A Preview of the 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Ceremony

Looking at the 2017 Creative Arts Emmy ® Ceremony, Jalal Haddad details what categories might show who has momentum in the final stretch of the 2017 Emmys.

The 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Ceremony will take place this weekend over the course of two days. The winners don’t always garner the most attention. However, they are the only real precursors heading into the main ceremony. If a particular program ends up sweeping the various craft awards, it can be a huge indicator of what shows will win the top awards a week later, especially in a close race. In many of the categories this year, huge shows like Feud and Big Little Lies compete for craft awards before the main ceremony. Voters will have many opportunities to choose between Westworld and Stranger Things.

Heading into the 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Ceremony, this is what everyone should be keeping an eye on:

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

The Outstanding Drama Series race is a tight race between five new shows. The craft categories will be a huge indicator of which dramas might have the momentum heading into the top award. However, the only category with all five new shows is Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series.

Outstanding Variety Special

The Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special and corresponding writing and directing categories tend to favor award shows, tributes, and Louis CK. This year, the competition from the variety talk show categories has trickled down. Samantha Bee and Stephen Colbert both compete in three categories for their election night specials. Last year’s winner, James Corden, returns with another Carpool Karaoke special. The Outstanding Variety Talk Series category is the most competitive it’s been in years. If Bee, Colbert, or Corden win a preliminary Emmy, it might be a hint of things to come next week.

Outstanding Music Supervision

The Television Academy introduced a new category this year honoring the work of music supervisors. The first batch of nominees represent an eclectic mix of shows: Better Call Saul, Big Little Lies, Girls, Master of None, and Stranger Things. The role of a music supervisor fluctuates for each project. Although the winner won’t reveal much about the big races, the five nominees come across as personal choices for the branches favorite shows. If one of the four nominees (besides Girls) wins the inaugural award, it might be a huge indicator of overall support within the Television Academy.

**Can Master of None gain momentum?**

For the third year in a row, Veep is the odds-on favorite to win Outstanding Comedy Series. After raking in 17 nominations this year, it’s poised to win some below the line awards as well. Master of None won over the hearts of audiences and voting members and, even though its not likely to happen, is the dark-horse nominee in the race. If the show gained momentum, we will most likely see it this weekend especially if it picks up a statue in one of the key races like sound mixing, picture editing, and casting. Master of None also has a chance to win the first ever Emmy for Outstanding Music Supervision (the only comedy nominee in the category) as well as a first Emmy for Angela Bassett for guest actress.

**Is Westworld gearing up for a Game of Thrones level streak?**

In its first season, Westworld earned an astounding 22 nominations – an accomplishment Game of Thrones didn’t reach until the year it won Outstanding Drama Series for its fifth season. The robot dystopian thriller is bound to pick up a couple of craft awards throughout the night. However if it starts to sweep the entire Creative Arts Ceremony, it might begin a snowball effect that goes all the way to Outstanding Drama Series.

The Guest Acting Categories

After voting was opened to the entire branch, the guest acting categories have been become nearly impossible to correct. Margo Martindale has won two consecutive awards for a miniscule amount of screen time, beating out legends giving scene-stealing performances like Ellen Barkin and Cicely Tyson. Peter Scolari won an Emmy after only receiving a nomination because one of the original nominees was disqualified. Hank Azaria won another Emmy for a show no one will admit to watching.

This year (with a few exceptions) there are no real frontrunners in the guest acting categories. Factors like a show’s popularity, overdue actors, and vote splitting have the potential to play a huge role in deciding this year’s winners.

Guest Comedy Actress

Melissa McCarthy became a viral sensation for her Sean Spicer impression on SNL, but this is her fifth nomination for hosting the variety show. Voters have never felt obligated to award her for her hosting work before. Carrie Fisher received a posthumous nomination for her work on Catastrophe. Angela Bassett is a beloved actress receiving some of the best television reviews of her career for her guest spot on Master of None.

Guest Comedy Actor

The guest hosts of Saturday Night Live make up half of the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category certainly guaranteeing a vote split to happen. Still, Dave Chappelle and Tom Hanks are beloved pop culture icons that will still earn plenty of votes. Voters will probably have a hard time deciding between the two guests from Girls. Matthew Rhys’s performance on Girls certainly was the best of the category but is more horrifying than comedic. Hugh Laurie doesn’t have the material to warrant a win but he is long overdue for an Emmy, and Veep is the most popular comedy nominated.

Guest Drama Actor

Emmy voters went all-in for guest actors from This Is Us, and Gerald McRaney’s performance as the doctor is integral to the heart of the show. Denis O’Hare’s performance as the ex-gay lover is also very Emmy friendly as well. Hank Azaria and Ben Mendelsohn both won Emmys last year for the same performance. Even though voters nearly forgot about Mr. Robot in its second season, BD Wong has been around for a long time and gives the most showy performance.

Guest Drama Actress

The Guest Actress in a Drama Series category is filled with actresses overdue for recognition. Cicely Tyson and Laverne Cox have both been nominated before. Ann Dowd is finally having a breakout year, and voters might choose to honor her here if they don’t vote for her in the supporting actress race. Alexis Bledel gave the performance of her career on The Handmaid’s Tale and is the obvious frontrunner. And then there’s Barb.

Awards Daily TV Predictions

As a team, we compiled our final predictions in the four guest acting categories as well as Outstanding Main Title Design, Outstanding Main Title Theme Music, and Outstanding Music Supervision. We also gave our best guesses on which program in each genre would come out of the Creative Arts Ceremony as the big winners of the weekend.