AND THE EMMY WILL GO TO ...
Those who most deserve coveted awards don’t always take them home
If this year’s Emmy Awards will be about anything, it will be saying goodbye to two of the biggest series of the last decade: HBO’s Game of Thrones and Veep.
With both of Phoebe WallerBridge’s series (Killing Eve, Fleabag) in contention for Emmy wins, and with a few underdogs who might finally find some space in the spotlight (think Bob Odenkirk, Jared Harris), there will certainly be some surprises. Here are this year’s nominees alongside our prediction of who will win and our thoughts on who should win:
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Barry
Fleabag — SHOULD WIN The Good Place
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
Veep — WILL WIN
Although The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won eight Emmys last year, the critical love for the series has waned ever so slightly in its second season. It’s Waller-Bridge’s powerful Fleabag that won the most love from viewers and critics this year. But with Veep having aired its final season, and having won this award for three consecutive years before it took a season off, you can bet it’ll receive one final honour.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
Game of Thrones — WILL WIN Killing Eve — SHOULD WIN Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us
Even though Game of Thrones’ final season was a bumpy one, it remains one of the most beloved, biggest-budgeted and decorated series to ever grace the Emmy stage. That means it would be a massive shock for it not to receive the top award as a last goodbye, which is unfortunate for the shows that dared to do something different this year, such as Killing Eve or Pose.
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Chernobyl — SHOULD WIN Escape at Dannemora Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us — WILL WIN
Timing is everything, which is why When They See Us, a look at the Central Park Five with stalwart Ava DuVernay at the helm, will be tough to beat. It also scored the most nods (19) for a limited series. If anything can top it, it’ll be the gripping Chernobyl, a technical achievement that, similarly to When They See Us, told a massive story in only a handful of episodes. The latter, however, likely cut deepest with Emmy voters thanks to the performances of its young cast.
LEAD ACTOR IN A
LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Mahershala Ali, True Detective Benicio del Toro, Escape at Dannemora
Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal — SHOULD WIN
Jared Harris, Chernobyl — WILL WIN
Jharrel Jerome, When They
See Us
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon One of the great delights of the year’s nominees is A Very English Scandal, particularly for veteran actor Hugh Grant, who has made a splash of late with turns in Paddington 2 and this limited series based on the 1976 Jeremy Thorpe sex/murder scandal. But don’t count out Jared Harris, a perpetual underdog who was never honoured for his work in Mad Men. He turns in a quietly heartbreaking performance in Chernobyl.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Amy Adams, Sharp Objects —
■ SHOULD WIN
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora — WILL WIN
Aunjanue Ellis, When They See Us
Joey King, The Act
Niecy Nash, When They See Us Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
It’s time we get some justice for Amy Adams, who has made a career out of being the bridesmaid and never the bride — to date, she has been nominated for six Oscars and never won. Having turned in the most devastating work of the women in her category, it’ll still be tough for her to stand a chance against Patricia Arquette, an awards favourite who picked up the Golden Globe for her role in Escape at Dannemora, or Michelle Williams and her eccentric character work in Fosse/Verdon.
LEAD ACTOR
IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish Don Cheadle, Black Monday Ted Danson, The Good Place Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader, Barry — WILL WIN Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek — SHOULD WIN
Bill Hader is such a delightful surprise on Barry, and if it weren’t for Eugene Levy and Schitt’s Creek, the rare Canadian series to win acclaim across the border, I’d say Hader should win every year. But with one season to go, this may be Levy’s only shot for this hilarious sitcom to win some overdue recognition.
LEAD ACTRESS
IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead To Me Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep — WILL WIN
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag — SHOULD WIN
As beloved as she is and with Veep on its way out (she’s been nominated 24 times and won 11, with one for every season of the HBO sitcom) the trophy will go to Julia Louis-Dreyfus. That’s unfortunate for Waller-Bridge and Natasha Lyonne, who both delivered incomparably quirky performances in series they created — but there’s no doubt they’ll be back.
LEAD ACTOR
IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us Kit Harington, Game of Thrones Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul — SHOULD WIN, WILL WIN
Billy Porter, Pose
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Often a category for long-suffering underdogs (think Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and The Americans’ Matthew Rhys), this year’s trophy might finally go to Bob Odenkirk, who has been turning in heartbreaking work year after year in Breaking Bad and now Better Call Saul.
LEAD ACTRESS
IN A DRAMA SERIES
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Laura Linney, Ozark
Mandy Moore, This Is Us Sandra Oh, Killing Eve — WILL WIN, SHOULD WIN
Robin Wright, House of Cards
When Claire Foy scored this award last year for The Crown, she said in her speech that the trophy should have gone to Sandra Oh for her work in Killing Eve. She was absolutely right, and if there truly is a television god, Oh might just get what she deserves, which would make her the first Asian woman to win this award in Emmy history. Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke makes for a likely contender, not only thanks to her sturdy performance, but also, again, because the Emmys love a fond farewell.