A massive year for the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards – the nominations shift represent a clear acceptance of services like Netflix and solidifies their role in the generation of high-quality television. Add to that what will is expected to be a very touching tribute to Robin Williams, led by long time friend Billy Crystal, and it will have all the emotions for all the people.
Hosted this year by Late Night host Seth Meyers he’s got a sizeable set of expectations to overcome. Who can really follow Neil Patrick Harris? There’s also some big shows with some big nomination counts to deliver on:
Game of Thrones – 19
Fargo – 18
American Horror Story: Coven – 17
Breaking Bad – 16
Normal Heart – 16
Saturday Night Live – 14
House of Cards – 13
It’s poised to be Breaking Bad’s Emmys, given the huge final season they delivered in 2013, but with True Detective and Fargo offering incredible first seasons it’s anyone’s guess as to where the votes will go. Can. Not. Wait.
These are my picks for winners in this year’s awards (let me know if you think I’m right or wrong and why!). My picks in bold…
Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad, AMC
Downton Abbey, PBS
Game of Thrones, HBO
House of Cards, Netflix
Mad Men, AMC
True Detective, HBO
It is Vince Gilligan & co’s time. True Detective will have other years.
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Veep (HBO)
As much as it would be great to see Veep get a guernsey this is OITNB’s to lose.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Woody Harrelson, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)
The voting block are split with both McConaughey and Harrelson’s nominations, and with Cranston nailing a massive final season with Walter White even though he’s won before surely it’s his again.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Kerry Washington, Scandal (ABC)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
Lizzy Caplan to pip Robin Wright – just.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Ricky Gervais, Derek (Netflix)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
My heart lies with Matt LeBlanc but my head says Louis C.K.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let Julia Louis-Dreyfus win again if only for Tony Hale to crash the stage with her AGAIN. Though it’s likely to be Edie Falco.
Outstanding Miniseries
American Horror Story: Coven, FX
Fargo, FX
Luther, BBC America
Bonnie & Clyde, A&E
Treme, HBO
The White Queen, Starz
There’s a lot of Emmys love for AHS though I suspect this year it’ll be all for Fargo.
Outstanding Movie
Killing Kennedy, National Geographic Channel
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, HBO
The Normal Heart, HBO
Sherlock: His Last Vow, PBS
Trip to Bountiful, Lifetime
The Normal Heart is as close to an even money bet as I’ll offer.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
Idris Elba, Luther (BBC America)
Martin Freeman, Fargo (FX)
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)
Again the voting block is split so neither Thornton or Freeman will pick it up. So much love for The Normal Heart means the Hulk will smash it.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor (BBC America)
Minnie Driver, Return to Zero (Lifetime)
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
Kristen Wiig, Spoils of Babylon (IFC)
It would be lovely to see Kristen Wiig take this out. America love the stories of their own royalty however, even when told to them by the Brits.
Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Betty White, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (NBC)
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night (NBC)
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway (Lifetime)
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
Anthony Bourdain, The Taste (ABC)
A shared hosting win, because Tim Gunn demands it.
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race, CBS
Dancing With the Stars, ABC
Project Runway, Lifetime
So You Think You Can Dance, Fox
Top Chef, Bravo
The Voice, NBC
It’s the grandaddy of them all and it still deserves the love.
Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
The Daily Show, Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC
Saturday Night Live, NBC
Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC
I hope all these shows make haste while the sun shines as next year this is John Oliver’s Emmy. But for now it has to be Fallon who has reignited a passion and a brevity that the genre has been missing.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Josh Charles, The Good Wife (CBS)
Dinklage surely the favourite, along with Paul. Too close to call with certainty.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Lena Headley, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)
It should have been Hendrick’s last year (though Gunn was deserving); this year it should be Gunn’s though Baranski has been waiting in the wings for too long to miss out.
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Breaking Bad (Episode: “Felina”), Written by Vince Gilligan (AMC)
Breaking Bad (Episode: “Ozymandias”), Written by Moira Walley-Beckett (AMC)
Game of Thrones (Episode: “The Children”), Written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss (HBO)
House of Cards (Episode: “Chapter 14”), Written by Beau Willimon (Netflix)
True Detective (Episode: “The Secret Fate of All Life”), Written by Nic Pizzolatto (HBO)
*ALL* these episodes are amazing but it’s the split of the two Breaking Bad eps that will battle it out. Full marks to Vaughan as surely his ultimate episode deserves the nod. The episode did EVERYTHING it should have and importantly remained true to the story and satisfied fans no end.
Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire (Episode: “Farewell Daddy Blues”), Directed by Tim Van Patten (HBO)
Breaking Bad (Episode: “Felina”), Directed by Vince Gilligan (AMC)
Downton Abbey (Episode: “Episode One”), Directed by David Evans (PBS)
Game of Thrones (Episode: “The Watchers on the Wall”), Directed by Neil Marshall (HBO)
House of Cards (Episode: “Chapter 14”), Directed by Carl Franklin (Netflix)
True Detective (Episode: “Who Goes There”), Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (HBO)
For the same reasons as above this should win this Emmy also.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family (ABC)
Fred Armisen, Portlandia (IFC)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
It’s rare for a two in a row (and with this competition even tougher to pull it off), but Tony Hale deserves it no question. Andre Braugher as a very close second.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)
Please be Anna Chlumsky. PLEASE be Anna Chlumsky. PLEASE DO NOT be Mayim Bialik.
Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Episodes (Episode: “Episode Five”), Written by David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik (Showtime)
Louie (Episode: “So Did the Fat Lady”), Written by Louis C.K. (FX)
Orange Is the New Black (Episode: “I Wasn’t Ready”), Written by Liz Friedman & Jenji Kohan (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (Episode: “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency”), Written by Alec Berg (HBO)
Veep (Episode: “Special Relationship”), Written by Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, & Tony Roche (HBO)
Silicon Valley would be walking home with this were it not for a very special episode of Veep.
Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
Episodes (Episode: “Episode Nine”), Directed by Iain B. MacDonald (Showtime)
Glee (Episode: “100”), Directed by Paris Barclay (Fox)
Louie (Episode: “Elevator, Part 6”), Directed by Louis C.K. (FX)
Modern Family (Episode: “Las Vegas”), Directed by Gail Mancuso (ABC)
Orange Is the New Black (Episode: “Lesbian Request Denied”), Directed by Jodie Foster (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (Episode: “Minimum Viable Product”), Directed by Mike Judge (HBO)
Too much sentiment attached for it not to be Glee.
66th Primetime Emmy Awards – Red Carpet 8am/Awards 9:30am AEST Tue 26/08, Fox8.