- "Better Call Saul"
- "Downtown Abbey"
- "Game of Thrones"
- "Homeland"
- "House of Cards"
- "Mad Men"
- "Orange is the New Black"
Who Should Win? "Mad Men"
Final seasons can be a very powerful thing, and the fact that "Mad Men" has retained a consistent string of quality throughout its duration is something voters aren't likely to forget. Not to mention, it's won this award three times already. I think a fourth win would be a great way to say goodbye.
Should've been nominated: There's not a doubt in my mind that "Empire" being absent from the nominees is a giant S N U B. Shows like "Better Call Saul", "Downtown Abbey" and "Homeland" didn't have half of the cultural impact (or ratings, for that matter) that "Empire" enjoyed in just its premiere episode, let alone the entire season.
- "Louie"
- "Modern Family"
- "Parks and Recreation"
- "Silicon Valley"
- "Transparent"
- "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
- "Veep"
Who Should Win? Literally anyone but "Modern Family" would make a great winner. "Veep" has been establishing itself as one of the great television comedies, getting stronger with each season. And even "Parks and Recreation", which has really evolved since it first aired, would certainly make a better winner than "Modern Family" for the sixth time in a row.
Should've been nominated: How great would it have been to see "Broad City" end up here? Certainly one of the funniest shows on television right now. "Jane the Virgin" would have been an inspired choice also, but no absence hurts more than "The Comeback" which truly deserved a spot here for an amazing second season after being off the air for several years.
- Claire Danes, "Homeland"
- Viola Davis, "How to Get Away With Murder"
- Taraji P. Henson, "Empire"
- Tatiana Maslany, "Orphan Black"
- Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
- Robin Wright, "House of Cards"
Who Will Win? Viola Davis is a two time Oscar nominee, and a longtime hard working character actress. The show was built completely around her, and it shows; Viola IS the show, and that's going to be too hard for voters to ignore.
Who Should Win? Let me just say that this is the strongest I've seen this category in awhile; not a single nominee would make a bad winner (save for Danes). That being said, I would love to see Taraji P. Henson take this. Cookie Lyon has got to be one of the biggest breakout characters in awhile, and dominated the cultural conversation concerning television. Henson (a one time Oscar nominee) was a long working character actress prior to landing a role on "Empire", and it would be so sweet to see her get what she deserves with a win here. I would also love to see Elisabeth Moss, the unsung hero of "Mad Men" finally get her time to shine as well.
Should've been nominated: Kerry Washington turned in her best work in the latest season of "Scandal", and was way more memorable than Danes on "Homeland"
- Kyle Chandler, "Bloodline"
- Jeff Daniels, ""The Newsroom"
- Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
- Bob Odenkirk, "Better Call Saul"
- Liev Schreiber, "Ray Donovan"
- Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"
Who Should Win? Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Despite being one of the most critically acclaimed shows of all time, Jon Hamm has never won an Emmy for his performance as Don Draper. Despite your personal misgivings about Draper as a character, you cannot deny that Hamm's work is masterclass. The narrative is too much to deny, I think, to voters, and none of the other men nominated in this category can even touch Hamm's work.
Should've been nominated: Terrance Howard's work on "Empire" is just as important to the show as Taraji P. Henson's, and should have made the cut here.
- Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
- Lisa Kudrow, "The Comeback"
- Julia Louise-Dreyfus, "Veep"
- Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
- Amy Schumer, "Inside Amy Schumer"
- Lily Tomlin, "Grace and Frankie"
Who Should Win? Lisa Kudrow is such an undervalued actress, and while I was thrilled to see her manage a nomination, I know she doesn't have a shot in hell for the win, and what a disappointment that is. The level of work she's doing in "The Comeback" is far and away above any of the other nominees.
Should've been nominated: Constance Wu from "Fresh Off The Boat" created one of the most hilarious characters on television in the past year, and Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez from "Jane the Virgin" truly deserved a spot here. Perhaps the snub(s) that sting the most, however, are the omissions of both Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson from "Broad City". No one else could make such over exaggerated characters feel so incredibly real. Any of these women would have made better nominees than Falco or Tomlin.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:
Who Should Win? Jeffrey Tambor
How Tambor has never won an Emmy before is beyond me.. but expect him to collect his first on Sunday night. He's also far and away the best nominee in this category, so it's wholly deserved.
Should've been nominated: How are you going to hire Andy Samberg to host, and not nominate him for his work on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"?
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Who Should Win? Lena Headey has the hardest job of anyone in the "Game of Thrones" cast. Cersei Lannister is a character we should hate, from the way she's written. However, Headey finds a way to make us see the humanity in Cersei, even when she's at her most unlikeable. She's a product of her upbringing, and a woman of her time, and these are all things that Headey brings to the character, that in a lesser actress would definitely not be capable of doing.
Should've been nominated: Laverne Cox, any of the actresses from "Orange is the New Black", or Carrie Coon from "The Leftovers" would have made greater nominees than Foggatt, Baranski or even Clarke. January Jones' Betty Draper was never the most likable, or warmest, character in the show's ensemble, but her work in the show's final season was easily her best, and for that, she should've received a nomination. Even Kiernan Shipka deserved to be here despite her young age; I firmly believe she was one of the only actresses who could have fleshed out Sally Draper's character arc as fully and authentically as she did over the course of Mad Men's seven seasons.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:
Who Should Win? Dinklage's performance on the show has been consistently strong, however, this was far from his best season. Michael Kelly's performance in "House of Cards" has been, from the start, very quiet and always interesting. He had a lot to work with this past season with his character's rehabilitation, which was an excellent showcase for the actor.
Should've been nominated: This is, overall, a pretty weak field (even concerning those who were "left out"). But Jussie Smollett had a lot to work with on "Empire" and pulled it off beautifully I might add. He certainly was more memorable than a good half of the people nominated in this field.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
- Anthony Anderson, "Black-ish"
- Louis C.K., "Louie"
- Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
- Will Forte, "The Last Man on Earth"
- Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"
- William H. Macy, "Shameless"
- Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"
Who Should Win? Jeffrey Tambor
How Tambor has never won an Emmy before is beyond me.. but expect him to collect his first on Sunday night. He's also far and away the best nominee in this category, so it's wholly deserved.
Should've been nominated: How are you going to hire Andy Samberg to host, and not nominate him for his work on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"?
- Uzo Aduba, "Orange is the New Black"
- Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife"
- Emilia Clarke, "Game of Thrones"
- Joanne Foggatt, "Downtown Abbey"
- Lena Headey, "Game of Thrones"
- Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"
Who Should Win? Lena Headey has the hardest job of anyone in the "Game of Thrones" cast. Cersei Lannister is a character we should hate, from the way she's written. However, Headey finds a way to make us see the humanity in Cersei, even when she's at her most unlikeable. She's a product of her upbringing, and a woman of her time, and these are all things that Headey brings to the character, that in a lesser actress would definitely not be capable of doing.
Should've been nominated: Laverne Cox, any of the actresses from "Orange is the New Black", or Carrie Coon from "The Leftovers" would have made greater nominees than Foggatt, Baranski or even Clarke. January Jones' Betty Draper was never the most likable, or warmest, character in the show's ensemble, but her work in the show's final season was easily her best, and for that, she should've received a nomination. Even Kiernan Shipka deserved to be here despite her young age; I firmly believe she was one of the only actresses who could have fleshed out Sally Draper's character arc as fully and authentically as she did over the course of Mad Men's seven seasons.
- Jonathan Banks, "Better Call Saul"
- Jim Carter, "Downtown Abbey"
- Alan Cumming, "The Good Wife"
- Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"
- Michael Kelly, "House of Cards"
- Ben Mendelsohn, "Bloodline"
Who Should Win? Dinklage's performance on the show has been consistently strong, however, this was far from his best season. Michael Kelly's performance in "House of Cards" has been, from the start, very quiet and always interesting. He had a lot to work with this past season with his character's rehabilitation, which was an excellent showcase for the actor.
Should've been nominated: This is, overall, a pretty weak field (even concerning those who were "left out"). But Jussie Smollett had a lot to work with on "Empire" and pulled it off beautifully I might add. He certainly was more memorable than a good half of the people nominated in this field.
- Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"
- Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
- Anna Chlumsky, "Veep"
- Gaby Hoffman, "Transparent"
- Allison Janney, "Mom"
- Jane Krakowski, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
- Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live"
- Niecy Nash, "Getting On"
Who Will Win? Allison Janney is an Emmy magnet, and as the previous winner in this category, I'd say she stands a good chance of winning again.
Who Should Win? This is a no brainer, Anna Chlumsky's work on "Veep" is so vastly underrated it's criminal. Her meltdown on JLD's Selina Meyer was a culmination of all of Chlumsky's work over the past few seasons, making you realize just was a subtilely hilarious performance she brings to every episode.
Should've been nominated: How hasn't Aubrey Plaza or Retta ever been nominated for their performances on "Parks and Recreation"?!
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:
- Andre Braugher, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
- Tituss Burgess, "Unbrekable Kimmy Schmidt"
- Adam Driver, "Girls"
- Tony Hale, "Veep"
- Keegan-Michael Key, "Key & Peele"
Who Will Win? Titus Burgess, "Unbrekable Kimmy Schmidt"
Who Should Win? Titus Burgess, "Unbrekable Kimmy Schmidt"
I think it's easy to say that this is most definitely Titus Burgess' to lose. "Pinot Noir" would have been enough to cinch the actor this win (and thank GOD he submitted it as his episode to be considered), but his work over the entirety of the first season was easily the most hilarious, and best of anyone in this category.
Should've been nominated: Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson is certainly more memorable than Adam Driver on "Girls" (seriously how has Adam Driver amassed so many nominations for this uneven character???), and how could you nominate Key but not Peale???
Outstanding Limited Series or Movie:
- "American Crime"
- "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
- "The Honorable Woman"
- "Olive Kitteridge"
- "Wolf Hall"
Who Should Win? "Olive Kitteridge"
Should've been nominated: The inclusion of the messy and unwatchable "Freak Show" over "Bessie" doesn't make any sense to me.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Honorable Woman"
- Felicity Huffman, "American Crime"
- Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
- Queen Latifah, "Bessie"
- Frances McDormand, "Olive Kitteridge"
- Emma Thompson, "Live From Lincoln Center- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Who Will Win? Frances McDormand is a veteran, and her performance in "Olive Kitteridge" is easily one of her best... but I could see an upset with Golden Globe winner Maggie Gyllenhaal's much raved about work in "The Honorable Woman" winning too.
Who Should Win? McDormand or Gyllenhaal would each make great winners, but I'm really pulling for Queen Latifah, whose performance is not only wonderful, but her commitment to making this passion project happen adds a level of sincerity to her work.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:
- Adrien Brody, "Houdini"
- Ricky Gervais, "Derek: The Special"
- Timothy Hutton, "American Crime"
- Richard Jenkins, "Olive Kitteridge"
- David Oyelowo, "Nightengale"
- Mark Rylance, "Wolf Hall"
Who Will Win? David Oyelowo, "Nightengale"
Who Should Win? David Oyelowo, "Nightengale"
Oyelowo is quickly evolving to be one of the best working actors. I think his snub for "Selma" at the Oscars bought him a lot of goodwill, and that can go a long way. But his work in "Nightengale" is nothing short of masterclass, and I think it's too much for voters to deny.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie:
- Angela Bassett, "American Horror Story: Freak Show
- Kathy Bates, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
- Zoe Kazan, "Olive Kitteridge"
- Regina King, "American Crime"
- Mo'Nique, "Bessie"
- Sarah Paulson, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
Who Will Win? Mo'Nique, "Bessie"
Who Should Win? Mo'Nique, "Bessie"
Mo'Nique's first role since since her Oscar winning turn in "Precious" back in 2009 is nothing short of extraordinary, and an Emmy should sit nicely next to her Academy Award. She's the critics' favorite, and I think the presence of Bates, Bassett and Paulson will split enough votes (if they get any, these performances are all dreadful) to make way for a triumphant Mo'Nique acceptance speech.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie:
- Richard Cabral, "American Crime"
- Damien Lewis, "Wolf Hall"
- Dennis O'Hare, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
- Michael K. Williams, "Bessie"
- Finn Wittrock, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"
Who Will Win? I could see Finn Wittrock's twisted work as a wannabe serial killer taking this; he was easily the only watchable aspect of the otherwise awful season.
Who Should Win? I don't particularly care for any of these nominees... but I guess Wittrock.
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