Emmys 2017 Predictions: Who Will Win the Major Categories?
With the Emmy Awards just a couple of days away, and the Creative Arts Emmys behind us, fans are getting hyped about which of their faves might win at this weekend’s ceremony. And with so many top-tier shows and stars to choose from, the voting members of the Television Academy certainly had their work cut out for them.
We’ll find out who the winners are on Sunday, September 17, but in the meantime, here are our predictions for the major categories at the 2017 Emmys.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Atlanta
Black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
While we love all of the shows on this list, the award will probably go to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Veep. The show has won in this category for two years straight, and it’s a critics’ fave and one of HBO’s best comedies.
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
House of Cards
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
This Is Us had us crying right out the gate, and is probably one of the most popular shows in this category, but we’re expecting The Handmaid’s Tale to take this one. The story lines hit close to home, and the way the show has infiltrated pop culture gives it a leg up against some of television’s best shows.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings, The Americans
Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, The Crown
Elisabeth Moss as Offred, The Handmaid’s Tale
Robin Wright as Claire Underwood, House of Cards
Viola Davis as Annalise Keating, How to Get Away With Murder
Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores, Westworld
Elisabeth Moss, FTW. Moss has been nominated a total of seven (!!) times (previously for her star-making turn as 1960s badass Peggy Olson) but she has never won. Her portrayal of Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale should snag her the award this weekend.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings, The Americans
Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill, Better Call Saul
Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood, House of Cards
Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan, Ray Donovan
Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson, This Is Us
Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson, This Is Us
Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Ford, Westworld
Last year’s winner in this category was Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek, a fan favorite. This year? With so much stellar talent, it could be anyone’s game. Sterling K. Brown as Randall on This Is Us was one of the best performances of the year, hands down, but with major players like Anthony Hopkins and Kevin Spacey, we could be facing a major upset.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, The Handmaid’s Tale
Samira Wiley as Moira, The Handmaid’s Tale
Uzo Aduba as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, Orange Is the New Black
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Stranger Things
Chrissy Metz as Kate Pearson, This Is Us
Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay, Westworld
Sure, Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia is one of the most haunting women ever to appear on TV, but how can we want anyone other than breakout star Millie Bobby Brown to win this award? Her performance as Eleven in Netflix’s Stranger Things was instantly iconic.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, The Crown
Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut, Better Call Saul
Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson, Homeland
Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper, House of Cards
David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Stranger Things
Ron Cephas Jones as William Hill, This Is Us
Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe, Westworld
With such a stacked category, it’s hard to pick a front-runner, but we like Jeffrey Wright for this one. His character on Westworld unraveled some major shockers throughout the season, and the show itself has 22 nominations, so we already know it’s popular among Academy members. John Lithgow is getting some good buzz for The Crown, though, so he could add another Emmy to his trophy case too. (He has five already.)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Pamela Adlon as Sam Fox, Better Things
Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson, black-ish
Jane Fonda as Grace Hanson, Grace and Frankie
Lily Tomlin as Frankie Bergstein, Grace and Frankie
Allison Janney as Bonnie, Mom
Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, Veep
With the announcement earlier this month that Veep will be ending its epic run after the upcoming season and Julia Louis-Dreyfus cementing her status as one of the funniest women of all time, we’re sure she’ll get this award again (for the sixth year in a row).
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Donald Glover as Earn Marks, Atlanta
Zach Galifianakis as Chip Baskets / Dale Baskets, Baskets
Anthony Anderson as Andre Johnson, black-ish
Aziz Ansari as Dev, Master of None
William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman, Transparent
This category is a tough call. Tambor has won the past two years for his role on Transparent, and Donald Glover is beyond perfect on Atlanta. Aziz Ansari could be an unexpected dark horse, though.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Vanessa Bayer, Saturday Night Live
Leslie Jones, Saturday Night Live
Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer, Veep
Judith Light as Shelly Pfefferman, Transparent
Kathryn Hahn as Raquel Fein, Transparent
This category is stacked with some of the best performances on TV this year, but we suspect Kate McKinnonwill steal this one for the second year in a row, particularly for her hilarious impression of Hillary Clinton.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Louie Anderson as Mrs. Baskets, Baskets
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Modern Family
Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tony Hale as Gary Walsh, Veep
Matt Walsh as Mike McLintock, Veep
Even though Tituss Burgess’ Titus Andromedon from UBK is one of the funniest characters around, we think that the Emmy voters will give this year’s award to Alec Baldwinfor his mix of politics and comedy.
Who do you think will win at this year’s Emmys? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Photos via Colleen Hayes/HBO + Hulu + NBC + Curtis Baker/Netflix + John P. Johnson/HBO + Justin M. Lubin/HBO + Netflix + Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty)
