donavan
Milo Ventimiglia         This Is Us

I would love to see Bob Odenkirk get it this year. He has really raised his game each year and gives avery nuanced performance. But Emmy loves movie stars and they usually win when they get nominated so my money is on Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Best Supporting Actress – Drama

Uzo Aduba                       Orange Is The New Black
Millie Bobby Brown Stranger Things
Ann Dowd                        The Handmaid’s Tale
Chrissy Metz                    This Is Us
Thandie Newton        Westworld
Samira Wiley                  The Handmaid’s Tale

Thandie Newton was amazing as maeve in Westworld.  She should win because she deserves to but Stranger Things may have the momentum and everyone loves Millie Bobby Brown aka ’11’.

Best Supporting Actor – Drama

Jonathan Banks           Better Call Saul
Ron Cephas Jones      This Is Us
David Harbour            Stranger Things
Michael Kelly              House of Cards
John Lithgow          The Crown
Mandy Patinkin          Homeland
Jeffrey Wright             Westworld

The actor that deserves this award was not even nominated.  Michael McKeon gave one of the best performances of the year as Chuck McGill on Better Call Saul. As good as Jonathan Banks is, McKeon should have taken his slot. John Lithgow is going to win. Not only was he great but he’s also a big movie star! Emmy loves that!

Best Director – Drama

Vince Gilligan        Better Call Saul
Stephen Daldry     The Crown
Reed Morano        The Handmaid’s Tale
Kate Dennis          The Handmaid’s tale
Lesli Linka Glatter    Homeland
The Duffer Brothers   Stranger Things
Jonathan Nolan          Westworld

This is a tough one – who knows which way the wind will be blowing as the night goes on but Stranger Things needs to be rewarded so this seems the likely spot to do it. However, personally I would like to see Westworld’s Jonathan Nolan take the statue.

Best Writing – Drama

Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields The Americans
Gordon Smith Better Call Saul
Peter Morgan The Crown
Bruce Miller The Handmaid’s Tale
The Duffer Brothers Stranger Things
Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan Westworld

I want to go with Westworld again, of course! But this will most likely go to The Crown and Peter Morgan. Emmy likes to spread it around.

Best Director – Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special

Jean-Marc Vallee         Big Little Lies
Noah Hawley                Fargo
Ryan Murphy               Feud: Bette and Joan
Ron Howard                Genius
James Marsh               The Night Of
Steve Zairian                The Night Of

I’m going with Jean-Marc Vallee here. Big Little Lies was beautiful to watch. He got some great performances out of all the actors and he created a great tapestry visually out of a very well written story.

Best Writing – Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special

David E. Kelley            Big Little Lies
Charles Booker            Black Mirror: San Junipero
Noah Hawley               Fargo
Ryan Murphy              Feud: Bette and Joan
Jaffe Cohen, Michael Zam, Ryan Murphy Feud: Bette and Joan
Richard Price, Steven Zairian                      The Night Of

David E. Kelly is a long time favorite of EMMY and he deserves to get this award on Sunday. Well written, complicated characters.

Best Supporting Actress – Limited Series or TV Movie

Judy Davis              Feud: Bette and Joan
Laura Dern         Big Little Lies
Jackie Hoffman     Feud: Bette and Joan
Regina King           American Crime
Michelle Pfeiffer The Wizard of Lies
Shailene Woodley    Big Little Lies

I would pick Laura Dern for Big Little Lies. She plays the ‘villain’ but she delivers a complex performance that makes her character not as one dimensiional as you would expect. But Michelle Pfeiffer – Movie Star – will probably win.

Best Supporting Actor – Limited Series or TV Movie

Bill Camp                      The Night Of
Alfred Molina              Feud: Bette and Joan
Alexander Skarsgard Big Little Lies
David Thewlis              Fargo
Stanley Tucci               Feud: Bette and Joan
Michael K. Williams   The Night Of

I’m going with Alexander Skarsgard here. His performance as an abusive husband was very layered and complicated. But don’t be surprised to see wily old veteran Bill Camp sneak out with the trophy. He was excellent and understated as the retiring detective who can’t rest until he knows he got the right guy in The Night Of.  he was also great in The Leftovers this season.

Best Actress – Limited Series or TV Movie

Carrie Coon                Fargo
Felicity Huffman       American Crime
Nicole Kidman      Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange             Feud: Bette and Joan
Susan Sarandon        Feud: Bette and Joan
Reese Witherspoon  Big Little Lies

This may be the toughest category of the evening. Each one of these performances was perfect. They all were just fantastic and worthy of an Emmy. Also, my theory about how EMMY loves  ‘movie stars’ and they usually win if nominated, goes out the window here! They’re all big Oscar winning movie stars except for Carrie Coon. I think Nicole Kidman will win. But Carrie Coon could pull it off precisely because she is the only one who ISN’T a big movie star!

Best Actor – Limited Series or TV Movie

Riz Ahmed                        The Night Of
Benedict Cumberbatch  Sherlock: The Lying Detective
Robert DeNiro           The Wizard of Lies
Ewan McGregor             Fargo
Geoffrey Rush                Genius
John Turturro                The Night Of

I would take John Turturro here. He was really the motor moving The Night Of. Turtorro has been so good for so long and he is way overdue for some acknowledgment. But Bobby DeNiro as Bernie Madoff could take it!

Best Limited Series

Big Little Lies
Fargo
Feud: Bette and Joan
Genius
The Night Of

Another tough one but I have to go with Big Little Lies. It was completely satisfying in all categories.

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Real Time With Bill Maher

John Oliver is going to get another Emmy. All these shows are great and look at all the Daily Show alumni! Jon Stewart must be proud!