Written by Luke Kalamar & Marla Pachter
To prepare for the Emmy’s telecast tonight at 8 PM, Pop-Break.com’s Television Editor Luke Kalamar and Senior Writer Marla Pachter broke down the major nominations all last week. Tonight, we present you a quick overview of their predictions and their final thoughts before the big show. To find out the reasons for their picks, check out the respective articles!
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy/Drama Series
Comedy
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:Mayim Bialik as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy on Modern Family (ABC), Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer on Veep (HBO), Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett on Mom (CBS), Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live (NBC), Kate Mulgrew as Galina “Red” Reznikov on Orange is the New Black (Netflix).
Luke’s Pick: Kate McKinnon is my choice, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Kate Mulgrew takes it instead.
Marla’s Pick: Kate McKinnon would be my first choice, but I definitely think Mulgrew is going to win.
Drama
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart on The Good Wife (CBS), Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates on Downton Abbey (PBS), Anna Gunn as Skyler White on Breaking Bad (AMC), Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris on Mad Men (AMC), Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones (HBO), Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey (PBS).
Luke’s Pick: Anna Gunn by a mile.
Marla’s Pick: All these nominations are a bit meh to me, but I do think Anna Gunn will win.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy/Drama Series
Comedy
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:Fred Armisen as Various Characters on Portlandia (IFC), Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX), Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy on Modern Family (ABC), Adam Driver as Adam Sackler on Girls (HBO), Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family (ABC), Tony Hale as Gary Walsh on Veep (HBO).
Luke’s Pick: Tony Hale, but wouldn’t Andre Braugher be nice? If only.
Marla’s Pick: I’d kill for Andre Braugher to win this one. But I agree with Luke, most likely Tony Hale.
Drama
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jim Carter as Charles Carson on Downton Abbey (PBS),Josh Charles as Will Gardner on The Good Wife (CBS), Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones (HBO), Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson on Homeland (Showtime), Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad (AMC), Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan on Ray Donovan (Showtime).
Luke’s Pick: I’m sticking with my Aaron Paul guns here. He deserves it.
Marla’s Pick: I’m 95% certain Aaron Paul has this in the bag
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy/Drama Series
Comedy
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath on Girls (HBO), Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton on Nurse Jackie (Showtime), Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on Veep (HBO), Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn on Mike and Molly (CBS), Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation (NBC), Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman on Orange is the New Black (Netflix).
Luke’s Pick: You can’t stop Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I totally expect her to take this home for the third time in a row. But if Amy Poehler won instead, I’d be happier.
Marla’s Pick: If it were up to me, it would be Amy Poehler 100%. But I think this might go to Taylor Schilling.
Drama
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson on Masters of Sex (Showtime), Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison on Homeland (Showtime), Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley on Downton Abbey (PBS), Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick on The Good Wife (CBS), Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope on Scandal (ABC), Robin Wright as Claire Underwood on House of Cards (Netflix)
Luke’s Pick: Talented actresses all around, for sure, but I bet the Academy will play it safe and choose Claire Danes again.
Marla’s Pick: TATIANA MASLANY. (Oh, you got that already? How did you know???)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy/Drama Series
Comedy
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Louis C.K. as Louie on Louie (FX), Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan on House of Lies (Showtime), Ricky Gervais as Derek Noakes on Derek (Netflix), Matt LeBlanc as Himself on Episodes (Showtime), William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher on Shameless (Showtime), and Jim Parsons as Dr. Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory (CBS).
Luke’s Pick: Jim Parsons. He’s both the safe and obvious pick.
Marla’s Pick: I would love to see Louis C.K. take it, but it’s definitely Parsons.
Drama
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Bryan Cranston as Walter White on Breaking Bad (AMC), Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy on The Newsroom (HBO), Jon Hamm as Don Draper on Mad Men (AMC), Woody Harrelson as Martin Hart on True Detective (HBO), Matthew McConaughey as Rustin Cohle on True Detective (HBO), and Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood on House of Cards (Netflix).
Luke’s Pick: It’s close, and both men are deserving, but I’m backing Bryan Cranston. This is the year of Breaking Bad and not even True Detective can stop it.
Marla’s Pick: I think it’s safe to say that in its last season, Breaking Bad will arise victorious. Personally, I’m not much a fan of any of these shows, though.
Outstanding Comedy/Drama Series
Comedy
Outstanding Comedy Series: The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Louie (FX), Modern Family (ABC), Orange is the New Black (Netflix), Silicon Valley (HBO), Veep (HBO).
Luke’s Pick: I’m picking Orange is the New Black. Not only do I think it deserves it over all of these shows, the idea of a fifth consecutive Modern Family win makes my brain hurt. Don’t let it happen Academy.
Marla’s Pick: I would be very surprised and also quite sad if Orange is the New Black didn’t win.
Drama
Outstanding Drama Series:Breaking Bad (AMC), Downton Abbey (PBS), Game of Thrones (HBO), House of Cards (Netflix), Mad Men (AMC), True Detective (HBO).
Luke’s Pick: This is not an easy choice, but I’m giving my full support to Breaking Bad. Say what you will about True Detective. It just wasn’t better.
Marla’s Pick: I think there would be outrage if Breaking Bad didn’t win for it’s final season, but I don’t think True Detective is totally out of the running. It’s actually a toss up between these two for me.
Final Thoughts
Luke: For reasons that I can’t really explain myself, I still love award shows, specifically the Emmys and the Oscars. The thrill I get watching people get their just reward has yet to subside for me. Plus, Seth Meyers is hosting this year, and that man is unreasonably hilarious. That being said, it is tough to not be a disillusioned by the continuous nominations and wins every single year. Equally deserving actors, actresses, and shows keep getting ignored so repeated contenders can come back for nearly identical work. This is the inherent problem with the Emmys. It is the only awards show where a consecutive winner is normal. It’s gotten to the point where, in crafting my Emmy nominations reaction piece, I copied the vast majority from last year.
I expect some change ups, like Orange is the New Black nabbing some awards and a very possible True Detective upset. Unfortunately those are outweighed by the real possibility of Modern Family, Claire Danes, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus winning for the fifth and third consecutive times. Jim Parsons can even grab his fourth total. Talented individuals and excellent shows? Absolutely. But at what point does constant recognition of one become ignorance toward others?
Someday, maybe, the Emmys will change. It is not this day though.
Marla: I’ve been delving into this all week bit by bit, but the main idea is that the Emmys are just stale. I watch it for the entertainment value – because Seth Meyers is truly one of my favorite TV personalities and I know it will be a hilarious show. But I certainly don’t watch for the awards.
With the Academy’s narrow definition of drama, and its refusal to take any genre shows seriously, while the pool of great television only continually grows and the same people and shows take home the Emmys year after year, the awards themselves become less and less relevant. Honestly, as it stands, these awards are just bullshit. And considering how much I love television, that just really sucks, ya know?
