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Emmy Nominations: The Biggest Emmy Surprises

Every year Emmy voters know how to shock with their nominations and 2016 did not disappoint. A lot of the collected clutter from throughout the years was thrown out and voters shockingly included some of their best choices in years, including a totally revamped Supporting Actress in a Drama Series race. This year Emmy voters gave us a huge amount of surprises to celebrate, including:

Supporting Actress in a Drama Known for incremental change in the acting categories, the acting branch shockingly decided to do a complete upheaval of the Supporting Actress in a Drama Series race and cut out three actresses that were starting to become perennial nominees. Instead Emmy voters listened to the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards for once and nominated Maura Tierney and Constance Zimmer. Maisie Williams also earned her first nomination and at 19 is the youngest person since 2001 to be nominated.

The Americans After four seasons of critics relentlessly reminding the world that The Americans is the best show we aren’t watching, the Television Academy finally nominated The Americans not only in Outstanding Drama Series but also nominated the Matthew Rhys and Kerri Russell for the first time.

THE AMERICANS -- "Glanders" (Airs, Wednesday, March 16, 10:00 pm/ep) -- Pictured: (l-r) Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings, Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings. CR: Eric Liebowitz/FX — (Photo: FX)

Laurie Metcalf With three nominations this year Emmy voters clearly really really like Laurie Metcalf. The biggest surprise was beating out more high-profile competition for a Lead Actress in a Comedy nomination for her work on Getting On, a comedy HBO cancelled nearly a year ago.

Thomas Middleditch After three seasons of critics championing the cast of Silicon Valley, Emmy voters decided to listen but not in the way most were expecting. The acting branch continued to ignore the supporting cast and instead throw their weight behind the star of the show, Thomas Middleditch.

Melora Hardin In the guest categories voters tend to rely on big names so it was a shock when voters skipped over Transparent’s Anjelica Huston in favor of Melora Hardin. Hardin’s Tammy kicked off the season with a drunken meltdown that climaxed with stale wedding cake in the pool (and those years on The Office probably helped too).

Matt Walsh Most Emmy prognosticators had a feeling that Veep was going to have their biggest year and a lot of us thought Timothy Simons would join the Supporting Actor race. Instead voters rallied behind Matt Walsh who had a season full of Chinese adoption problems and a stint as possibly the worst press secretary in the history of the White House.

Ray Donovan The Showtime crime drama popped up over the years at the Emmys but never as strongly as it did today. The show exceeded expectations with three acting nominations as well as one in directing. It really makes you wonder if the show is on its way to a surprise series nomination next year.

UnReal As a show on Lifetime, UnReal was looked at by critics as a dream nominee rather than a viable Emmy threat. In the end UnReal was deservingly pushed through to a writing and supporting actress nomination off of immense critical support and an industry obsession with shows that reflect their industry.

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney at Norman's Coach and Horses, Soho. — (Photo: Amazon)

Catastrophe The writing branch is known for championing small shows other branches have never even heard of, but Catastrophe might be the most surprising nomination in the history of the category. The Amazon comedy beat out three of the Outstanding Comedy nominees for a writing nomination, and it makes you wonder if this is the beginning of much bigger things for the show.

Bokeem Woodbine By the time Emmy voting started no one seemed to be talking about the second season of Fargo, and the massive supporting cast risked being shut out entirely. Bokeem Woodbine snuck into the race as a relative unknown over big names and Emmy favorites like Ted Danson, Nathan Lane, and Forrest Whitaker.

RuPaul After seven years of crushing snubs, fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race had given up on the show receiving any sort of mainstream recognition.

A Very Murray Christmas Everyone knew that voters would be scraping the bottom of the barrel to list five TV movies this year, but they ended up being so desperate that the Bill Murray Christmas special made the cut.

16 Emmy Nomination Surprising Snubs in 2016

It was a very good day for The Americans (or any American for that matter with American Crime, American Crime Story, and American Horror Story all getting nominations), but it wasn’t a great day for everyone.

Here are 16 of the most surprising Emmy snubs:

1. The Good Wife gets shut out.

It may have been the last season for the CBS series and that last chance for voters to vote in Julianna Margulies and crew, but you’d never know it. The beloved show was shut out in Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama (Alan Cumming), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama (Christine Baranski).

2. They REALLY didn’t like Vinyl.

Bobby Cannavale is a two-time Emmy winner for Boardwalk Empire and Will & Grace, so an acting nod for HBO’s rock series seemed like a no-brainer. Nope. Maybe they didn’t want to go down with a sinking ship?

3. No acting love for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Rachel Bloom may have won the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice for Best Actress, but did the Emmys think giving her a nod would be too crazy?

4. No love for the third season of Orange is the New Black.

No Outstanding Drama Series. No Outstanding Lead Actress. Not even Emmy sweetheart Uzo Aduba was nominated, and she won two years in a row.

5. Be still our hearts: Connor Jessup!

All of the great American Crime women were nominated, but Jessup, who arguably is the lead of the show, was nowhere to be found in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series category. Did Schwimmer take his place? JUICE!

6. Madoff made off with no nominations.

Both Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner didn’t make the cut.

7. The Roots reboot yielded no acting noms.

Forest Whitaker and Anika Noni Rose were snubbed, even if the four-night program secured a spot in the Limited Series category.

8. Jenifer Lewis of black-ish will have to wait until next year.

It was a good day for the ABC sitcom with nods in the Outstanding Comedy Series and lead acting categories, but scene-stealer Jenifer Lewis was missing.

9. Christian Slater was frozen out of Mr. Robot love.

He seemed like a lock, but like Rachel Bloom, a Golden Globe win and a Critics’ Choice award couldn’t carry him to an Emmy nod.

10. Denis O’Hare of American Horror Story: Hotel got no love.

This is hard to swallow. Liz & Dick has more nominations than O’Hare’s Liz Taylor.

11. Show Me a Hero? Show me a nomination!

Nope.

12. No Girls resurgence

Even though it had one of the most critically acclaimed seasons of the entire series, the HBO show didn’t make it into the Outstanding Comedy Series or Outstanding Lead Actress categories.

13. No vacancy in Bates Motel

Freddie Highmore didn’t get a nomination and neither did the wonderful Vera Farmiga.

14. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, fully missing

The Outstanding Variety Talk Series category is still a boys’ club.

15. Emmys are Fonda Frankie, but not Grace

Lily Tomlin landed in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy category, but her buddy Jane Fonda didn’t.

16. The Leftovers are still, well. . .

Despite stellar reviews and performances by the likes of Carrie Coon and Amy Brenneman, the HBO series didn’t connect with Emmy voters.

What snub or surprise shocked you the most? Leave it in the comments.

2016 Emmy Nominations at the Water Cooler

Episode 85: The Cooler gang plus one discuss today’s 2016 Emmy nominations.

On a special edition of the Water Cooler Podcast, Joey, Megan, and Clarence are joined by ADTV’s own Jalal Haddad to review the 2016 Emmy Nominations. We take a look at the surprises, the “omissions” (we used to call them snubs), and the trends reflected in today’s announcement.

What did you think of today’s nominations? Have a listen and leave your feedback in the comments section on the website. We’ll return to our normal schedule on Monday when we’ll have more 2016 Emmy Nominations reactions plus other television news.

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For Every Sadness There Is Joy – Emmy Analysis

The 68th Annual Emmy nominations brought the expected amount of joy and sadness – Emmy analysis

It takes a bit for me to absorb it all, but I’m equally split down the middle on this morning’s Emmy nominations. There are certainly a lot of reasons to be satisfied with this morning’s Emmy nominations. Like Tatiana Maslany last year (and again this year), years of campaigning and online outrage finally resulted in serious Emmy attention for FX’s critically acclaimed The Americans. I’m happy for this series even though I haven’t yet caught up to it. In the final Emmy analysis, the Television Academy saved face by nominating what is widely considered to be the best drama on television today.

But that doesn’t mean it’s going to win…

That’s a question for another day. Today, the Television Academy seemed to make incremental steps toward embracing a broader set of nominees. It may still be something of a mixed message, though. Game of Thrones led the day with 23 nominations, one down from last year’s haul. Series co-stars Kit Harington and Maisie Williams both received first-time nominations, but two nominations in the Supporting Actor category and three nominations in the Supporting Actress category felt somewhat obscene. Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke both do routinely solid work, but their nominations kept out some deserving contenders. Plus, I’m not even sure I would have nominated Maisie Williams whose Arya Stark seemed to just be pummeled through the season. Sophie Turner was, in my opinion, far more deserving for deftly illustrating the shift in Sansa Stark’s persona.

The problem with the Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category now is the three nominations for Game of Thrones, which likely splits votes. This gives Maggie Smith, Maura Tierney, and Constance Zimmer a leg up in a year where I thought Lena Headey was the sure-fire front runner.

Speaking of Zimmer, it’s great to see the Television Academy recognize some freshman series when they tend to hold off. There’s a delicate line between getting attention your first year and never getting attention again, and UnReal and Mr. Robot did well considering Emmy tends to not like new things. Even Breaking Bad had to wait a few years before it received widespread Emmy attention.

The other big news was the love for FX’s big limited series The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Of course, a large nomination haul is not news. However, something coming within one nomination of Game of Thrones was by all counts astounding. The side effect? All those acting nominations received historically by American Horror Story were cannibalized as expected by American Crime Story. FX’s horror anthology series received only 8 nominations, down from last year series-record 19 nominations. How do we feel about that? I sort of hate to have American Horror Story: Freak Show (arguably its worst season) to be the awards high mark for the series. Alas…

Emmy apparently wasn’t phased by the series departure for Downton Abbey which still managed to receive 10 nominations (up from last year), but it wasn’t as big of a support swell as once thought. Only Maggie Smith made it into the acting races where Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Michelle Dockery, and Hugh Bonneville were once contenders. Still, 10 nominations is far preferable to the complete lack of love for The Good Wife‘s final season. While some had expected an uptick in nominations for the well received farewell tour, the series received only four nominations, leaving out nearly perennial nominees Alan Cumming and Christine Baranski completely. They left out former winner Julianna Margulies as well.

HBO’s recent troubles are visible in their Emmy nominations. Of course, they still received a dominant 94 total nominations, but that’s down from last year’s 126 nominations. While it’s nothing to scoff at, it certainly shows cracks in the armor as Netflix and FX continue to expand their Emmy traction. Pressure’s on, Westworld.

Overall, I’m fairly satisfied with today’s Emmy nominations. I’m sure over the next few hours and days I will continue to pour over them, obsess about them, and find all new reasons to complain. But, today, I’m happy for Maura Tierney and Sarah Paulson and increasing love for Veep (including surprise nominee Matt Walsh). I’m sad that Rachel Bloom and Christian Slater and, as always, everyone involved in Bates Motel or Schitt’s Creek were left off the list. But what can you do?

At least this year, I personally feel like the Emmys got more right than they did wrong. Until the possible nomination slots expand to recognize the incredible quality available on television right now, you’re always going to have those left off on nomination morning.

But there’s always hope next year. Just as The Americans.

Emmy Nominee Reactions!

Refresh throughout the day to get the latest Emmy nominee reactions from AwardsDaily TV!

“We are so excited about the nomination for ‘American Ninja Warrior!’ Having watched the series grow from being a cult hit on G4 to the massive success it is now for both NBC and Esquire has been amazing. Our partners A. Smith and, of course, NBC, have been incredible. They consistently deliver episodes that are exciting and truly inspirational.”

– Matt Hanna, EVP Development and Production, Esquire Network.
“I was walking out of the bathroom when someone texted me that we were nominated. It was quite the shock. With Robot Chicken, it’s always a pleasant surprise. But SuperMansion, we’re the little show that could. We’re fighting against Family Guy and South Park, and not only that, the creators of those shows. I think everybody in that category is someone who has way too much talent that I can only hope to get at some point in my lifetime. I root for each and every one of them, and I’ll just favor Chris and Keegan or Keegan and Chris depending on which one of the two of them pays me more compliments.”

– Matt Senreich, co-founder of Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, which earned three Emmy nominations, including Chris Pine and Keegan-Michael Key for Outstanding Character Voice-Over for SuperMansion and Outstanding Short Form Animated Program for Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken Christmas Special: The X-Mas United

“I was playing squash with David Wain and was oblivious to the morning until I got off the court and saw an onslaught of messages. I am so happy to be part of this cast and honored to be nominated with such an outstanding group of people and many of my friends. This will be fun!”

– Matt Walsh, Veep, Nominated for SUPPORTING ACTOR in a COMEDY SERIES

“I’m awed by the journey we have been on with CONFIRMATION. I’m deeply grateful to the academy for acknowledging this film that so many people poured their hearts and souls into. As both an actress and producer, I could not possibly be more proud or humbled.”

– Kerry Washington, Confirmation, Nominated for LEAD ACTRESS in a LIMITED SERIES

“Working on The People V. O.J. Simpson has been a career highlight and its own reward, but I am especially moved by the recognition for everyone who devoted their hearts and souls to this project—from our brilliant cast to our amazing writers and directors to the extraordinary producers. We are all incredibly grateful. It’s a happy day.”

– Ryan Murphy, The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Nominated for DIRECTING in a LIMITED SERIES

“Wow! I am blown away! I am surrounded by excellence on Better Call Saul and to be picked out of that line-up is a crazy honor. This unique show, with no genre behind it – just honest character exploration, surprises me over and over. The fact that TV fans and critics are welcoming this unpredictable journey – it’s simply inspiring. Thank you.”

– Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul, Nominated for LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA

“The first time, I was shocked. Second time? Just completely floored. I am so honored and grateful to be included in this group of amazing, insanely talented people. Huge congratulations to Kevin, Robin, Beau, Mahershala, Paul, Reg E., Ellen, Molly, and everyone involved with the show – it’s so special to be sharing this with you all. What a thrill!”

– Michael Kelly, House of Cards, Nominated for SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

“I am floored that I’ve been nominated, but I am even more excited that LUTHER has been nominated as well. The success of LUTHER is so much due to the fans and I hope they are as proud of this nomination as we are. OH BOY! What a category!”

– Idris Elba, Luther, Nominated for LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

“I know that it’s pretty rare when the elements come together like the inner and outer society. The work. This is one of them. John Ridley has his finger on the pulse. And I love being a part of it. It’s great. It just makes my job a lot easier. It makes it easier to talk to people about it. It’s just really nice.”

– Lili Taylor, American Crime, Nominated for LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

“I am especially honored to be in a category with so many great actors. Except of course my arch-nemesis Rob Corddry. Never Corddry!!!”

– Rob Huebel, Children’s Hospital, Nominated for ACTOR IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES

“I loved doing ‘Childrens Hospital’ and I am most excited that Rob Huebel, and Erinn Hayes were recognized for their talents. It’s been a fun ride and I am grateful for the recognition.”

– Rob Corddry, Children’s Hospital, Nominated for ACTOR IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES

“As strange as it may seem, all of us who are responsible for ‘Inside the Actors Studio’ are as excited about our 19th nomination as we were about our first. What a journey – for which we have our hundreds of generous and gifted guests to thank.”

– James Lipton, Inside the Actors Studio, Nominated for INFORMATIONAL SERIES OR SPECIAL – 2016

“I’m so honored and excited that after 13 seasons, our fans at the Academy are still enjoying the show as much as we enjoy making it.”

– Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef, Nominated for REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM – 2016

“Thrilled to be nominated again for the 13th time! It’s been a great run and is a testament to how much the show is loved by our peers.”

– Tom Colicchio, Top Chef, Nominated for REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM – 2016

“We are thrilled with our 8 nominations, that highlight our diverse slate and the quality programming we pride ourselves on. We are honored to be recognized alongside some of today’s most innovative reality producers and documentary filmmakers,” said Rich Ross, Group President of Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel.

– DISCOVERY CHANNEL RECEIVED 8 PRIMETIME EMMY NOMINATIONS

“Words cannot express how grateful and humbled I feel. Working on House of Cards alongside so many great talents has been one of the highlights of my career, and it brings me so much joy to see the show continually recognized by everyone. Thank you to the academy for this tremendous honor.” – Mahershala Ali

– Mahershala Ali, House of Cards, Nominated for GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

“Very exciting! At least for this year, Christmas isn’t just one day a year!”

— Bill Murray, Mitch Glazer & Sofia Coppola, A Very Murray Christmas, Nominated for TV MOVIE

“Very honored to be noticed, especially in a year with so many excellent films and limited series. Hats off to HBO and Amblin for taking a risk on a political drama, during this election season. We had a sensational cast and a passionate crew. The hook for us all was a phenomenally good script by Robert Schenkkan.”

— Jay Roach, All the Way

“All the editors on Naked and Afraid XL are incredibly excited. It’s a serious challenge editing together 42 minutes of content from 40 days of footage. But it’s nothing compared to what the survivalists have to endure… at least we don’t have to eat bugs and snakes! But if we win, we are fully prepared to accept our award naked (and largely afraid)!”

– Eric Goldfarb, editor of Naked and Afraid XL

“I am so grateful for Grease: Live’s nominations this morning. What means the most to me is that almost every department was recognized. To pull off something that ambitious required an extraordinary team effort at every level and everyone on our production performed at their very best. It was such a privilege to work with such a talented group of people and I’m thrilled that the Academy recognized their outstanding work. Congratulations to the whole team.”

– Marc Platt, Executive Producer of Grease: Live!

– Rich Ross, Group President of Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel

“We want to thank the Academy for this wonderful and special honor. It took 10 years to tell this story, and we are humbled by that experience and inspired by all who have joined the conversation about our criminal justice system. We are thrilled to share this nomination with everyone who made this series possible, especially our subjects, our incredible team and our partners at Netflix.”

– Directors Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, Netflix’s Making a Murderer

“I am super excited and appreciative to be nominated. I’m lucky to part of the amazing team that makes this show! “

– David Reichert, Cinematographer, Deadliest Catch

On finding out that she had been nominated:

“I had been eagerly watching the nominations. When the series got nominated, I said yes! Then the site went down so I didn’t know anything until I got a call to say I had been nominated. We got 12 nominations so that was fantastic.”

On whether she had expected The Night Manager to be as well received as it was:

“You never go, this is how it’s going to end. You always think about the creative and how you’re going to do something. If you focus on the creative process, you’re going to get the best results, and in this case, the accolade.”

On who was the first person to congratulate her:

“The other executive producers, Hugh and everyone was ecstatic. It’s really wonderful. “

How will you celebrate the nomination?

“I’ll probably get moderately drunk. All the hard work everyone has put into this, this is such a big thing. It’s six hours of drama. At times, when you’re away from your family, you wonder if this is what your life should be like. Then this happens and it’s so worthwhile! “

-Susanne Brier – Director and Producer The Night Manager

The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Nominations

Here are your 68th Annual Primetime Emmy nominations, courtesy of the Television Academy. Emmy nominee Anthony Anderson (black-ish) and Lauren Graham announced 12 categories live beginning at 8:30am PT today. Game of Thrones led with 23 nominations. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story was a VERY close second (surprisingly so) with 22 nominations.

FX’s The Americans finally showed up in the major categories after years of online outcries for its snubbing. The critically acclaimed series received Best Drama and Best Actor and Actress mentions in addition to Writing nominations.

On the comedy side, black-ish made a big splash receiving nominations for Comedy Series, Actor, and Actress. Also of note, Silicon Valley finally received a nomination for a cast member in Thomas Middleditch for Comedy Actor.

The Emmy Awards will be handed out live on ABC Sunday, September 18, starting at 7pm Eastern. The Creative Arts Emmy ceremony will be split over two nights on September 10 and 11 and will air on television in an edited broadcast on September 17 on FXX.

Here are your official Emmy nominations in major categories. A link to the full list of Emmy nominations is available at the end of this post.

Drama Series
The Americans
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mr. Robot

Comedy Series
Black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Veep
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Limited Series
American Crime
Fargo
The Night Manager
The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Roots

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Taraji P Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Keri Russell, The Americans
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
Idris Elba, Luther
Cuba Gooding Jr., The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager
Courtney B. Vance, The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Sarah Paulson, The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Lili Taylor, American Crime
Kerry Washington, Confirmation

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Will Forte, Last Man on Earth
William H. Macy, Shameless
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Laurie Metcalf, Getting On
Tracee Ellis Ross, Blackish
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Matt Walsh, Veep
Tony Hale, Veep

Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Niecy Nash, Getting On
Allison Janney, Mom
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Judith Light, Transparent
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent
Anna Chlumsky, Veep

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Constance Zimmer, UnREAL

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Jesse Plemons, Fargo
Bokeem Woodbine, Fargo
Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager
Sterling K. Brown, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
David Schwimmer, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
John Travolta, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Melissa Leo, All the Way
Regina King, American Crime
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel
Jean Smart, Fargo
Olivia Colman, The Night Manager

Outstanding TV Movie
A Very Murray Christmas
All the Way
Confirmation
Luther
Sherlock

Variety Talk Series
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Late Show With James Cordon
Real Time With Bill Maher
Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon

Variety Sketch Series
Documentary Now
Drunk History
Inside Amy Schumer
Key & Peele
Portlandia
Saturday Night Live

Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef
The Voice

Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night
Steve Harvey, Little Big Shots
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway
RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race

Key Categories

Complete List (when posted)

AwardsDaily TV’s First Annual Cooler Awards

Team ADTV is incredibly excited to unveil their first Cooler Awards nominations.

The 2016 Emmy nominations are upon us. Finally. Tomorrow, Television Academy announces their nominations for the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Not to be undone, we here at AwardsDaily TV decided it was time to offer our own award nominations, so we present to you, our loyal readers, the inaugural Cooler Awards. Cue applause.

First, a bit about the Cooler Awards. We decided to vote only on the major categories that we all know and love, and subsequent years will likely feature additional categories. This year, though, we wanted to focus on the fantastic performances and overall series. To make our selections, we followed the Television Academy voting process as closely as possible. Each AwardsDaily TV team member was allowed to make up to 10 selections per category. The series categories would receive no less than seven nominees with the acting categories totaling six nominees. We all voted with our hearts and put aside our predictive instincts.

That is, unless there was a tie, and there were lots of ties thanks to only seven voting members. That’s where we diverged from the Television Academy a bit. Rather than deferring to a blue ribbon panel, we engaged in a second and third round of voting (the latter round conducted via a preferential ballot to prevent an infinity of ties) to develop our nominees in a handful of categories. Because ties are allowed in Emmy world, many of our categories exceeded the minimum amount, but nothing exceeded eight nominees – an Emmy rule. While an incredibly fun experiment, this was in no way a predictive exercise for the eventual Emmy nominations.

Granted, there are some interesting observations we made in the process…

Any surprises?

Unsurprisingly, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story received seven nominations, our highest for any series. Connie Britton’s nomination in the Supporting Actress in a Limited Series category (for her near-cameo performance) pushed Simpson to the top of the leaderboard, and it made me wonder if she really is a potential spoiler for Thursday’s Emmy announcements. HBO’s Veep received six nominations. Unlike the Emmys, we here at AwardsDaily TV had no problem recognizing a broader array of its incredibly talented supporting male cast by including Kevin Dunn and Timothy Simons along with Emmy-winner Tony Hale.

Surprisingly, American Horror Story: Hotel also received six nominations, something I did not see coming given how much of a punching bag the series had become for members of the ADTV team. Aside from the overall series nomination, Matt Bomer beat out several very high-profile contenders to show up in the Lead Actor category in addition to the more expected robust supporting nominations. Mare Winningham’s fantastic supporting performance received mention, and I’m secretly hoping the Television Academy follows suit. Alas, Lady Gaga was left on the voting room floor, preventing Hotel from reaching the heights of that other Ryan Murphy show.

Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirk’s omission from the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category was my single biggest surprise. I have no explanation other than Better Call Saul resonates with only a few members of the ADTV staff.

Emmy trends?

Through the voting process, I noticed a handful of interesting facts that may/may not be replicated on a larger scale at the Emmys. First, the Broad City team of Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson both received nominations, but the team split their votes between the actresses. Is this happening within the larger Television Academy? Talking about splits, a third round was necessary for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. There were a lot of possibilities and little consensus. And what were the top vote getters in the Comedy and Drama Series categories? Veep and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (natch). Bates Motel (shock). Why can’t the Television Academy see the greatness behind this criminally overlooked series?

Aziz Ansari, Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Courtney B. Vance, Sarah Paulson, Kerry Washington, Sterling K. Brown, John Travolta, and Regina King were the only unanimously voted upon performances. What does that mean? These performances will be seen on Emmy nomination morning. Guaranteed.

Final round voting will be conducted in accordance with the Emmy calendar – August 15 through August 29. We will announce the winners of the First Annual Cooler Awards on Saturday, September 17. Until then…

And the nominees are…

UnReal season two trailer — (Photo: Lifetime)

Drama Series

The Americans, FX
Bates Motel, A&E
Better Call Saul, AMC
Game of Thrones, HBO
House of Cards, Netflix
Mr. Robot, USA
UnReal, Lifetime

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Bobby Canavalle, Vinyl
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Paul Giamatti, Billions
Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Shiri Appleby, UnReal
Hayley Atwell, Agent Carter
Carrie Coon, The Leftovers
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Alan Alda, Horace and Pete
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Christopher Eccleston, The Leftovers
Michael McKean, Better Call Saul
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Hope Davis, Wayward Pines
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Taryn Manning, Orange Is the New Black
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Bellamy Young, Scandal
Constance Zimmer, UnReal

Comedy Series

black-ish, ABC
Girls, HBO
Grace and Frankie, Netflix
Master of None, Netflix
Schitt’s Creek, Pop
Transparent, Amazon
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix
Veep, HBO

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Chris Geere, You’re the Worst
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Lena Dunham, Girls
Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Louis Anderson, Baskets
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Kevin Dunn, Veep
Tony Hale, Veep
Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Andrew Rannells, Girls
Timothy Simons, Veep

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Carol Kane, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Amy Landecker, Transparent
Jenifer Lewis, black-ish

Limited Series

American Crime, ABC
American Horror Story: Hotel, FX
Fargo, FX
Madoff, ABC
The Night Manager, AMC
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, FX
Roots, History

TV Movie

7 Days in Hell, HBO
Confirmation, HBO
A Deadly Adoption, Lifetime
The Dresser, Starz
Luther, BBC America
Special Correspondants, Netflix
Wallander: The Troubled Man, PBS

Lead Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Matt Bomer, American Horror Story: Hotel
Richard Dreyfus, Madoff
Cuba Gooding, Jr., The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager
Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero
Ian McKellan, The Dresser
Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Patrick Wilson, Fargo

Lead Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Lily Taylor, American Crime
Kerry Washington, Confirmation
Shanice Williams, The Wiz Live!

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Connor Jessup, American Crime
Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager
Denis O’Hare, American Horror Story: Hotel
John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Forest Whitaker, Roots
Bokeem Woodbine, Fargo

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel
Connie Britton, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Regina King, American Crime
Cristin Milioti, Fargo
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel
Anika Noni Rose, Roots
Jean Smart, Fargo
Mare Winningham, American Horror Story: Hotel

ADTV’s Official Emmy Predictions

	Clarence Moye	Megan McLachlan	Joey Moser	Jalal Haddad
Drama Series	Better Call Saul	Better Call Saul	The Americans	Better Call Saul
	Downton Abbey	Downton Abbey	Better Call Saul	Downton Abbey
	Game of Thrones	Game of Thrones	Downton Abbey	Game of Thrones
	Homeland	Homeland	Game of Thrones	The Good Wife
	House of Cards	House of Cards	House of Cards	House of Cards
	Mr. Robot	Mr. Robot	Mr. Robot	Mr. Robot
	Orange Is The New Black	Orange Is The New Black	Orange Is The New Black	Orange Is The New Black
Lead Actor in a Drama Series	Bobby Cannavale, Vinyl	Bobby Cannavale, Vinyl	Bobby Cannavale, Vinyl	Bobby Cannavale, Vinyl
	Kyle Chandler, Bloodline	Paul Giamatti, Billions	Paul Giamatti, Billions	Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
	Paul Giamatti, Billions	Rami Malek, Mr. Robot	Rami Malek, Mr. Robot	Paul Giamatti, Billions
	Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul	Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul	Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul	Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
	Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan	Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan	Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan	Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
	Kevin Spacey, House of Cards	Kevin Spacey, House of Cards	Kevin Spacey, House of Cards	Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Lead Actress in a Drama Series	Claire Danes, Homeland	Claire Danes, Homeland	Claire Danes, Homeland	Claire Danes, Homeland
	Viola Davis, HTGAWM	Viola Davis, HTGAWM	Viola Davis, HTGAWM	Viola Davis, HTGAWM
	Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey	Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey	Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey	Taraji P. Hensen, Empire
	Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black	Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel	Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black	Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife
	Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife	Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife	Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife	Kerry Washington, Scandal
	Robin Wright, House of Cards	Robin Wright, House of Cards	Robin Wright, House of Cards	Robin Wright, House of Cards
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	Alan Alda, Horace & Pete	Alan Alda, Horace & Pete	Alan Alda, Horace & Pete	Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
	Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul	Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul	Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul	Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
	Jim Carter, Downton Abbey	Jim Carter, Downton Abbey	Jim Carter, Downton Abbey	Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
	Alan Cumming, The Good Wife	Alan Cumming, The Good Wife	Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones	Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
	Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones	Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones	Kit Harington, Game of Thrones	Michael Kelly, House of Cards
	Christian Slater, Mr. Robot	Christian Slater, Mr. Robot	Christian Slater, Mr. Robot	Christian Slater, Mr. Robot
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Uzo Aduba, OITNB	Uzo Aduba, OITNB	Uzo Aduba, OITNB	Uzo Aduba, OITNB
	Christine Baranski, The Good Wife	Christine Baranski, The Good Wife	Christine Baranski, The Good Wife	Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
	Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones	Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones	Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey	Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
	Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey	Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey	Lena Headey, Game of Thrones	Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
	Lena Headey, Game of Thrones	Lena Headey, Game of Thrones	Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey	Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
	Maura Tierney, The Affair	Constance Zimmer, UnReal	Constance Zimmer, UnReal	Constance Zimmer, UnReal
Comedy Series	black-ish	black-ish	black-ish	black-ish
	Master of None	Girls	Girls	Master of None
	Modern Family	Master of None	Master of None	Modern Family
	Silicon Valley	Silicon Valley	Silicon Valley	Silicon Valley
	Transparent	Transparent	Transparent	Transparent
	Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
	Veep	Veep	Veep	Veep
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series	Anthony Anderson, black-ish	Anthony Anderson, black-ish	Anthony Anderson, black-ish	Anthony Anderson, black-ish
	Aziz Ansari, Master of None	Aziz Ansari, Master of None	Aziz Ansari, Master of None	Aziz Ansari, Master of None
	Don Cheadle, House of Lies	Don Cheadle, House of Lies	Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth	Don Cheadle, House of Lies
	William H. Macy, Shameless	William H. Macy, Shameless	Rob Lowe, The Grinder	William H. Macy, Shameless
	Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory	Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory	William H. Macy, Shameless	Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
	Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent	Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent	Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent	Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend	Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend	Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend	Lena Dunham, Girls
	Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie	Ilana Glazer, Broad City	Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
	Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Veep	Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Veep
	Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish	Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Veep	Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Veep	Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
	Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer	Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer	Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish	Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
	Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie	Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie	Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie	Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Louie Anderson, Baskets	Louie Anderson, Baskets	Louie Anderson, Baskets	Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
	Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
	Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Ty Burrell, Modern Family
	Ty Burrell, Modern Family	Ty Burrell, Modern Family	Ty Burrell, Modern Family	Tony Hale, Veep
	Tony Hale, Veep	Tony Hale, Veep	Hugh Laurie, Veep	Keegan-Michael Key, Key and Peele
	Timothy Simons, Veep	Keegan Michael-Key, Key and Peele	Tony Hale, Veep	Timothy Simons, Veep
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory	Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory	Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory	Julie Bowen, Modern Family
	Anna Chlumsky, Veep	Anna Chlumsky, Veep	Anna Chlumsky, Veep	Anna Chlumsky, Veep
	Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent	Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent	Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent	Allison Janney, Mom
	Allison Janney, Mom	Allison Janney, Mom	Allison Janney, Mom	Carol Kane, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
	Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt	Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
	Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live	Jenifer Lewis, black-ish	Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live	Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Limited Series	American Crime	American Crime	American Crime	American Crime
	Fargo	Fargo	Fargo	American Horror Story: Hotel
	The Night Manager	The Night Manager	The Night Manager	Fargo
	The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
	Roots	Roots	Roots	Roots
TV Movie	All The Way	All The Way	All The Way	All The Way
	Confirmation	Confirmation	The Dresser	Confirmation
	Luther	The Dresser	Luther	Luther
	Sherlock: The Abominable Bride	Luther	7 Days in Hell	Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
	Wallander: The Troubled Man	Sherlock: The Abominable Bride	Sherlock: The Abominable Bride	Special Correspondents
Lead Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie	Bryan Cranston, All The Way	Bryan Cranston, All The Way	Bryan Cranston, All The Way	Bryan Cranston, All The Way
	Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride	Richard Dreyfuss, Madoff	Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride	Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
	Idris Elba, Luther	Idris Elba, Luther	Idris Elba, Luther	Idris Elba, Luther
	Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager	Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager	Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager	Cuba Gooding Jr., The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
	Oscar Issac, Show Me a Hero	Oscar Issac, Show Me a Hero	Oscar Issac, Show Me a Hero	Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero
	Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Courtney B. Vance, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
Lead Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie	Kirsten Dunst, Fargo	Kirsten Dunst, Fargo	Kirsten Dunst, Fargo	Kirsten Dusnt, Fargo
	Felicity Huffman, American Crime	Felicity Huffman, American Crime	Felicity Huffman, American Crime	Felicity Huffman, American Crime
	Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Rachel McAdams, True Detective	Rachel McAdams, True Detective
	Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill	Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
	Lily Taylor, American Crime	Lily Taylor, American Crime	Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Lili Taylor, American Crime
	Kerry Washington, Confirmation	Kerry Washington, Confirmation	Kerry Washington, Confirmation	Kerry Washington, Confirmation
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie	Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
	Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager	Connor Jessup, American Crime	Connor Jessup, American Crime	Connor Jessup, American Crime
	Denis O’Hare, American Horror Story: Hotel	Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager	Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager	Nathan Lane, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
	Jesse Plemons, Fargo	Jesse Plemons, Fargo	Denis O’Hare, American Horror Story: Hotel	Denis O’Hare, American Horror Story: Hotel
	John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS	John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
	Forest Whitaker, Roots	Forest Whitaker, Roots	Forest Whitaker, Roots	Forest Whitaker, Roots
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie	Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel	Olivia Colman, The Night Manager	Olivia Colman, The Night Manager	Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Hotel
	Regina King, American Crime	Regina King, American Crime	Emayatzy Corinealdi, Roots	Connie Britton, The People v. O.J. Simpson: ACS
	Melissa Leo, All the Way	Melissa Leo, All the Way	Regina King, American Crime	Regina King, American Crime
	Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel	Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel	Melissa Leo, All the Way	Melissa Leo, All The Way
	Anika Noni Rose, Roots	Anika Noni Rose, Roots	Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel	Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel
	Jean Smart, Fargo	Jean Smart, Fargo	Jean Smart, Fargo	Jean Smart, Fargo

Jalal’s Take: Déjà Vu in the Top Series Emmy Races?

Jalal Haddad concludes his take on the 2016 Emmy races with a look at Drama and Comedy Series

Last year’s winners Game of Thrones and Veep are going to win their second consecutive Emmys for being the best drama and comedy of the year. In fact, both Emmy races will likely look almost identical to last year, and because of that I don’t feel the need to detail out my ranking choices. I was disappointed last year when both shows won their first series awards for what was both of their weakest seasons (especially Game of Thrones). Now that the shows are competing with some of their best work yet I don’t see how any other show has the momentum to beat them.

Mad Men is the only previous contender not returning, and it’s pretty safe to say that spot will be filled by Mr. Robot. USA’s hacker drama is one of the only freshman dramas to succeed when most failed over the past TV season. I was wary of the show’s Emmy chances even when it won both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice, but after it was honored by almost every guild group it became pretty clear it was on the Television Academy’s radar. Vinyl also had a chance, but, after a laughable premiere and HBO cancelling it in the middle of the voting process, voters are likely to steer clear of the costume drama. UnReal deserves to be in the Emmy race but voters will probably stick their noses up to a show about reality television airing on Lifetime.

Downton Abbey, House of Cards, and Better Call Saul will all return although without any momentum to beat Game of Thrones. The only exception to this might be House of Cards gaining some sort of momentum because of our own crazy political year, although as the show grows more divisive it’s unlikely. Both Homeland and Orange is The New Black are in danger of Emmy voters moving on. If one of them is dropped, I suspect it will be Homeland which is becoming less relevant every season and is slowly being dropped in various categories. OITNB might be dropped after a lackluster third season but the actors’ branch will probably save the show, especially after it continues to win multiple SAG awards a year. In its final season, The Good Wife is the most likely to upset the two since voters seem to always want to give their favorite shows one last nomination hurrah.

Drama Series Contenders

Game of Thrones
House of Cards
Downton Abbey
Mr. Robot
Better Call Saul
Orange Is The New Black
The Good Wife
Homeland
Vinyl
UnReal

Worth Mentioning: The Americans, Ray Donovan, Narcos, Billions

The Comedy Series Emmy race will look almost identical to last year as well with two notable exceptions: Parks and Recreation has ended, and Louie is on hiatus. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Silicon Valley, Modern Family, and Transparent will easily return even though none of them have the same amount of buzz they had the year before. Unless Emmy voters completely shake up the comedy race like they did in 2009, there won’t be too much excitement.

Two past nominees have the opportunity to return: Girls and The Big Bang Theory. Girls has the better chance of Emmy redemption with the fifth season arguably being the best so far, and it also has the campaign beast HBO to remind voters. I celebrated the omission of The Big Bang Theory, but there is not very much guild support or resurgence in popularity to hint at a comeback.

Out of all the new streaming shows, Master of None is the strongest going into the comedy race. Aziz Ansari is filling that void left by Louie’s hiatus and even though the show is overall uneven it did give us some of the best episodes of the season like “Parents.” Also, voters have always liked comedies about the industry. The other streaming possibilities like Casual, Catastrophe, or Lady Dynamite might be too small-scale to standout to voters. In its second season, black-ish has grown in popularity and in a lot of ways is the best modern representation of classic sitcoms from the 70s & 80s in terms of its portrayal of social issues and universal appeal.

Every year of going by unnoticed by Emmy voters further destroys a show’s future chances, but in the past two shows surfside everyone with first time series nominations in the third season: Parks and Recreation and Emmy favorite Louie. Finishing up its third season, Broad City fits that mold especially after receiving a surprise WGA nomination earlier this year. Shows like Broad City don’t have a long history at the Emmys, but a surprise nomination wouldn’t be the most wild choice by voters especially as the show rapidly grows in popularity.

Comedy Series Contenders

Veep
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Master of None
Black-ish
Girls
Broad City
The Big Bang Theory

Worth Mentioning: Lady Dynamite, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Casual, Catastrophe

What shows are you predicting this year to break into the Drama and Comedy Emmy races? Do you agree that Mr. Robot and Master of None are the new shows with the biggest buzz? Is Homeland as vulnerable as I am predicting? Sound off!

Jalal’s Take: Those Unpredictable Emmy Guest Races

The acting branch has so many categories to vote on that it feels like they are beyond lazy when it comes to filling out their guest acting Emmy ballots. Voters tend to rely on actors they love that appear early on in the ballot even if they’ve never watched the show (Alan Alda in The Blacklist or Beau Bridges in anything). The Emmy guest races are also the only acting races that are still dominated by network shows like The Good Wife and Scandal. At the category’s best, they celebrate character actors who could benefit from a career boost and can be the sole nominations for underrepresented shows which is what makes these categories so much fun.

Recently the guest categories have been overrun with returning performances, and this year we might see as many as 15 old characters return, including three of last year’s winners. Past winners like Margo Martindale, Reg E. Cathey, Allison Janney, and Bob Newhart are the most likely to receive even more nominations for their guest roles. Actors like Michael J. Fox, Cicely Tyson, Pablo Schreiber, Melissa McCarthy, and Natasha Lyonne are also major threats.

Cicely Tyson was nominated last year (and snubbed for the second time) and is now eligible for both HTGAWM and House of Cards. Because of a rule change she could theoretically be nominated twice in the guest race, although it’s much more likely the votes will be split and she’ll be snubbed altogether. The same argument can be made for Fred Armisen in the comedy race with his Saturday Night Live and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt submissions.

The acting branch has always kept House of Cards alive at the Emmys, and some of their biggest surprises have always been in the guest categories inlcuding past nominees like Kate Mara, Reg E. Cathey, and Rachel Brosnahan. This year Netflix submitted a lot of their guest actors including Reg E. Cathey, Ellen Burstyn, Cicely Tyson, Mahershala Ali, and Molly Parker. I don’t see how Ellen Burstyn loses the guest actress race, and Reg E. Cathey shockingly won this category last year. Cicely Tyson would be another obvious nominee, but I fear that she’ll suffer from vote splitting between her retiring Congresswoman on House of Cards and her Emmy nominated performance on HTGAWM. Mahershala Ali is a long shot but he appears on the first page of the ballot, he sticks out, and he is one of the only semi-likable characters on the show.

Emmy winner Peter MacNicol was absolutely obscene as Jonah’s uncle on Veep this season, and if the Jonah Ryan in Congress storyline is as popular with voters as it was with critics then MacNicol might be a major contender. Actors like Max Von Sydow is the sole guest nomination for Game of Thrones, and, as unstoppable as the show is, I don’t see how they leave him out. Natasha Lyonne was one of the five women nominated for OITNB’s first season, but after a rule change she was no longer allowed to submit in the guest races. With a smaller arc in season three she’s returned to the guest race, and its possible she could sneak back in unless voters completely reject season three. Depending on the popularity of Mr. Robot and Transparent‘s second season both B.D. Wong and Anjelica Huston could be major contenders this year as well.

The two types of shows that do the best in the guest comedy races are sketch shows (SNL, Portlandia, Inside Amy Schumer) and traditional multi-cam shows (AKA Chuck Lorre). Saturday Night Live submitted a lot of their hosts this year, but voters are the most likely to go with Larry David for his spot-on impersonation of Bernie Sanders, Tina Fey & Amy Poehler in a duo submission, Tracy Morgan for his comeback performance, and Melissa McCarthy who they always seem to nominate. Amy Schumer and Fred Armisen were also submitted, but I worry that Armisen is going to split the votes between his work on SNL and his Robert Durst on UKS. Portlandia submitted Louis CK and Steve Buscemi. Chuck Lorre submitted a lot of Emmy friendly names this year including Ellen Burstyn, Christine Baranski, and previous winner Bob Newhart.

The Good Wife has always done well in the guest categories, especially when the winners were determined by the juried tapes. In its final season, Emmy voters could give the show one last hurrah, and they have a lot of options. With 16 acting nominations, very few actors are as popular within the television academy as Michael J. Fox, and he’s bound to receive a fifth and final nomination for his work on the show. Carrie Preston won a couple of years ago and could return again as well as former nominee Josh Charles. Scandal, another popular network show in the guest categories, could return but their only major guest submission was Danny Pino.

The guest nominations always tend to appeal to the tastes of older academy members, and I’m beginning to wonder if any of Grace and Frankie’s many submissions might be able to sneak in. Sam Elliott, Ernie Hudson, Swoosie Kurtz, Amy Madigan, Rita Moreno, Estelle Parsons, and Mary Kay Place were all submitted. I wouldn’t be surprised if Elliot or Hudson made it into the category.

Actors like Laurie Metcalf, Rhea Perlman, Christopher Abbott, and Tom Hardy should be kept in mind as outside contenders simply for their popularity and performance even if their shows aren’t obvious Emmy grabs. Anyone who has watched Horace & Pete has gone above and beyond to praise Laurie Metcalf. Only some voters may be watching Getting On, but Rhea Perlman plays a legless woman escaping from the hospital and in a perfect world would be the frontrunner. Christopher Abbott, although relatively unknown, returned to Girls with one of the best standalone episodes of the year. Peaky Blinders has a passionate fan base, and Tom Hardy is at his most popular after a stellar cinematic 2015.

Guest Actor in a Drama	Guest Actress in a Drama
1. Reg E. Cathey, House of Cards	1. Ellen Burstyn, House of Cards
2. Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife	2. Margo Martindale, The Americans
3. Max Von Sydow, Game of Thrones	3. Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
4. Beau Bridges, Bloodline	4. Natasha Lyonne, Orange Is The New Black
5. Mahershala Ali, House of Cards	5. Molly Parker, House of Cards
6. Josh Charles, The Good Wife	6. Cicely Tyson, House of Cards
7. B.D. Wong, Mr. Robot	7. Carrie Preston, The Good Wife
8. Pablo Schreiber, OITNB	8. Cicely Tyson, HTGAWM
9. Denis O'Hare, The Good Wife	9. Laurie Metcalf, Horace & Pete
10. Tom Hardy, Peaky Blinders	10. Stockard Channing, The Good Wife

Guest Actor in a Comedy	Guest Actress in a Comedy
1. Larry David, Saturday Night Live	1. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
2. Louis CK, Portlandia	2. Christine Baranski, The Big Bang Theory
3. Tracy Morgan, Saturday Night Live	3. Melissa McCarthy, SNL
4. Peter MacNicol, Veep	4. Anjelica Huston, Transparent
5. Steve Buscemi, Portlandia	5. Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
6. Bradley Whitford, Transparent	6. Lisa Kudrow, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
7. Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory	7. Amy Schumer, Saturday Night Live
8. Christopher Abott, Girls	8. Ellen Burstyn, Mom
9. Fred Armisen, SNL or UKS	9. Anna Camp, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
10. Martin Mull, Veep	10. Claire Danes, Master of None
11. Sam Elliott, Grace and Frankie	11. Rhea Perlman, Getting On

It goes without saying that the guest categories are some of the most unpredictable categories during the nominations phase. Networks don’t spend a lot of money and time campaigning these small performances so we might see some absolutely left-field choices. After all this is the race that awarded Parenthood its only nomination (likely because they confused Jason Ritter with his deceased father) and continued to nominated Dot-Marie Jones of all people long after Glee was awards worthy. Which actors am I underestimating? Does anyone have a chance of beating Ellen Burstyn for her scene stealing work on House of Cards?