INSIDE: A list of who is nominated, who should win and who will win
DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: “Better Call Saul”; “The Crown”; “The Handmaid’s Tale”; “House of Cards”; “Stranger Things”; “This Is Us”; “Westworld.”
Should win: “The Handmaid’s Tale” was beautifully made, with standout performances by Elisabeth Moss and everyone else in the cast.
Will win: “Westworld” earned a total of 22 nominations, and won five Creative Arts Emmys this past weekend. That signals Emmy voters were impressed with the dystopian sci-fi fantasy. ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Matthew Rhys, “The Americans”; Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”; Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”; Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”; Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”; Milo Ventimiglia, “This Is Us”; Anthony Hopkins, “Westworld.”
Should win: Matthew Rhys had another stellar season on “The Americans,” but Sterling K. Brown expertly juggled comedy and drama on “This Is Us.”
Will win: Sterling K. Brown is the clear standout in an ensemble cast, so even if “This Is Us” doesn’t win a Best Drama trophy , he’s likely to triumph here. ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Keri Russell, “The Americans”; Claire Foy, “The Crown”; Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Robin Wright, “House of Cards”; Viola Davis, “How to Get Away With Murder”; Evan Rachel Wood, “Westworld.”
Should win: Evan Rachel Wood gave the best performance in “Westworld,” but Elisabeth Moss was mesmerizing in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul”; John Lithgow, “The Crown”; Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland”; Michael Kelly, “House of Cards”; David Harbour, “Stranger Things”; Ron Cephas Jones, “This Is Us”; Jeffrey Wright, “Westworld.”
Should win: John Lithgow did the near-impossible in “The Crown.” An American, he made the muchimitated Winston Churchill not only convincingly British, he rescued Churchill from the curse of caricature. SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Samira Wiley, “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is The New Black”; Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”; Chrissy Metz, “This Is Us”; Thandie Newton, “Westworld.”
Should win: Millie Bobby Brown stands out for her devastatingly smart and touching performance as Eleven, in “Stranger Things.” COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: “Atlanta”; “black-ish”; “Master of None”; “Modern Family”; “Silicon Valley”; “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”; “Veep.”
Will win: “Veep,” which has the most nominations for a comedy series, and won the past two years, looks pretty unstoppable. ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Donald Glover, “Atlanta”; Zach Galifianakis, “Baskets”; Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”; Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”; William H. Macy, “Shameless”; Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent.”
Should win: In “Atlanta,” Donald Glover co-created a show that had its own fresh spark, and Glover’s low-key charm and soulfulness were essential.
Will win: Jeffrey Tambor again sensitively handled the blend of comedy and drama as Maura in “Transparent.” But he’s won two years in a row, and “Transparent” failed to snag a comedy series nomination. It looks like this is Donald Glover’s year. ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Pamela Adlon, “Better Things”; Tracee Ellis Ross, “blackish”; Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”; Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”; Allison Janney, “Mom”; Ellie Kemper, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”; Julia Louis-dreyfus, “Veep.”
Should win: Like Donald Glover, Pamela Adlon created a show that seems to reflect her heart and soul.
Will win: But there’s no way Julia Louis-dreyfus is going to lose. Emmy voters love her (she has a record number of wins for her category) and she had perhaps her best season yet in “Veep.” SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Louie Anderson, “Baskets”; Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”; Alec Baldwin, “Saturday Night Live”; Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”; Tony Hale, “Veep”; Matt Walsh, “Veep.”
Should win: Louie Anderson deservedly won last year, and he’d be a fine repeat victory, along with Tony Hale, who had another terrific season on “Veep.”
Will win: But the “Saturday Night Live” juggernaut looks like it will carry Alec Baldwin to victory. Guest host Dave Chappelle and Melissa Mccarthy (whose Sean Spicer impression took off) both won Creative Arts Emmys. SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Vanessa Bayer, “Saturday Night Live”; Leslie Jones, “Saturday Night Live”; Kate Mckinnon, “Saturday Night Live”; Kathryn Hahn, “Transparent”; Judith Light, “Transparent”; Anna Chlumsky, “Veep.”
Should win: Judith Light, who’s always good, has never been better than in Season 3 of “Transparent,” where she made Shelly Pfefferman’s self-absorption and struggles hilarious and, finally, heroic.
Will win: This category is such a weird hodgepodge of “SNL” sketch players and actresses who play continuing characters, it’s a mess. Kate Mckinnon looks likely to win for her Hillary Clinton impressions in campaign season sketches. LIMITED SERIES
Nominees: “Big Little Lies”; “Fargo”; “Feud: Bette and Joan”; “Genius”; “The Night Of.”
Will win: The HBO votes may get split between “Big Little Lies” and “The Night Of,” but I’m guessing “Big Little Lies” pulls off a win. ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Nominees: Ewan Mcgregor, “Fargo”; Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”; Riz Ahmed, “The Night Of”; John Turturro, “The Night Of”; Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: The Lying Detective”; Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies.”
Should win: Mcgregor had the tricky task for playing dual roles in “Fargo,” and for the most part, he did it well. Riz Ahmed was all coiled tension in “The Night Of.” But John Turturro poured an ocean of emotion into his role as a twobit lawyer in “The Night Of,” without ever getting soppy. He deserves to win.
Will win: Though they may split the vote, Riz Ahmed had the more attention-getting role, and as his character went through agonizing transformations, Ahmed was always fascinating to watch. SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Nominees: Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”; David Thewlis, “Fargo”; Alfred Molina, “Feud: Bette and Joan”; Stanley Tucci, “Feud: Bette and Joan”; Bill Camp, “The Night Of”; Michael Kenneth Williams, “The Night Of.”
Should win: Though there was, in the end, a bit too much of David Thewlis’ snaggle-toothed, speechifying villain, V.M. Varga, he definitely made an impression in the third installment of “Fargo.”
Will win: Alfred Molina and Stanley Tucci may cancel each other out, so I’m betting David Thewlis takes the prize. ACTRESS,
LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Nominees: Felicity Huffman, “American Crime”; Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”; Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”; Carrie Coon, “Fargo”; Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette and Joan”; Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette and Joan.”
Should win: I’m torn between Jessica Lange, whose Joan Crawford was strong yet selfdefeating, and Nicole Kidman’s smart woman in an abusive relationship. Kidman has a slight edge, though, because the role was far more complicated than it initially appeared.
Will win: I’d be happy with any of this group, but I’m rooting for
Nicole Kidman. SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE Nominees: Regina King, “American Crime”; Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”; Shailene Woodley, “Big Little Lies”; Judy Davis, “Feud: Bette and Joan”; Jackie Hoffman, “Feud: Bette and Joan”; Michelle Pfeiffer, “The Wizard of Lies.”
Should win: Laura Dern leaned in with a deceptively subtle portrait of a career woman/helicopter mother who had more going on under the surface than we’d guess.
Will win: Laura Dern is likely to get some Emmy love. TELEVISION MOVIE Nominees: “Black Mirror,” “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love,” “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”; “Sherlock: The Lying Detective,” “The Wizard of Lies.”
Should win: The haunting “Black Mirror” episode “San Junipero” is the one nominated here, and it more than deserves to win.
Will win: I have a feeling Emmy voters probably watched “The Wizard of Lies” in greater numbers than “San Junipero,” plus the Bernie Madoff saga had a big star, Robert De Niro, in the lead. VARIETY TALK SERIES
Nominees: “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee”; “Jimmy Kimmel Live”; “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”; “The Late Late Show With James Corden”; “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert; “Real Time With Bill Maher.”
Will win: I’m guessing “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” will be rewarded for its ratings, and buzzworthiness.
VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
Nominees: “Billy on the Street”; “Documentary Now!”; “Drunk History”; “Portlandia”; “Saturday Night Live”; “Tracey Ullman’s Show.”
Should win: “Portlandia” had an uneven season, but “Documentary Now!” — another IFC comedy series co-created by and costarring Fred Armisen — was better than ever in Season 2.
Will win: “Portlandia” nostalgia might set in, considering the Portland-filmed sketch comedy will air its eighth and final season in 2018. But the show didn’t win any Creative Arts Emmys. So, with its 22 nominations, and Creative Arts Emmy wins, this looks like a can’t-miss year for “Saturday Night Live.”