Emmys 2020 drama predictions
Anew‘Succession’plan towatch for.
With the departure of “Game of Thrones,” the Emmy for drama series is up for grabs. “Succession” and “Ozark” would like to inherit the crown and since each show nabbed 18 nominations, there’s no clear-cut favorite. Andthe same uncertainty is present in the four drama acting races too, all toss-ups that should lead to some nice suspensewhentheEmmysarehanded out (in some form or another) on Sept. 20.
Here’s an early look at the drama races.
DRAMA SERIES
“Better Call Saul”
“The Crown”
“The Handmaid’s Tale” “Killing Eve”
“The Mandalorian” “Ozark”
“Stranger Things” “Succession”
Should win: “Succession” Will win: “Succession” Could surprise: “Ozark”
“GameofThrones” tookthemain prize last year, but voters seemed to understand the shortcomings of its final season and gave “Ozark” thedramadirecting prizeand“Succession” the writing honors. Now “Ozark” and “Succession” are the category nomination co-leaders and unless Baby Yoda has some special trick of the Force up his cute little tunic sleeve, one of them will likely prevail. Netflix dropped “Ozark’s” third season during the early days of the pandemic, and viewersdevouredit, somediscovering the series for the first time and burning through the whole thing in one twistymarathon of incredulity. But “Succession” is the superior series in every respect _ writing, acting, directing, rapping _ and I will be shocked if it doesn’t win this Emmy and a host of others. LEAD ACTRESS DRAMA Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Olivia Colman, “The Crown” Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve” Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve” Zendaya, “Euphoria”
Should win: Aniston
Will win: Linney
Could surprise: Aniston
The“Ozark” writers put Linney’s character through the wringer this season, introducing her bipolar brother (TomPelphrey, shockingly not nominated) and forging a connection between the siblings that led to a devastating end. Linney has won four Emmys (for four different shows!) and it’d be hard to begrudge her a fifth. Hard ... but not impossible, as Aniston gave the performance of her career on “TheMorning Show,” deftly using the comic instincts she honed for a decade on “Friends” and adding a raw, deeply felt empathy to her character, a morning showanchor dealingwith betrayal, divorce and dismissive ageism. I fear voters will underestimate Aniston because of all those years in comedy. But she did win the SAG Award, somaybe her excellence isn’t hiding in plain sight.
LEAD ACTOR DRAMA
Jason Bateman, “Ozark” Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” SteveCarell,“TheMorningShow” Brian Cox, “Succession”
Billy Porter, “Pose”
Jeremy Strong, “Succession” Should win: Cox
Will win: Cox
Could surprise: Strong This race is basically a story line from “Succession.” Can Strong usurp Cox, the classically trained actor who has portrayedeveryonefromKing Lear to Hannibal Lecter? The series revolves around Cox’s towering turn as Logan Roy, but it gets much of its emotional ballast from Strong’s wounded portrayal of his sadboysonKendall. Loganorchestrated “Boar on the Floor”; Kendall dropped the mike on Season 2, courageously reclaiminghisdignityandretaliating against a fatherwhohad tabbed him to be the family’s “blood sacrifice.” Loganmay be the OG, butKenny’s on the rhymes. We’ll soon seewhich one emerges as the king.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS DRAMA
HelenaBonhamCarter,“The Crown”
Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies” Julia Garner, “Ozark” Thandie Newton, “Westworld”
Fiona Shaw, “Killing Eve” Sarah Snook, “Succession” Meryl Streep, “Big Little Lies”
Samira Wiley, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Shouldwin: BonhamCarter Will win: Bonham Carter Could surprise: Snook Bonham Carter excels at earning nominations for awards _ she has been up for eight Golden Globes, two Oscars, two Screen Actors Guild honors and, now, four Emmys _ but has yet to win anything. Shemayhave found the role to finally bring her to the podium, though _ the Swinging Sixties version of
Princess Margaret on “The Crown.” Emmy voters have long adored the royals, and Claire Foy and John Lithgow won for the show’s first two seasons.BonhamCarterseems poised to join them ... unless “Succession” just steamrolls through the ceremony. Then look for Snook.
SUPPORTING ACTOR DRAMA
Nicholas Braun, “Succession”
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show” KieranCulkin,“Succession” Mark Duplass, “TheMorning Show”
Giancarlo Esposito, “Better Call Saul”
MatthewMacfadyen, “Succession”
Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale” JeffreyWright,“Westworld” Should win: Culkin
Will win: Crudup
Could surprise: Macfadyen Maybe I should just let Culkin explain how voters might deal with the trio of “Succession” actors nominated here after he joked on Emmy nominations morning that he’d punch Braun in the privates if his costar beat him. “MatthewMacfadyenisathreat in the Emmys race, which is why I don’tmake fun of him,” Culkin explains, laughing. “I don’t see Nick Braun coming, and that’s probably why he’s going to take us all out.”
All three areworthy, which could doom their chances as voters might divide their attention among them, leading to a win for Crudup for playing charismatic network presidentCory Ellison, a guy who’dprobablyhave analgorithm thatwould predict the winners of everyEmmy category and be right almost all the time.