In contrast to the Emmy’s drama-series categories, where many of the hottest contenders are first-year shows, the comedy field is full of familiar series with a history of Emmy recognition: “Veep,” “Silicon Valley,” “black-ish,” “Transparent,” “Master of None,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and maybe even the five-time Emmy champ “Modern Family.”
That’s not to say that newcomer “Atlanta” won’t be a real contender, or that “Insecure,” “Dear White People” or even “Fleabag” couldn’t make a little Emmy noise.
A wild card: Lena Dunham’s “Girls,” which ended its six-season run with a well-received final season that might prompt Emmy voters to change their habit of mostly ignoring it.
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
It’s always risky to say that an Emmy category looks easy to call, but this one might just fit that bill. “Veep,” “black-ish,” “Transparent,” “Silicon Valley,” “Master of None” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” should be repeat nominees from last year, and “Atlanta” should nudge out “Modern Family,” which has been losing the Emmy mojo it had in the days when it won this award for five years in a row.
Then again, Emmy voters have surprised us before with their lingering affection for “ModFam,” and it’s impossible to ever feel too secure in predicting what they’ll do.
Predicted nominees (in order of likelihood):
“Veep”
“Atlanta”
“Black-ish”
“Transparent”
“Silicon Valley”
“Master of None”
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Don’t rule out: “Insecure,” “Modern Family,” “Girls,” “Dear White People,” “Baskets” Possible upset: “Fleabag”
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
They can’t ignore the new guy in town, “Atlanta” star Donald Glover, can they? But to fit him in, voters will have to get rid of one of last year’s nominees, most likely Will Forte from “Last Man on Earth.”
And while I love the IFC billboard that reads, “If OJ can get nominated, Jim Brockmire can too,” I’m not sure that the eminently deserving Hank Azaria can muscle in playing that oversexed, foul-mouthed baseball announcer in “Brockmire.”
Predicted nominees:
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”
Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”
Donald Glover, “Atlanta”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Thomas Middleditch, “Silicon Valley”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Don’t rule out:Hank Azaria, “Brockmire;” Will Forte, “Last Man on Earth;” Ted Danson, “The Good Place;” Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” Possible upset: Kevin Bacon, “I Love Dick”
Can Julia Louis-Dreyfus set a new Emmy record by winning six consecutive awards in this category? Yes, she probably can.
So who’ll get the honor of losing to Julia? Most likely it’ll be one newcomer, Issa Rae from “Insecure,” and a batch of returning nominees, including Tracee Ellis Ross from “black-ish” (the one who might actually have a slight chance of winning), Ellie Kemper from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and Lily Tomlin from “Grace & Frankie.”
Predicted nominees:
Julia Louis Dreyfus, “Veep” Tracee Ellis Ross, “Black-ish”
Allison Janney, “Mom” Lily Tomlin, “Grace & Frankie” Ellie Kemper, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Issa Rae, “Insecure”
Don’t rule out: Sarah Jessica Parker, “Divorce;” Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag;” Kathryn Hahn, “I Love Dick” Possible upset: Lena Dunham, “Girls”
Let’s face it: Many of the top moments in a very politicized year for television might have come from Alec Baldwin playing Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” The political show “Veep” could add a couple more nominees — certainly Tony Hale, perhaps last year’s nominee Matt Walsh or the scene-stealing Timothy Simons, who benefited from a substantial storyline.
Outside of the political arena, Brian Tyree Henry and Lakeith Stanfield from “Atlanta” might find it difficult to break into a lineup of past nominees.
Predicted nominees: Alec Baldwin, “Saturday Night Live”
Louie Anderson, “Baskets”
Tony Hale, “Veep”
Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Timothy Simons, “Veep”
Don’t rule out:Matt Walsh, “Veep;” Laurence Fishburne, “black-ish;” Brian Tyree Henry, “Atlanta;” Lakeith Stanfield, “Atlanta;” Adam Driver, “Girls;” Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Possible upset: T.J. Miller, “Silicon Valley”
Let’s face it, part 2: The top moment in a very politicized year for television might have been Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on “Saturday Night Live” four days after Donald Trump was elected president.
Beyond McKinnon and other front runners Judith Light (“Transparent”) and Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”), it’ll be a battle for the final three slots between old hands like Jane Krakowski (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Gaby Hoffman (“Transparent”), Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”) and Mayim Bialik (“Big Bang Theory”) and first-year contenders Andrea Martin (“Great News”), Rita Moreno (“One Day at a Time”) and Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”).
Don’t rule out:Julie Bowen, “Modern Family;” Rita Moreno, “One Day at a Time;” Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory;” Allison Williams, “Girls;” Carol Kane, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Could pull off an upset: Zazie Beetz, “Atlanta”
Emmy Nominations 2017: Predictions in 22 Categories, From 'Veep' to 'Stranger Things' (Photos)
"This Is Us," "The Crown," "Stranger Things" and "The Handmaid's Tale" are among the new shows that could flourish in the absence of two Emmy juggernauts.
Outstanding Drama Series Predicted nominees (in order of likelihood):
“The Crown” "This Is Us” “The Americans” “Stranger Things”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Homeland”
"The Crown," "Stranger Things," "The Handmaid's Tale"
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Predicted nominees:
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” Rami Malek, “Mr. Robot” Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” Matthew Rhys, “The Americans” Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards” Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”
Rami Malek, Sterling K. Brown, Bob Odenkirk
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Predicted nominees:
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale” Claire Foy, “The Crown” Keri Russell, “The Americans” Robin Wright, “House of Cards” Viola Davis, “How to Get Away With Murder” Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Predicted nominees: Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent" Anthony Anderson, "black-ish" Donald Glover, "Atlanta" Aziz Ansari, "Master of None" Thomas Middleditch, "Silicon Valley" William H. Macy, "Shameless"
Predicted nominees: Alex Baldwin, "Saturday Night Live" Louie Anderson, "Baskets" Tony Hale, "Veep" Tituss Burgess, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" Ty Burrell, "Modern Family" Timothy Simons, "Veep"
Alec Baldwin, Louie Anderson, Tony Hale
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Predicted nominees: Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live" Judith Light, "Transparent" Anna Chlumsky, "Veep" Jane Krakowski, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" Gaby Hoffman, "Transparent" Andrea Martin, "Great News"
Kate McKinnon, Judith Light, Anna Chlumsky
Outstanding Limited Series
Predicted nominees: "Feud: Bette and Joan" "Big Little Lies" "The Night Of" "Fargo" "American Crime"
"Feud: Bette and Joan," "Big Little Lies," "The Night Of"
Outstanding Television Movie
Predicted nominees: "The Wizard of Lies" "Sherlock: The Lying Detective" "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" "Black Mirror: San Junipero" "Churchill's Secret"
"The Wizard of Lies," "Sherlock: The Lying Detective," "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Predicted nominees: Robert De Niro, "The Wizard of Lies" Riz Ahmed, "The Night Of" Ewan McGregor, "Fargo" Geoffrey Rush, "Genius" John Turturro, "The Night Of" Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: The Lying Detective"
Robert De Niro, Riz Ahmed, Ewan McGregor
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Predicted nominees: Jessica Lange, "Feud: Bette and Joan" Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies" Susan Sarandon, "Feud: Bette and Joan" Reese Witherspoon, "Big Little Lies" Carrie Coon, "Fargo" Oprah Winfrey, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"
Jessica Lange, Nicole Kidman, Susan Sarandon
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Predicted nominees: Stanley Tucci, "Feud: Bette and Joan" Alfred Molina, "Feud: Bette and Joan" Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: The Lying Detective" Alexander Skarsgard, "Big Little Lies" Hank Azaria, "The Wizard of Lies" David Thewlis, "Fargo"
Stanley Tucci, Alexander Skarsgard, Martin Freeman
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Predicted nominees: Laura Dern, "Big Little Lies" Judy Davis, "Feud: Bette and Joan" Regina King, "American Crime" Michelle Pfeiffer, "The Wizard of Lies" Sarah Paulson, "American Horror Story: Roanoke"
Laura Dern, Judy Davis, Regina King
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Predicted nominees: "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" "The Late Late Show With James Corden" "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah"
John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Predicted nominees: "Saturday Night Live" "Portlandia" "Documentary Now!" "Billy on the Street" "Drunk History" "Tracey Ullman's Show"
"Saturday Night Live," "Portlandia," "Documentary Now!"
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Predicted nominees: "The Voice" "The Amazing Race" "Top Chef" "Project Runway" "Dancing With the Stars" "RuPaul's Drag Race"
Predicted nominees: "Gaycation With Ellen Page" "Deadliest Catch" "Intervention" "United Shades of America" "Born This Way" "Black Market With Michael K. Williams"
"Gaycation With Ellen Page," "Deadliest Catch," "Intervention"
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality -Competition Program
Predicted nominees: RuPaul Charles, "RuPaul's Drag Race" Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, "Project Runway" Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With the Stars" Alec Baldwin, "Match Game" Steve Harvey, "Little Big Shots" LL Cool J, "Lip Sync Battle"
RuPaul Charles, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Tom Bergeron
1 of 23
With “Game of Thrones” and “Downton Abbey” out of the running this year, many categories could be dominated by first-year shows
"This Is Us," "The Crown," "Stranger Things" and "The Handmaid's Tale" are among the new shows that could flourish in the absence of two Emmy juggernauts.