Awards

There’s a lot to be happy about with the latest awards announcement. The Critics’ Choice Television Award Nominations were announced early Monday morning, and there are a lot of new faces. HBO leads with 22 nominations (no surprise there), but ABC and Netflix trail right behind with 14 each.

Atlanta and Fleabag (yay!!!) landed nominations in the Best Comedy category while HBO’s newest epic, Westworld, will go toe-to-toe with three fan favorites: weekly sobfest This is Us, sci-fi phenomenon Stranger Things, and Netflix’s The Crown. Have you forgotten about FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson? Critics sure haven’t! The true crime saga picked up 6 more nominations this morning.

The Critics’ Choice Awards will be announced in a televised ceremony December 11 at 8pm ET with host TJ Miller.

Here are your 2016 Critics’ Choice Television Award nominees. 

NOTE: Mandy Patinkin was removed as Homeland did not air during the eligibility window. He was replaced by Michael McKean from Better Call Saul. 

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta – FX
Black-ish – ABC
Fleabag – Amazon
Modern Family – ABC
Silicon Valley – HBO
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
Veep – HBO

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ellie Kemper – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep – HBO
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live – NBC
Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-ish – ABC
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag – Amazon
Constance Wu – Fresh Off the Boat – ABC

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish – ABC
Will Forte – The Last Man on Earth – FOX
Donald Glover – Atlanta – FX
Bill Hader – Documentary Now! – IFC
Patrick Stewart – Blunt Talk – Starz
Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent – Amazon

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Julie Bowen – Modern Family – ABC
Anna Chlumsky – Veep – HBO
Allison Janney – Mom – CBS
Jane Krakowski – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
Judith Light – Transparent – Amazon
Allison Williams – Girls – HBO

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Louie Anderson – Baskets – FX
Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine – FOX
Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
Ty Burrell – Modern Family – ABC
Tony Hale – Veep – HBO
T.J. Miller – Silicon Valley – HBO

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin – Saturday Night Live – NBC
Christine Baranski – The Big Bang Theory – CBS
Larry David – Saturday Night Live – NBC
Lisa Kudrow – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
Liam Neeson – Inside Amy Schumer – Comedy Central

BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Archer – FX
Bob’s Burgers – FOX
BoJack Horseman – Netflix
Son of Zorn – FOX
South Park – Comedy Central
The Simpsons – FOX

BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES
America’s Got Talent – NBC
MasterChef Junior – FOX
RuPaul’s Drag Race – Logo
Skin Wars – GSN
The Amazing Race – CBS
The Voice – NBC

BEST STRUCTURED REALITY SERIES
Chopped – Food Network
Inside The Actors Studio – Bravo
Penn & Teller: Fool Us – The CW
Project Runway – Lifetime
Shark Tank – ABC
Undercover Boss – CBS

BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY SERIES
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – CNN
Chrisley Knows Best – USA Network
Deadliest Catch – Discovery
Ice Road Truckers – History
Intervention – A&E
Naked and Afraid – Discovery

BEST TALK SHOW
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee – TBS
Jimmy Kimmel Live! – ABC
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – HBO
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Comedy Central
The Late Late Show with James Corden – CBS
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – NBC

BEST REALITY SHOW HOST
Ted Allen – Chopped – Food Network
Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars – ABC
Anthony Bourdain – Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – CNN
Nick Cannon – America’s Got Talent – NBC
Carson Daly – The Voice – NBC
RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race – Logo

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones – HBO
Kit Harington – Game of Thrones – HBO
John Lithgow – The Crown – Netflix
Michael McKean – Better Call Saul – Showtime
Christian Slater – Mr. Robot – USA Network
Jon Voight – Ray Donovan – Showtime

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christine Baranski – The Good Wife – CBS
Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones – HBO
Lena Headey – Game of Thrones – HBO
Thandie Newton – Westworld – HBO
Maura Tierney – The Affair – Showtime
Constance Zimmer – UnREAL – Lifetime

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sam Heughan – Outlander – Starz
Rami Malek – Mr. Robot – USA Network
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul – AMC
Matthew Rhys – The Americans – FX
Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan – Showtime
Kevin Spacey – House of Cards – Netflix

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Caitriona Balfe – Outlander – Starz
Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder – ABC
Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black – BBC America
Keri Russell – The Americans – FX
Evan Rachel Wood – Westworld – HBO
Robin Wright – House of Cards – Netflix

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul – AMC
Game of Thrones – HBO
Mr. Robot – USA Network
Stranger Things – Netflix
The Crown – Netflix
This Is Us – NBC
Westworld – HBO

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES
Mahershala Ali – House of Cards – Netflix
Lisa Bonet – Ray Donovan – Showtime
Ellen Burstyn – House of Cards – Netflix
Michael J. Fox – The Good Wife – CBS
Jared Harris – The Crown – Netflix
Jeffrey Dean Morgan – The Walking Dead – AMC

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
All the Way – HBO
Confirmation – HBO
Killing Reagan – National Geographic
Roots – History
The Night Manager – AMC
The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Bryan Cranston – All the Way – HBO
Benedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock: The Abominable Bride – PBS
Cuba Gooding Jr. – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
Tom Hiddleston – The Night Manager – AMC
Tim Matheson – Killing Reagan – National Geographic
Courtney B. Vance – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Sterling K. Brown – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
Lane Garrison – Roots – History
Frank Langella – All the Way – HBO
Hugh Laurie – The Night Manager – AMC
John Travolta – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
Forest Whitaker – Roots – History

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Olivia Colman – The Night Manager – AMC
Felicity Huffman – American Crime – ABC
Cynthia Nixon – Killing Reagan – National Geographic
Sarah Paulson – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
Lili Taylor – American Crime – ABC
Kerry Washington – Confirmation – HBO

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Elizabeth Debicki – The Night Manager – AMC
Regina King – American Crime – ABC
Sarah Lancashire – The Dresser – Starz
Melissa Leo – All the Way – HBO
Anna Paquin – Roots – History
Emily Watson – The Dresser – Starz

Awards season and the Critics’ Choice are upon us and with them comes controversy.

The Fall TV awards season begins next Monday, November 14^th, when the Broadcast Television Journalists Association announce their television nominees for the 7^th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards. This week, as frivolous as it feels in our current American political situation, I’ll dissect the current controversies surrounding the BTJA and end the tracker with some of the shows we’ll likely see recognized when nominations are announced.

Critics’ Choice Controversy

The Critics’ Choice Awards are a relatively new awards group, especially on the television side. Recently, the BTJA ran into a major setback that ended with many of the industry’s top television critics resigning from the association including Ken Tucker and two of the nominating committee’s co-chairs, Michael Ausiello and Debra Birnbaum.

The recent departures from the BTJA stem from the decision to partner with Entertainment Weekly not only with the announcement of their nominations but also linking the awards group to various exclusive Critics’ Choice content featured on the magazine’s website. Many respected critics penned a letter condemning this new partnership, ending the letter with their resignation from the group. TVLine’s Michael Ausiello described his frustrations with the changes as “it seems like it’s becoming a marketing event for a single brand, and that’s something I’m just not comfortable with.”

Over the course of two days, 13 critics in total have resigned from the BTJA, accounting for almost 15 percent of the group’s members. Without critics from websites like Indiewire, TVLine, TVGuide, Variety, US Weekly, and Buzzfeed, the association will have a difficult time earning respect as an awards group originally meant to represent the best of the critical industry honoring the best TV has to offer. This is not the first time some of the members have been loudly critical of the organization. Earlier this year the board announced that they would be moving the awards ceremony to December 11^th, a choice many of its members criticized a publicity stunt to be the first award of the season that detracted from the films and shows they were trying to celebrate.

It will be interesting to see if the award’s seventh batch of nominees consist of peculiar choices without some of the most respected and recognizable critics in the industry or even worse predominately feature only shows that EW championed.

The Top Shows to Look Out For

The Critics’ Choice awards always produce some of the most left-field choices for their favorite series and performances of the year, making their nominations and winners some of the most interesting of the year. These are some of the shows and performances to keep an eye on this year.

 Drama Races

The Americans – The (partially) reigning Critics’ Choice winner for Outstanding Drama has been nominated for every season, and, with Season 4 the most beloved by critics yet, there is a huge chance The Americans will be a major player.

Animal Kingdom – The family crime drama fits in with some of the critics’ group past obsessions like Sons of Anarchy, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if BTJA voters make room for the show, especially in the supporting races for actors like Ellen Barkin or Shawn Hatosy.

Bates Motel – BTJA voters have always made room in their nominations for Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, and, after some of their best material, they have a good chance of returning once again.

Marvel’s Luke Cage – A Marvel superhero show might not seem like an obvious awards contender, especially with critics, but critics and audiences have been warming up the Netflix/Marvel partnership, first with an actress nomination for Krysten Ritter last year. Luke Cage is even bigger and even possibly broke down the server for a couple hours, and critics have had a lot of great things to say about the show’s social commentary on gentrification in Harlem.

Mr. Robot – As the other reigning drama champ (and arguably the most accoladed new show of 2015), Mr. Robot shouldn’t be counted out for its sophomore season even if it was one of the most divisive seasons of TV in 2016. No matter what critics are still in love with Rami Malek’s lead performance, and he should remain a frontrunner.

Rectify – Although the Sundance drama hasn’t garnered much attention over the years, it has been a critics darling, especially Aden Young. As the only show (of any genre) to earn a score of 100 on Metacritic, Rectify should be a major contender for its fourth season.

Stranger Things – Stranger Things may appear as more of a pop culture phenomenon than a critical darling, but BTJA voters have always warmed up to genre shows. The popularity surrounding the show should mean good things for actors like Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, and the show as a whole.

This is Us – As the critics’ darling of network TV, This is Us has a good chance of popping up at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards, especially in the supporting actor races since this is the awards group that fell in love with the Parenthood ensemble.

Westworld – The TV buzz over the past couple weeks has been almost entirely focused on the mysteries of Westworld, and no other fall drama has come close to attracting the same amount of attention. Depending on how obsessed the BTJA becomes with the show, it could rack up a lot of acting nominations for the show’s ensemble.

Comedy Races

Atlanta – As the best reviewed comedy of 2016, Atlanta should have no problem breaking into the outstanding omedy race as well as Donald Glover becoming a lead actor frontrunner.

black-ish – The Critics’ Choice Awards have always made room in the comedy races for sitcoms, and no other television family is gaining as much attention as ABC’s the Johnsons. As the best sitcom on network TV, black-ish should easily return to all major categories, and in a perfect world might even earn a supporting actress nomination for the legendary Jenifer Lewis.

Broad City – For the show’s first two seasons, BTJA voters made sure to nominate Broad City as one of their favorite comedies of the year as well as singling Ilana Glazer out. It will be interesting if they continue to make room for the MTV comedy now that they are voting at the end of the year as opposed to the spring when the show is fresher in their minds.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – Last year, critics took it upon themselves to champion Rachel Bloom and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as the little show that could throughout the awards season, and it seems that a year later their love for the TV musical has only grown. On top of a second nomination for Bloom, critics just might nominate the show in the outstanding comedy race.

Insecure – It seems that everyone is obsessed with Issa Rae, and she is on her way to earning her first major awards nomination. There’s a good chance Insecure could be recognized as one of the BTJA’s favorite comedies of the year as well.

Lady Dynamite – Netflix had a hard time finding the right audience for Maria Bamford’s show as it was one of the most personal, uncomfortable, and genre defying shows on television. If anyone’s going to embrace one of the strangest comedies of all-time it will be the critics.

Silicon Valley – As the last winner of the Outstanding Comedy award before the television awards timeline was moved to match the film awards, the HBO workplace comedy is probably a major contender once again, even if ADTV wasn’t the biggest fan of the newest season. If their hosting choice (TJ Miller) is any indicator, we might be seeing even more recognition for the show.

Speechless – The BTJA loves the matriarchs of ABC’s comedies and has nominated nearly every one of them since the award’s conception, so the first comedy with a disabled child starring Minnie Driver should have a good chance at receiving some sort of recognition.

Transparent – Even as the show steers further and further away from comedy territory it still seems to dominate with voting groups. This year there seemed to be little buzz surrounding the third season premiere, and whether or not the show is recognized this year will be a good indicator if the show is losing steam.

Veep – In such a rough election year, the silver lining seemed to be Veep‘s fifth season which went on to receive just as much critical acclaim after the switch in showrunners from Armando Ianucci to David Mandel.

You’re The Worst – BTJA voters have always had a soft spot for the FXX comedy, and last year they awarded the show with a best comedy nomination as well as acting nominations for Aya Cash and Kether Donohue.

What shows are you anticipating to be recognized this year by the BTJA at the Critics’ Choice Awards? Will the drop in membership and new partnership with Entertainment Weekly have any sort of effect?

Who has the greatest 2017 awards buzz: HBO or FX? Here are some series from both cable giants that could see future attention.

This time last year, awards buzz around 2016 focused on Martin Scorsese’s Vinyl and Cameron Crowe’s Roadies, and that goes to show you how much can truly change in a year. Instead, a new class of HBO programming struggles to stand out against the new gold standard of television, FX. In a year where strong networks like Showtime floundered, FX and even USA are looking to take their place as the new future of television (well besides streaming). These are the seven shows and performances to look out for this awards season.

Divorce

After twelve years, Sarah Jessica Parker comes home to prove that she is still the silver screen queen even though she’s a year older than Wilford Brimley in Cocoon. Divorce may be divisive among critics, but the HBO dramedy aligns perfectly with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s TV sensibilities. They loved middle aged actresses on premium dramedies (Laura Dern, Toni Collette, Laura Linney, Mary-Louise Parker), and Sarah Jessica Parker is a 4-time Golden Globe winner for Sex and The City, which won three best series awards in a row. On top of Sarah Jessica Parker, Divorce has so many HFPA-friendly elements that the show is poised to be nominated as one of their favorite comedies of the year and possibly even a lead actor nomination for Thomas Haden Church, especially with so little competition.

Other voting groups like the critics and the guilds might be a little more hesitant to reward the show. With a 60% score on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, critics are unabashedly disappointed with the show, and guild members, especially the WGA, are more likely to reward showrunner and Emmy-nominee Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) if at all. If the Critics go for a left field choice, they might nominate Molly Shannon in the supporting race for what is probably the flashiest performance on the show.

Best Bet

Lead Actress in a Comedy, Sarah Jessica Parker: Golden Globes

Possible Contenders

Comedy Series: Golden Globes

Lead Actor in a Comedy, Thomas Haden Church: Golden Globes

Worth Mentioning 

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Molly Shannon: Critics Choice

Actress in a Comedy, Sarah Jessica Parker: SAG Awards

Insecure    

Insecure may not have the weight of star power or a gimmicky plot behind it, but it became HBO’s best reviewed new show of 2016 by simply being great. Insecure is the most relatable comedy on premium cable, and awards groups are going to jump at the chance to be the first to recognize Issa Rae. The Golden Globes love to pretend they discovered new talent before any other group, and Issa Rae is bound to follow in the footsteps of Gina Rodriguez and Rachel Bloom. Unfortunately, Insecure might be too small of a show, especially in ratings, for the HFPA to recognize it in any other category.

Critics, on the other hand, have been championing Issa Rae as a creative talent ever since her webseries Awkward Black Girl and there’s a good chance they’ll jump at the opportunity to award the show as a whole, especially since they chose another auteur-esque comedy last year, Master of None.

Best Bet

Lead Actress in a Comedy, Issa Rae: Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice

Comedy Series: Critics’ Choice

Possible Contenders

Comedy Series: Golden Globes

Worth Mentioning

WGA Award

Westworld  

HBO struggled over the past few years to build their next big drama now that Game of Thrones is coming to an end. The network failed to find the right audience for The Leftovers, embarrassed themselves with the second season of True Detective, and flat-out pretends Vinyl never existed. Now Westworld seems to be their only hope and appears pretty likely to be embraced throughout awards season. The HFPA loves to reward almost every major HBO show, and this is the perfect opportunity for the Foreign Press to ditch Game of Thrones, a show they have never been enthusiastic about. The large ensemble cast could easily sneak into the SAG ensemble race since there are a couple of open slots, especially since SAG voters have embraced HBO fantasy shows like GoT and even True Blood.

The biggest question regarding Westworld is whether or not the fantasy ensemble will be recognized for its individual performances. No one from the ensemble has stood out in a Peter Dinklage or Uzo Aduba manner, so it’s hard to tell which actors will be recognized (if any) especially after HBO made some interesting submission decisions. Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton were both submitted as lead actresses while four men have to fight it out in supporting, although Anthony Hopkins is the sole lead actor representation. As of now, Ed Harris is likely to stand out in the supporting actor race, especially in a year where that category is so up in the air.

Best Bet

Drama Series – Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice

Drama Ensemble – SAG Awards

Possible Contenders

Lead Actress in a Drama, Evan Rachel Wood: Golden Globes

Supporting Actor, Ed Harris: Golden Globes

Worth Mentioning

Lead Actor in a Drama, Anthony Hopkins: Golden Globes

PGA, DGA, WGA

Atlanta  

Until Atlanta, Donald Glover received a television outlet in comedies that never really seemed to fit him creatively from his breakout role on Community to his short stint on Girls to offset the show’s white Brooklyn problem. Now that he seems to be in complete creative control, his first starring role emerges as the best reviewed new show of 2016. It feels like an obvious Critics’ Choice contender/frontrunner for lead actor and series in the comedy races, especially since this is the same voting body who has repeatedly awarded a showrunner/star like Louis CK and even championed Glover’s first show Community.

The Foreign Press could go either way with a show like Atlanta by celebrating it the same way they did Lena Dunham and Girls in its first year, or they could completely ignore the show the way they have other auteur-driven comedies like Master of None  and Louie. In the end, HFPA voters will probably realize there is too much hype around the show to ignore and, if anything, the cinematography will make Atlanta stand out as more cinematic than any other comedy in contention.

Best Bet

Lead Actor in a Comedy, Donald Glover: Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice

Comedy Series: Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes

Possible Contenders

WGA Award, PGA Award

Queen of the South  

The Foreign Press loves international stars, so, although Queen of the South comes across as a little too mainstream to be an awards contender, Alice Braga could easily sneak into the drama actress race. The USA drama might not have as much buzz as other shows, but throughout the summer it did have consistently stronger viewership than Mr. Robot. The Brazilian star came to fame after a role in the Oscar winning City of God and is now the star of a show about an international drug cartel, a theme that helped Narcos earn two major nominations last year. From Ugly Betty to Jane the Virgin, Globes voters have always had a fascination with telenovela-inspired shows, and Queen of the South might just be the next obvious pick.

Possible Contenders

Lead Actress in a Drama, Alice Braga: Golden Globes

Baskets

Louie Anderson won the first major award of his career this year for his work on Baskets, and he might just be able to ride that wave of support into the fall awards season. Golden Globes voters have the impossible task of narrowing down the supporting races to five performances with complete disregard to genre. As of recently they’ve used the Emmy winners as a jumping off point even if Baskets barely made an impact last winter.

Possible Contenders

Supporting Actor, Louie Anderson: Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe

Worth Mentioning

Lead Actor in a Comedy, Zach Galifinakis: Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice

Vice Principals

The most surprising fact about the Critics’ Choice Awards just might be that the current record holder for the most nominations isn’t an Emmy favorite like Allison Janney or Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. Instead, that honor goes to Walton Goggins. They couldn’t get enough of him in Justified and Sons of Anarchy, and, if the voting body had been around throughout The Shield, he’d probably have even more nominations. Vice Principals may be a divisive show (I have an equal number of friends who found it outright offensive as found it hilarious), but Goggins’ southern flamboyancy/Christley Knows Best character is flashy enough to stand out in such an underwhelming lead race, at least with BTJA members.

Best Bet

Lead Actor in a Comedy, Walton Goggins: Critics’ Choice

Of course there are a dozen more shows that could potentially break out as well. The Golden Globes almost always nominate Showtime somewhere, and maybe they’ll feel bad for the network in its odd year and throw a bone to Billions. Critics have always adored Louie, so maybe they’ll embrace his creative partner and star of Grease 2 Pamela Adlon in her new show Better Things. Hell, maybe the Foreign Press will decide to punish us for Donald Trump and bring back Roadies. Anything can happen.

Peter Morgan’s latest take on Queen Elizabeth II – The Crown – is a sumptuous and well acted awards contender.

Netflix’s latest prestige series, The Crown, comes to Netflix via the UK’s Peter Morgan. It lands with the dubious fanfare (much like The Get Down) of being a Very Expensive Series. The good news is that the money arrives onscreen backed by Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) and his amazing talent for royal dialogue. The Crown is an ambitious project – an expected six seasons will follow Elizabeth’s 60+ year reign. Based on the pilot, it will be completely worth the ride. Morgan’s significant contributions are backed by a excellent cast and stunning visuals. At this point, this series looks to be Emmy’s cure for the Downton Abbey blues.

The Crown begins with stuttering King George VI (Mad Men‘s Jared Harris) and his persistent, nagging cough which, of course, develops into lung cancer. Unaware of his condition, Elizabeth (Claire Foy, Wolf Hall) marries Philip (Doctor Who‘s Matt Smith) with all the expected pageantry of a royal wedding – a great way to start the series, honestly. Finally, we’re introduced to Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) as he regains the position of Prime Minister.

Directed by Stephen Daldry, the pilot offers a stately, deliberate pacing that you admire more than love. It almost certainly by intent lacks the juicy, gossipy thrill that propelled many through Downton Abbey Season 1. That and Dame Maggie Smith. Still, The Crown has all the markings of a potently binge-worthy series. While the set design, costumes, etc., all provide top-notch period sensibilities, it’s the cast that really reels you in. Foy manages to balance charisma with Elizabeth’s inherent reserved nature and timidity. She has a very nice moment during her nuptials where you can hear her nerves in her quick, shallow breathing. It’s the kind of thing that goes a long way toward humanizing such a legendarily stoic figure. I can only imagine that, as Elizabeth ascends to the throne, Foy’s stamina in the role will push her to the upper ranks of Emmy’s dramatic actresses.

Matt Smith provides an amusingly robust Prince Philip. Again, his characterization opens a window to the man always seen just behind the Queen of England. Plus, we find out that he sleeps in the nude, which is both bizarre and provides a fairly hilarious quick scene. The rest of the production is peppered with something of a “who’s who” of the British acting class. Best, for me, is American actor John Lithgow’s Winston Churchill. Initially, I feared he was playing to the rafters, making Churchill a gross caricature rather than a fully realized character. He quickly erased those concerns, though, as he assumes a surprisingly large role within the pilot. He was so prominently featured that I’m starting to wonder if he would place in Best Supporting Actor or Best Actor at the 2017 Emmys. Make no mistake, though. He will be there.

As will many of The Crown‘s cast and crew, I suspect. This series feels like it could prove to be everything we wanted it to be – an intelligent and elegant (but still a little soapy) exploration of one of the more fascinating women of the post World War II era. This series will undoubtedly unfold in insightful and intelligent ways. Let’s just hope it continues to pull back the British stiff upper lip from time to time. It could prove to be a major threat in coming 2017 awards season.

This is the first post in an on-going Awards Tracker series focusing on what network TV shows have awards heat through the winter and into next year’s Emmy season.

Fall awards season can make or break a new TV show, especially on network TV. Just last year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and critics shockingly awarded an unknown Rachel Bloom for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, giving the little-seen musical enough buzz to be saved from cancellation. The year before, Gina Rodriguez had her “a star is born moment” and was then almost immediately cast into the Star Wars universe. Ten years ago, SAG and the HFPA gave Desperate Housewives the top award long before it even competed at the Emmys.

However in 2016 network TV hasn’t brought us any huge successes besides continuing the trend of giving aging 90’s stars uninteresting material (Matt LeBlanc, Damon Wayans, Kevin James) instead of creating a new star. 2016 may not have given us the next Shondaland hit or a FOX camp classic, but there are some new shows worth mentioning even if it’s becoming increasingly unlikely for the guild awards or the Emmys to throw a bone network TV’s way. They haven’t honored a network show in its premiere year since Grey’s Anatomy and Lost for dramas and Glee and Modern Family for comedies. At least the HFPA and BTJA are much more likely to open their arms.  These are the four broadcast shows to keep an eye on this awards season.

This Is Us  

After years of near irrelevancy, NBC finally has the most buzzed about show of the TV season with their family dramedy This Is Us. Critics are embracing the show, it continues to grow in ratings, and Entertainment Weekly even gave it a cover story over shows with much more star power. Even with all that success, the show still has an upward battle in terms of awards momentum. Broadcast dramas are having an increasingly difficult time breaking through (only Empire and The Good Wife have been successful), and it took seasons for the voting groups to even acknowledge NBC’s other generational drama, Parenthood.

If critics, guild members, and the HFPA choose to ignore the excessive schmaltz of This Is Us and attempt to reward one of the only new shows curbing the decline of network TV, they’ll likely champion either Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown or newcomer Chrissy Metz. HFPA voters could easily be swayed to honor Brown for his current work instead of honoring something for which he has already won an Emmy, especially since all of the supporting genres are combined at the Globes. Critics, on the other hand, are more likely to honor Chrissy Metz the breakout performance on any network show this fall.

Best Bet

Supporting Actress, Chrissy Metz: Critics Choice

Possible Contenders

Supporting Actor, Sterling K. Brown: Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice

Worth Mentioning

Drama Series: Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice

Speechless

Ten years ago, a Minnie Driver-led sitcom about a lower-middle-class family with a physically disabled son would emerge as the most embraced comedy on television. Driver without a doubt would be the front-runner for every major award. However, the network TV landscape changed, and, as groundbreaking as ABC’s inclusive lineup is, guild members and the foreign press aren’t as impressed anymore although the BTJA always makes an effort to honor a sitcom for every HBO or streaming hit.

Even if Speechless is bound to be pushed aside for a wave of auteur comedies, the show still has a chance of being honored through lead nominations for its star, Academy Award-nominee Minnie Driver. The HFPA loves Oscar nominees, and they love Brits so Driver should be an easy sell. The critics nominated just about every leading mother of an ABC comedy since the awards began six years ago. In a sea of Wendi McLendon-Coveys, Patricia Heatons, and Martha Plimptons, there stands a strong likelihood that Minnie Driver doesn’t factor in at the Critics’ Choice.

Strongest Contender

Lead Actress in a Comedy, Minnie Driver: Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes

Designated Survivor

The Hollywood Foreign Press loves to bring back old stars to the champagne table (James Spader in The Blacklist, Rob Lowe in The Grinder to name a few), and, other than Sarah Jessica Parker, there is no bigger returning icon on TV this year than Kiefer Sutherland. After winning just about every major award, his return to television was inevitable, and there’s no better way to entice awards groups to welcome him back than turning him into a politician and having him watch the rest of Washington literally explode.

Sutherland appears as the saving grace of network TV, but Designated Survivor doesn’t emerge as the type of drama that critics, journalists, and guild members get excited over. Kerry Washington reaped a lot of nominations for Scandal, but the show never received top recognition anywhere. The Good Wife started off strong, but everyone from the HFPA to SAG became distracted by flashier streaming and cable shows. Quantico can only boast a People’s Choice Award – and a minor one at that. If Designated Survivor was an unavoidable ratings juggernaut, the case exists for a series nomination. Yet, with ratings quickly diminishing to half of what the premiere produced, the show feels easy to write off.

Possible Contender

Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Kiefer Sutherland: Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice

Superstore

Superstore is a small show that, after a year of word of mouth from everyone from NPR to our own ADTV, the show is slowly becoming one of the most surprising sleeper hits of 2016. The workplace comedy doesn’t seem like an obvious awards contender, but it boasts a few interesting factors going for it even if the show won’t be anywhere near the guild awards.

America Ferrera has been a Golden Globes staple ever since the HFPA turned her into the television darling of the year. She received two more nominations and a hilarious presenting spot in last year’s ceremony. Bringing Ferrera back to the party would also be the easiest way for the foreign press to honor their host network.

Even if Superstore lacks contender status at the Golden Globes, the workplace comedy demonstrates the potential as the perfect type of comedy that the critics love to pretend they “discovered” at the Critics’ Choice awards. Critics love to honor breakout performances (like Eden Sher), and no other supporting actor fits that bill more than Lauren Ash, although the chances of the Second City alumna standing out against a sea of big names seems incredibly unlikely.

Possible Contenders

Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Lauren Ash: Critics Choice

Worth Mentioning

Lead Actress in a Comedy, America Ferrera: Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice

Other Possibilities

Of course there are other big names that might pop up this season, especially if the foreign press resorts back to their star gawking ways. Geena Davis is earning positive reviews for FOX’s remake of The Exorcist. With three wins and eleven total nominations, Ted Danson (The Good Place) merits consideration at the Golden Globes, especially if NBC Universal campaigns for him. Kylie Bunbury (Pitch) could become the ingénue of awards season just like Gina Rodriguez was two years ago, although the show is one that critics seem to adore even if it is sinking in ratings.

What new broadcast shows are you predicting to emerge as awards favorites at the end of the year? What new shows are you hoping break out throughout awards season?

The 2016 Emmy season is finally over. As to be expected, Television Academy voters threw curve ball after curve ball with their selections for the best TV of the year. After gratingly endless months of speculation, there was a bizarre mixture of first-time and repeat winners taking to the podium. Vote splitting occurred sometimes, but suddenly the Television Academy shocked everyone by proving they paid attention to the material. These are the biggest takeaways from the biggest night in television.

Vote Splitting Happened…

After all of the “What if?” buzz of whether or not a popular vote would enable vote splitting, it turns out that in the drama and comedy races vote splitting was a factor. No one was able to overcome their co-star nominee obstacle except for Game of Thrones in the directing race. Veep won the top prize for the second year in a row, but it lost both the directing and writing race where its episodes represented half of each category. The acting branch clearly loved Game of Thrones, but the entire cast went home empty handed. In the future, it will be interesting if this affects how shows and networks submit their work to be considered. Will we see fewer episodes submitted for writing and directing? Will certain cast members be left out when they don’t have the material to warrant a nomination?

…Except When It Didn’t

It seems that the Limited Series/TV Movie winners are able to overcome vote splitting in a lot of areas. From Courtney B. Vance to Sterling K. Brown to Sarah Paulson, the argument can be made that the best performances prevailed. The writers were able to overcome vote splitting by simply choosing the best episode of American Crime Story, “Marcia Marcia Marcia.” The main factor that led to this might be that most voters actually watched the limited series and TV movies since they don’t require that much of a commitment. Voters are able to make thoughtful decisions and determine Sterling K. Brown was the standout of his ensemble and that Bryan Cranston’s LBJ can’t hold a flame to Vance’s Johnnie Cochran. With the drama and comedy races voters simply don’t have the time to catch up on anything so they probably rely on outside factors to come to a decision.

How Did Tatiana Maslany Pull Off The Biggest Upset of The Night?

With the plurality vote replacing the ranked ballot, there might be a new form of “vote splitting” happening that has nothing to do with co-stars or shows. Tatiana Maslany was able to win her first Emmy because she gives one of the most unique and skilled performances on TV and because she is essentially the apple in a bag of oranges. In the old ranked ballot system, similar performances were able to battle it out and attract similar voters. Now that voters are simply marking off their favorite performances, actors like Maslany are on an even playing field because they can attract their passionate fans without fear of being ranked at the bottom of voters who might have biases against a show like Orphan Black. Actresses like Davis and Wright (both very respected actresses in their 50’s) probably attract similar voters.  The same could be said for a newcomer like Rami Malek when he’s nominated against well-liked and well-known actors like Kevin Spacey and Kyle Chandler.

Fandoms Prevailed

Some of the biggest surprises of the year came from the popular vote allowing fresher, fandom-based winners. From RuPaul’s Drag Race to Tatiana Maslany to Sherlock and even Rami Malek, shows and performances that lean towards the genre-specific geek fandoms took home multiple awards. Performances like Rami Malek and Tatiana Maslany clearly appeal to actors on a craft level, but a couple of years ago the two drama winners would have never been from BBC America and USA.

Newcomers Finally Embraced

Eight of tonight’s acting winners were first time winners which made 2016 the most successful year for first-time winners since 2011. Kate McKinnon, Louie Anderson, Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, Courtney B. Vance, Tatiana Maslany, Rami Malek, and Ben Mendelsohn all won their first Emmys this year. For five of these winners, it was even their first time being nominated. The excitement behind the first-time winners was often the best part of the night, especially with the cast for Brown and Vance who have gone unrecognized for so long.  The worry that new shows and performances couldn’t win under the new popular system proved to be wrong, at least once the Television Academy eliminated the ranked ballot.

The Biggest Surprises of the Night

• Sherlock: The Abominable Bride – The PBS show proved in the past that it’s a force to be reckoned with at the Emmys, but after an underwhelming turnout in nominations no one took the newest installment seriously.
• Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline  – Mendelsohn has an appeal that a lot of people (myself included) don’t understand. More voters than anyone was expecting clearly watched Bloodline, and, even though he didn’t have the material to warrant a win this year, we know that voters are always a year or two behind.
• Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black  – Tatiana Maslany might be the biggest shock of the year as well as the single biggest triumph of the internet pushing a performance to awards triumph. It took a couple seasons, but voters got over their sci-fi bias and realized how legendary Maslany’s endless pool of characters is.
• Louie Anderson, Baskets – All season long, I underestimated Anderson appeal on a low-rated show. Instead, there was a lot of passion behind his performance and him as a comedian.
• The Night Manager, Directing – Foreign film Oscar-winner Susanne Bier beat out big names like Ryan Murphy, John Singleton, and Emmy-favorite Jay Roach to become the biggest shock of the behind-the-camera races of the night.
• Key and Peele – Key & Peele finally earned the recognition it always deserved in its final season. In a habit of rewarding the same shows year after year, Inside Amy Schumer won the directing award last weekend. It was poised to win the top variety sketch award for the second year in a row, but voters instead rallied behind Key & Peele. We should have seen this coming after the attention they earned from their first summer blockbuster Keanu and that surprise SAG ensemble nomination earlier this year.

Readers, what were your takeaways from this year’s Emmy awards? Sound off in the comments below and check back in next week for our continued awards tracker as we begin to take a look at the end of year awards races including the Golden Globes, SAG awards, and the Critics’ Choice.

Well, it was a rough night for most who tried predicting the Emmys, but that makes a great night for viewers. The Television Academy threw some curveballs and spread the Emmy love in several strange ways. Sometimes, they went with the tried and true (ahem… Maggie Smith). Sometimes, they bucked that trend and went in completely different directions (Rami Malek, Tatiana Maslany). What made for exciting awards made for lower-than-average prediction scores.

With that, here are our top three winners in the AwardsDaily TV Predict the Emmys contest!

Jason Simpson – 15
Brian Bedard – 12
Shane Slater – 12

Prizes are on their way to our top three courtesy of HBO Home Entertainment. The Emmy-nominated All the Way and Confirmation are available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. Also, the critically acclaimed second season of The Leftovers is also available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.

Congrats to our winners!

The time has come… AwardsDaily TV has the 2016 Emmy Winners and a Live Tweet!

Well, readers, this is it! The 2016 Emmy Winners will be announced tonight during the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. To get ready for the big evening, Team AwardsDaily TV worked hard to give you exactly what you need to win your Emmy pool as well as impress your friends with Emmy knowledge. First, you still have time to join in the competition and predict the 2016 Emmy Winners at our Emmy contest. Prizes are courtesy of HBO! If you need some help, the full AwardsDaily TV team made their predictions in the major categories announcing tonight.

We have a lot of interviews with Emmy nominees and Emmy winners from last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremonies. Jalal Haddad posted in our weekly Emmy Tracker series and performed a deep analysis of many categories up for tonight’s Emmys.

So, feel free to drop your comments below, follow us on Twitter, or post on our Facebook page all the joys and sorrows of the night. Plus, we’re live tweeting with #EmmysADTV. Also, we’ll be recording a late podcast tomorrow night to review the ceremony and the winners. That will post later tomorrow night or early Tuesday morning, depending on where you are.

So, let’s do it! May the best show win… Or the most popular show… We all know it’s a popularity contest, right?

Comedy

COMEDY SERIES – Veep
DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES – “Man on the Land,” Jill Soloway, Transparent
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES – Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES – Louie Anderson, Baskets
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES – Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES – “Parents,” Aziz Ansari & Alan Yang, Master of None

Drama

DRAMA SERIES – Game of Thrones
DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES – “Battle of the Bastards,” Game of Thrones
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES – Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES – Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES – Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES – Dame Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES – “Battle of the Bastards,” Game of Thrones

Limited Series / TV Movie

LIMITED SERIES – The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
TELEVISION MOVIE – Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL – Susanne Bier, The Night Manager
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OF MOVIE – Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OF MOVIE – Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OF MOVIE – Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OF MOVIE – Regina King, American Crime
WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL – D.V. DeVincentis, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Variety / Reality

REALITY-COMPETITION – The Voice
VARIETY SKETCH SERIES – Key & Peele
VARIETY TALK SERIES – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL – Thomas Kail & Alex Rudzinski, Grease: Live!
WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL – Patton Oswald, Talking for Clapping

#EmmysADTV Tweets

Team ADTV pulls together their 2016 Emmy predictions

Here are the 2016 Emmy predictions from AwardsDaily TV’s full set of contributors. Based on our predictions, HBO’s Game of Thrones and Veep won’t be the only repeat winners of the night. Nearly everyone thinks Julia Louis-Dreyfus will repeat for her iconic role as Selina Meyer in Veep, and a few of us think her cohort Tony Hall will follow suit. Jeffrey Tambor is also tipped by most to repeat for his transformative role in Amazon’s Transparent.

One of the biggest questions on the drama side is, “Will this finally be Robin Wright’s year?” Some of us think so. Others think Viola Davis will repeat last year’s historic win. With the actors, Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek seems a sure bet to win for his stellar performance on the USA freshman series. Oh yeah, and FX’s critically acclaimed limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story should go home very happy Sunday night winning series, direction, writing, and at least one – possibly two – acting trophies. It can’t lose, right?

The winners will be formally announced Sunday night on ABC with host Jimmy Kimmel.

Some Emmy Races Are Too Close to Call

2016 raised a lot of questions in the Emmy races, and for once it seems like more races are completely up in the air than not, which leads to what could be one of the more exciting Emmy ceremonies in recent history. These five races are some of the closet of the night.

Lead Actress in a Drama – Viola Davis vs. Robin Wright Viola Davis is becoming one of the most revered actresses of 21^st century and won every peer voted award for her work on HTGAWM. However, viewers recently found the show to be pretty divisive. Robin Wright had a huge year on House of Cards in front of and behind the camera and probably came in second just about every year since the show premiered.

Lead Actor in a Drama – Kevin Spacey vs. Rami Malek   The two-time Oscar winner is pitted against the breakout star, and the two choices couldn’t be more different. House of Cards is at an all-time high in popularity within the actors branch of the academy (not so much anywhere else), and Spacey is the reigning champ at the SAG awards for the second year in a row, meaning he is clearly popular. Rami Malek isn’t technically new to Hollywood, but he is now a household name and dominated the critical conversation since Mr. Robot premiered last summer. This race is really a test on whether or not a newcomer can win a popular vote or if lead races like these will always go to the most respected actor in the category.

Anna Chlumsky vs. Allison Janney vs. Kate McKinnon Without a clear front-runner, this supporting actress race could give us one of the only new winners of the night. Allison Janney is a two-time winner for her work on Mom, but how long the question needs to be asked of how long voters will award her for a show they don’t watch? Anna Chlumsky was snubbed last year, but as Veep becomes even more popular she could easily win a make-up Emmy if the political comedy sweeps. Kate McKinnon has had the best year of her career playing Hillary Clinton on SNL as well as great reviews in a summer blockbuster (which has helped winners in the past).

Writing of a Drama Series Last year Game of Thrones nearly swept the drama categories and the writing branch even surprisingly awarded them for an episode not particularly noticeable for its writing. This year the writers could follow the same path for the action heavy “Battle of the Bastards” or they could instead back a more interesting choice like The Americans or Mr. Robot. The writing branch has never been afraid to follow their hearts and give us a few surprises (Friday Night Lights), and they could easily vote for either show especially since they were both recognized at the WGA awards as well.

Bryan Cranston vs. Courtney B. Vance Bryan Cranston is the industry darling in a prestigious HBO film with a performance for which he has already won a Tony. Courtney B. Vance is a character actor finally receiving the recognition he deserves for his work as Johnnie Cochran on the biggest TV sensation of the year. Voters could easily vote for their favorite actor even though All The Way was one of HBO’s most underperforming shows in recent years or Vance and American Crime Story could easily sweep throughout the night.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver v. The Late Late Show With James Corden   The Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert dominance at the Emmys is as old as this year’s freshman highschoolers, which makes the first year neither of them are in contention an exciting year for variety talk shows. John Oliver is an obvious heir to their throne with his snarky political commentary especially after winning two Emmys last weekend including the writing award. James Corden is just as popular with two wins last weekend and a year in pop culture with a hosting stint at The Tonys and the viral sensation Carpool Karaoke.

Dark Horse Contenders to Watch

Like Merritt Wever or Bobby Cannavale in the past it wouldn’t be a year at the Emmys without some left-field choice that no one saw coming.

black-ish  and Company Veep may be the front-runner in almost every category, but if voters are looking for an alternative they may go for the exact opposite, a family sitcom that reminds viewers that sitcoms can be just as funny as they were in the 70’s and 80’s. The same could be said for the show’s stars, Anderson and Ross, who have been working in Hollywood for years and are probably the polar opposite to their respected front-runners.

Sarah Paulson for American Horror Story There is no doubt that 2016 is Sarah Paulson’s year, but what if voters decide that she also deserves recognition for the anthology series they snubbed her for in the first place? Maybe some voters might feel guilty for not voting for her performance as Marcia Clark in the lead race (if there are even any members not voting for her) and decide to throw her a bone in supporting since the category is a little underwhelming anyway.

Hugh Laurie After years of Emmy-nominated work on House, he has never been recognized the television academy, and after a huge year on The Night Manager and Veep voters might decide it is finally his time. He also stands out on a ballot next to three men from American Crime Story and two men from Fargo.

Kerri Russell  As farfetched as it may sound maybe there is a portion of the acting branch of closeted Felicity fans? She has been working in television since the late 90’s and if voters are looking for another opportunity to award The Americans she comes across as the more overdue of the two stars.

Liev Schreiber The industry cult around Ray Donovan has grown over the years, and the Showtime drama already won its first acting award last weekend. With season four airing during the voting period, Liev Schreiber received a lot of visibility making him the perfect surprise in a Kevin Spacey/Rami Malek matchup.

Keegan-Michael Key With ten nominations in various categories over the years (including a surprise voice-over nod this year), Keegan-Michael Key is pretty well-known among his peers. He’s easily had more visibility than any other nominee throughout the year on shows like Archer, Playing House, Modern Family, Bob’s Burgers, House of Lies, The Muppets, as well as his first major film Keanu.

The “Parents” Episode of Masters of None  This may not count as a dark horse contender, but partially due to vote splitting between Silicon Valley and Veep and partially because this might be the best comedic episode of TV this year Aziz Ansari has a good shot at taking home his first Emmy.

Niecy Nash From Reno 911! to Scream Queens, Niecy Nash has proven she is one of the most consistently hilarious actresses of the past decade, and in a category with so many uncertainties pure goodwill towards her might actually pay off. Not to mention her Didi Ortley is the most relatable and likable characters in the group which might make her standout in a category filled with over-the-top performances.

Final Thoughts Before The Emmys

Like Kylie Jenner predicted, 2016 will be the year of realizing things, not only in life but especially at the Emmys. We’ll finally have an answer on whether or not vote splitting is really a dilemma the Television Academy will have to deal with. The writing and directing races will be the most telling races of the year, especially those for the Limited Series and Comedy races. In any other year, American Crime Story and Veep would dominate those races, but now that they consist of half the nominees in any given race that might not be the case.

We’ll also get a better idea on whether or not newcomers and breakout stars are able to stand out in a popular vote system against well-respected names that have been working in television for decades. Can Rami Malek attract enough voters over a two-time Oscar winner like Kevin Spacey? Can a young stud like Kit Harington ride the success of a year all about Jon Snow to a win, or will he lose to his beloved costar Peter Dinklage or even someone like Jon Voight? Last year Tituss Burgess was the breakout performance of the year, but he still lost to Tony Hale who didn’t have anywhere near Emmy-winning material in 2015. If this continues there may never be another winner like America Ferrera or even Merritt Wever again.

Readers, what races are you most excited to see play out on Sunday? Make sure to catch the rest of our Emmy coverage including the ADTV Emmy Confidential series, our final predictions, and to enter our Emmy predictions contest with prizes donated by HBO!