Has Peak TV peaked yet? We’re all exhausted. Don’t get us wrong—we’re thankful for the avalanche of great small screen content. There’s never been a better time to be an entertainment fan. But with a record of more than 500 scripted series airing this year, massive nine-figure deals being doled out left and right, and a plethora of powerful streamers emerging every day, it’s a lot to keep up with. Plus, the deluge of top-tier content makes sorting out the annual Emmys look like a game of Clue (it was Stranger Things, in the living room, with the remote control!)
On Tuesday, July 16, this year’s nominees will officially be announced. But ahead of the real deal, here are our educated guesses at which shows and which stars will be nominated.
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Best Drama Series
This Is Us (NBC)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
Homecoming (Amazon)
Succession (HBO)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Bodyguard (Netflix)
The final season of the goliath Game of Thrones was met with widespread criticism, but we’re still talking about the biggest and most popular series on TV. The Emmys won’t leave it out of the big dance, even if it isn’t a worthy contender this year.
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Mandy Moore (This Is Us)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Julia Roberts (Homecoming)
Is there any way Oh and Comer can share this award? Asking for a friend…
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Richard Madden (Bodyguard)
Billy Porter (Pose)
I’m not telling the Emmys how to do their job; all I’m saying is that they should make room for Stephan James (Homecoming). He’s on his way to becoming a big star so now is the time to hop on the bandwagon while there’s still room.
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)
Julia Garner (Ozark)
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones)
Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us)
How has Lena Headey never won an Emmy for her work on Game of Thrones!? It’s unfortunate that all the show let her do the last two seasons was scowl and drink wine. It doesn’t feel as if her character has been active enough to claim that much-deserved statue.
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Bobby Cannavale (Homecoming)
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Psst, give it to Hot Priest, you cowards!
Best Comedy Series
Fleabag (Amazon)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
The Good Place (NBC)
GLOW (Netflix)
Russian Doll (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
Barry (HBO)
This is one of the deeper categories this year with countless potential shows not named above (hello, Netflix’s Dead to Me). Don’t be surprised if a curveball or two are thrown in come announcement time. But let’s try not to fall prey to recency bias. Though it arrived long ago, Season 2 of GLOW may very well have been the best season of original programming Netflix has ever produced.
Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)
Pamela Aldon (Better Things)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Allison Janney (Mom)
Don’t be surprised if Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) or Aidy Bryant (Shrill) make their way into this standing next week. But when all is said and done, we think it’ll either be Brosnahan for the back-to-back trophies or Waller-Bridge for a long-awaited second season of Fleabag that, somehow, exceeded the hype.
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Bill Hader (Barry)
Jim Carrey (Kidding)
Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
Ricky Gervais (After Life)
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
Last year, Henry Winkler (Barry) beat out Danson in the best supporting category. This year, perhaps the latter might sneak in for the win…Ah, who are we kidding? No one is beating Hader after Barry‘s incredible sophomore season.
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg (Barry)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Olivia Colman (Fleabag)
D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place)
This is the Sophie’s Choice of the Emmys; we could easily see Betty Gilpin (GLOW) and Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) also being recognized. Ultimately, Goldberg’s impressive monologue might prove too juicy and enticing to pass over.
Best Supporting Actor in Comedy Series
Tony Hale (Veep)
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Henry Winkler (Barry)
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
If it’s at all possible, Shalhoub’s Abe Weissman is even more gut-bustingly hilarious in Season 2 of Amazon’s plucky, rat-a-tat hit from Amy Sherman-Palladino than he was the first time around. No need to over complicate this one.
