The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Predictions
Jesse Slade ’19/ Emertainment Monthly TV Staff Writer
With Emmy season upon us it is time to discuss this year’s nominees. Who deserves to win? Who do we predict will win? Who will give a speech in the style of Merritt Wever? The 2014/2015 season was one of the best for television in years. There were breakout hits such as Empire (FOX), The Flash (CW), How To Get Away With Murder (ABC). Also returning favorites included Modern Family (ABC), Scandal (ABC), and Game of Thrones (HBO). This doesn’t even include the immensely popular online streaming shows that have changed television altogether such as Orange is the New Black (Netflix), House of Cards (Netflix), and Transparent (Amazon Instant Video). TV is changing every year, and this year has been no exception. Emertainment Monthly is here to list some of the most talked about nominations, predict who will win, and share who should win and why.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon Instant Video)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
Who’s going to win? Modern Family.
Who should win? The Mindy Project. (Not nominated).
Modern Family is heading towards breaking the record for most consecutive “Outstanding Comedy Series” wins. The cast has already racked up five awards in this category and is expected to get their sixth Emmy this year. The Mindy Project follows “Mindy Lahiri”, an OBGYN in one of the most underrated comedies TV has to offer.
Outstanding Drama Series
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Mad Men (AMC)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
Who’s going to win? Mad Men.
Who should win? Mad Men.
Mad Men has been nominated for 8 Emmys and had won 4 of these nominations. It nabbed it’s last win in 2011 and with it’s series finale airing this past Summer, it’s sure to close out it’s highly successful run with a win. Mad Men was a hit from the very beginning, winning “Outstanding Drama Series” after only one season on the air. This was followed by 3 more consecutive wins in this category.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes – Homeland (Showtime)
Viola Davis – How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Taraji P. Henson – Empire (FOX)
Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black (BBC)
Elizabeth Moss – Mad Men (AMC)
Robin Wright – House of Cards (Netflix)
Who’s going to win? Viola Davis.
Who should win? Taraji P. Henson
The Emmy’s have been on the air for 67 years, and this year very well may be the first year that an African American actress wins “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series”. Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder), and Taraji P. Henson (Empire), have both received nominations following their first season on the air. Empire is FOX’s biggest hit since Glee and is breaking TV records left and right. How To Get Away With Murder is the third show Shonda Rhimes has written for ABC and has followed in the success of it’s predecessors. Viola Davis won the SAG award for her role in this show after 6 episodes on the air and she is an Academy favorite, I predict she will win this award. Taraji P. Henson demands attention every time she steps on the screen in Empire, and her character “Cookie” is the scene stealing spitfire that makes Empire so entertaining.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jeff Daniels – The Newsroom (HBO)
Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul (AMC)
Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Kevin Spacey – House of Cards (Netflix)
Who’s going to win? Jon Hamm.
Who should win? Jon Hamm.
Jon Hamm played the leading man on Mad Men, “Don Draper”, for six years and was nominated for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” every year. He has yet to win this award and this year will be his 8th nomination.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Lisa Kudrow – The Comeback (HBO)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep (HBO)
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
Amy Schumer – Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin – Grace and Frankie
Who’s going to win? Amy Schumer or Amy Poehler.
Who should win? Amy Poehler.
Amy Poehler was the star of Parks and Recreation for seven seasons and this year is her sixth nomination for this award. That being said, she has yet to win it, but why? Parks and Recreation has been a landmark comedy for NBC, and it is possible for her to win this year. The only person who might get in the way of her win is Amy Schumer. Amy Schumer was an unknown comedian coming into 2015, but this year in comedy was her’s for the taking. The Emmy’s welcome newcomers, for example Gina Rodriguez last year won an Emmy for her work on Jane The Virgin after less than a season on the air, this was also her first nomination.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jeffrey Tambor in Transparent, Photo Credit: Jim Frohna/Amazon Studios
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish (ABC)
Louis C.K. – Louie (FX)
Don Cheadle – House of Lies (Showtime)
Will Forte – The Last Man on Earth (FOX)
Matt Leblanc – Episodes (Showtime)
William H. Macy – Shameless (Showtime)
Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent (Amazon Instant Video)
Who’s going to win? Jeffrey Tambor.
Who should win? William H. Macy.
On Transparent, Jeffrey Tambor plays “Maura Pfefferman”, a transgender father with three children. The series is surrounded by the family coming to terms and dealing with the fact that their father is transgender. Tambor won “ Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy” last year at the Golden Globe Awards for his work on the show. On Shameless, William H. Macy plays “Frank Gallagher”, a drunken father of five children. Macy embodies this character so well, it’s almost hard to see him acting outside of this role without seeing this character. He won the SAG award for his work on the show last year, but has yet to win an Emmy for this role.
Tune into the Emmys tonight at 8ET/5PT on Fox