Jason’s 2017 Emmy Predictions

It’s almost time for the Emmy’s so we at Reel Heels are doing our annual Emmy predictions!  We love television and love talking about television.  Make sure to check out Kenan’s predictions as well!

VARIETY CATEGORIES

VARIETY TALK SERIES

• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
• Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
• Real Time with Bill Maher
• The Late Late Show with James Corden
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Should Win: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Will Win: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

I can see either John Oliver or Stephen Colbert winning this category but with Colbert’s recent hot streak and his timely political commentary that seemed to make him a target of the President (and vice versa), I feel like the Emmy’s will take this opportunity to award Colbert here.  But Oliver could also take it here

VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

• Billy on the Street
• Documentary Now!
• Drunk History
• Portlandia
• Saturday Night Live
• Tracey Ullman’s Show

Should Win: Saturday Night Live

Will Win: Saturday Night Live

SNL is at its best during an election and it had one of its strongest seasons in recent memory.  Adding in all of the other acting/guest acting nominations and this one is in the bag.  Lock of the night.

 

LIMITED SERIES/TELEVISION MOVIE CATEGORIES

LIMITED SERIES

• Big Little Lies
• Fargo
• Feud: Bette and Joan
• Genius
• The Night Of

Should Win: Fargo
Will Win: Feud: Feud: Bette & Joan

Of these series, the only one I’ve seen is Fargo but man I love Fargo.  It’s been one of the strongest series of the past couple of years and every year it seems to get out shined in the Emmy’s by Ryan Murphy.  I could see Big Little Lies or The Night Of also taking the award here due to HBO & mini-series history but I feel like FX is putting it’s weight behind Feud this year instead of Fargo.

TELEVISION MOVIE

• Black Mirror: San Junipero
• Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love
• Sherlock: The Lying Detective
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
• The Wizard of Lies

Should Win: Black Mirror: San Junipero
Will Win: The Wizard of Lies

If you haven’t heard me before, I just want to let you know that if your not watching Black Mirror WATCH THIS SHOW!  It’s fantastic.  Not to give anything away but you have to earn San Junipero by watching the previous episodes (I won’t give it away but the tone/outlook is a little different than previous episodes) and after watching it I just smiled from ear to ear.  Mackenzie Davis was just wonderful in San Junipero.  However, most of the time the TV movie ends up being an HBO production.

COMEDY CATEGORIES

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

• Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live)
• Anna Chlumsky (Veep)
• Kathryn Hahn (Transparent)
• Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live)
• Judith Light (Transparent)
• Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)

Should Win: Kate McKinnon

Will Win: Kate McKinnon

Kate McKinnon is going to win this for her multiple performances on SNL but the kicker was her Hilary Clinton during the election.  I really enjoyed Kathryn Hahn in Transparent and have really enjoyed her the entire show.  But the nominations leads us to believe that a Saturday Night Live actress will take the win and it has to be McKinnon

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

• Louis Anderson (Baskets)
• Alec Baldwin (Saturday Night Live)
• Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
• Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
• Tony Hale (Veep)
• Matt Walsh (Veep)

Should Win: Alec Baldwin
Will Win: Alec Baldwin

As much as I’d love Tituss Burgess, Tony Hale or Matt Walsh to get the Emmy win, with the political climate the way it is and the way it seems like SNL is going to be showed with Emmy’s how can Alec Baldwin not win this?  The fact that he was nominated as a supporting actor in a show that he was not a “regular” cast member and isn’t even listed in the credits shows us how much they love Baldwin and want to award him.  Or they could give us a twist ending and give it to Louis Anderson again

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

• Pamela Adlon (Better Things)
• Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie)
• Allison Janney (Mom)
• Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
• Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
• Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie)

Should Win: Julia Louis0Dreyfus
Will Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Let’s not waste all of our time here.  I love JLD, you love JLD, the Emmy’s love JLD and this award belongs to JLD as long as she is nominated for Veep (lock in next year as well)

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY

• Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
• Aziz Ansari (Master of None)
• Zach Galifianakis (Baskets)
• Donald Glover (Atlanta)
• William H. Macy (Shameless)
• Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)

Should Win: Aziz Ansari
Will Win: Jeffrey Tambor

I haven’t seen Atlanta so I can’t list Glover as should win but I’m a huge fan of his in general (#sixseasonsandamovie).  If I could pick the winner, I’d go with Aziz Ansari for Master of None because I loved this season so much and its different that most shows out right now.  However, I feel like Jeffrey Tambor is going to win this award this year because I believe he had a good season on Transparent and when in doubt, go with the previous winner.

COMEDY SERIES

• Atlanta
• Black-ish
• Master of None
• Modern Family
• Silicon Valley
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Veep

Should Win: Master of None/Veep tie

Will Win: Veep

I’m breaking the rules here but my blog post so it’ll be fine.  Master of None and Veep in my opinion were the two best comedies of this past year that I’ve seen and I love each for seperate reasons.  Master of None has some drama and deals with some serious issues (Thanksgiving episode was great) but also has some great moments like the season premiere that pays homage to Italian Neorealism.  Veep is more of a straight up comedy and I don’t think there is a show that makes me laugh out loud more.  Some of the insults are gut-busting.  Again, when you’re unsure, go with the previous winner.

DRAMA CATEGORIES

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

• Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
• David Harbour (Stranger Things)
• Ron Cephus Jones (This is Us)
• Michael Kelly (House of Cards)
• John Lithgow (The Crown)
• Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
• Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)

Should Win: Michael McKean Jeffrey Wright
Will Win: John Lithgow

Let’s get this out of the way, Michael McKean deserves to be on this list and he probably should win for Better Call Saul.  But he’s not on the list so given who is on this list, I’d say Jeffrey Wright probably would be my pick and I can’t exactly explain why his performance is great without spoiling Westworld but he’s great in it.  But John Lithgow will win for his performance as Winston Churchill and although I’m not the biggest fan of The Crown, Lithgow is one of the best parts of the show and he definitely deserves an award for his performance.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

• Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)
• Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)
• Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale)
• Chrissy Metz (This is Us)
• Thandie Newton (Westworld)
• Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Should Win: Thandie Newton

Will Win: Millie Bobby Brown

I really enjoyed Westworld and Thandie Newton was a standout in a cast full of popular television & movie actors.  Her role as Maeve might not be the biggest part of an episode but it was always interesting as she becomes more and more self aware.  But we all love Stranger Things and Eleven was a significant part of the 80s throw-back and she’s probably going to win this.

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA

• Sterling K. Brown (This is Us)
• Anthony Hopkins (Westworld)
• Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
• Matthew Rhys (The Americans)
• Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan)
• Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
• Milo Ventimiglia (This is Us)

Should Win: Bob Odenkirk
Will Win: Anthony Hopkins

Ok, I’m not saying Anthony Hopkins delivered the best television dramatic performance of last year but he’s Sir Anthony Hopkins and the Emmy’s are known to award big movie actors that make the move to television.  I believe Bob Odenkirk deserves the award and should win.  I also wouldn’t mind seeing Kevin Spacey or Matthew Rhys win as they’ve been great on House of Cards & The Americans.  But I think they’ll give it to the Oscar winner.

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

• Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder)
• Claire Foy (The Crown)
• Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
• Keri Russell (The Americans)
• Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld)
• Robin Wright (House of Cards)

Should Win: Keri Russell
Will Win: Elizabeth Moss

I know I say this every year but The Americans is the best show most people don’t watch.  Keri Russell deserves an award for her role as a Soviet spy deep undercover as an American citizen.  I haven’t seen The Handmaid’s Tale but from what I’ve read and heard about it, Elizabeth Moss is going to take the award here.  Moss has been great in Mad Men & Top of the Lake and I have no doubt she is great in The Handmaid’s Tale as well

DRAMA SERIES

• Better Call Saul
• House of Cards
• Stranger Things
• The Crown
• The Handmaid’s Tale
• This is Us
• Westworld

Should Win: Better Call Saul
Will Win: Westworld

No Game of Thrones so the field is wide open.  I personally would like to see Better Call Saul win the award because it is such a great show and it is so fun to watch the slow transformation of Jimmy McGill to Saul Goodman.  The only two shows I’ve haven’t seen on this list is This is Us & The Handmaid’s Tale.  But again with Game of Thrones not being eligible, HBO is going to throw their clout behind Westworld and I believe it is going to take the top award of the night.

 

So that’s my picks for the 2017 Emmy’s!  Let us know what you think in the comments and make sure to check out Kenan’s picks as well!