The Emmy’s are happening Sunday night. Because the trophy doesn’t always go to the most deserving show, The Orion has broken the nominees into two categories: who will win and who actually should.
Best Comedy
- “Louie” (FX)
- “Modern Family” (ABC)
- “Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
- “Silicon Valley” (HBO)
- “Transparent” (Amazon)
- “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)
- “Veep” (HBO)
Should: “Louie” (FX) – One of the smartest comedies on television, it’s only matter of time before “Louie” wins this award.
Will: “Modern Family” (ABC) – The juggernaut series will continue its record breaking Emmy win streak Sunday.
Best Drama
- “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
- “Downton Abbey” (PBS)
- “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
- “Homeland” (Showtime)
- “House of Cards” (Netflix)
- “Mad Men” (AMC)
- “Orange Is the New Black” (Netflix)
Should: “Game of Thrones” (HBO) – The sweeping drama has done more than enough for an Emmy this year with its excellent season. Unfortunately, fantasy series have a history of not winning.
Will: “Mad Men” (AMC) – Just like Peter Jackson had to wait for his Academy Award after concluding “The Lord of Rings” Trilogy, Matthew Weiner will win for finishing his brilliant show.
Best Actor In A Comedy
- Anthony Anderson as Andre “Dre” Johnson, Sr. on “Black-ish” (Episode: “Sex, Lies, and Vasectomies”) (ABC)
- Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan on “House of Lies” (Episode: “It’s a Box Inside a Box Inside a Box, Dipshit”) (Showtime)
- Louis C.K. as Louie on “Louie” (Episode: “Bobby’s House”) (FX)
- Will Forte as Phil “Tandy” Miller on “The Last Man on Earth” (Episode: “Alive in Tucson”) (Fox)
- Matt LeBlanc as Himself on “Episodes” (Episode: “Episode Five”) (Showtime)
- William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher on “Shameless” (Episode: “A Night to Remem… Wait, What?”) (Showtime)
- Jeffrey Tambor as Morton “Maura” Pfefferman on “Transparent” (Episode: “The Letting Go”) (Amazon)
Should: Louis C.K. – Playing a characterized version of himself that can be equally tragic and comedic should get “Louie” recognized.
Will: Jeffrey Tambor – Tambor has already won a Golden Globe for his role on Transparent and it looks like the Academy will follow suit.
Best Actress In A Comedy
- Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton on “Nurse Jackie” (Episode: “I Say a Little Prayer”) (Showtime)
- Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish on “The Comeback” (Episode: “Valerie Is Taken Seriously”) (HBO)
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as President Selina Meyer on “Veep” (Episode: “Election Night”) (HBO)
- Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope on “Parks and Recreation” (Episode: “One Last Ride”) (NBC)
- Amy Schumer as Amy / Various Characters on “Inside Amy Schumer” (Episode: “Cool With It”) (Comedy Central)
- Lily Tomlin as Frankie Bergstein on “Grace and Frankie” (Episode: “The Vows”) (Netflix)
Should: Amy Schumer – She had a huge year with her movie, “Train Wreck” and her show continues to be absolutely funny. Amy Schumer should win.
Will: Julia Louis-Dreyfus – The unstoppable Meryl Streep of television will win her sixth Emmy Sunday night for her genius acting on Veep.
Best Actor In A Drama
- Kyle Chandler as John Rayburn on “Bloodline” (Episode: “Part 12”) (Netflix)
- Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy on “The Newsroom” (Episode: “What Kind of Day Has It Been”) (HBO)
- Jon Hamm as Don Draper on “Mad Men” (Episode: “Person to Person”) (AMC)
- Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill on “Better Call Saul” (Episode: “Pimento”) (AMC)
- Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan on “Ray Donovan” (Episode: “Walk This Way”) (Showtime)
- Kevin Spacey as President Frank Underwood on “House of Cards” (Episode: “Chapter 32”) (Netflix)
Should: Jon Hamm – The journey of Don Draper had many twist and turns, but the one constant was Hamm’s amazing acting. It would be nice to see him win something.
Will: Bob Odenkirk – After successfully reprising the role of the crooked lawyer who’s always looking for the next big score from “Breaking Bad,” Odenkirk will surely score big with an Emmy win.
Best Actress In A Drama
- Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison on “Homeland” (Episode: “From A to B and Back Again”) (Showtime)
- Viola Davis as Professor Annalise Keating on “How to Get Away with Murder” (Episode: “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole”) (ABC)
- Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon on “Empire” (Episode: “Pilot”) (Fox)
- Tatiana Maslany as Various Characters on “Orphan Black” (Episode: “Certain Agony of the Battlefield”) (BBC America)
- Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on “Mad Men” (Episode: “Person to Person”) (AMC)
- Robin Wright as First Lady Claire Underwood on “House of Cards” (Episode: “Chapter 32”) ( (Netflix)
Should: Elisabeth Moss – Showing the growth in both her character and acting, Moss regrettably had to be same in the same category of Taraji P. Henson this year.
Will: Taraji P. Henson – Coming in like a wrecking ball, Henson shattered expectations with her phenomenal acting and character.
Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy
- Andre Braugher as Captain Ray Holt on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Episode: “The Mole”) (Fox)
- Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”(Episode: “Kimmy Goes to School!”) (Netflix)
- Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy on “Modern Family” (Episode: “Crying Out Loud”) (ABC)
- Adam Driver as Adam Sackler on “Girls” (Episode: “Close-Up”) (HBO)
- Tony Hale as Gary Walsh on “Veep” (Episode: “East Wing”) (HBO)
- Keegan-Michael Key as Various Characters on “Key & Peele” (Episode: “Sex Detective”) (Comedy Central)
Should: Tituss Burgess – Over-the-top and hilarious whenever on screen, Burgess will be a titan to watch out for in future Emmy shows.
Will: Keegan-Michael Key – The multi-talented comedic actor will find the keys to an Emmy win Sunday night for all the characters he hysterically portrays on “Key & Peele.”
Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy
- Mayim Bialik as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on “The Big Bang Theory” (Episode: “The Prom Equivalency”) (CBS)
- Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy on “Modern Family” (Episode: “Valentine’s Day 4: Twisted Sister”) (ABC)
- Anna Chlumsky as Amy Brookheimer on “Veep” (Episode: “Convention”) (HBO)
- Gaby Hoffmann as Alexandria “Ali” Pfefferman on “Transparent” (Episode: “Rollin’”) (Amazon)
- Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett on “Mom” (Episode: “Dropped Soap and a Big Guy on a Throne”) (CBS)
- Jane Krakowski as Jacqueline Voorhees on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Episode: “Kimmy Gets a Job!”) (Netflix)
- Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on “Saturday Night Live” (Episode: “Host: Taraji P. Henson”) (NBC)
- Niecy Nash as Denise “DiDi” Ortley on “Getting On” (Episode: “The 7th Annual Christmas Card Competition”) (HBO)
Should: Kate McKinnon – The actress made “Saturday Night Live” interesting again and that in itself deserves an award.
Will: Allison Janney – It’s in the stars—Janney will repeat for her role on “Mom.”
Best Supporting Actor In A Drama
- Jonathan Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut on “Better Call Saul” (Episode: “Five-O”) (AMC)
- Jim Carter as Charles Carson on “Downton Abbey” (Episode: “A Moorland Holiday”) (PBS)
- Alan Cumming as Eli Gold on “The Good Wife” (Episode: “Undisclosed Recipients”) (CBS)
- Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister on “Game of Thrones” (Episode: “Hardhome”) (HBO)
- Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper on “House of Cards” (Episode: “Chapter 27”) (Netflix)
- Ben Mendelsohn as Danny Rayburn on “Bloodline” (Episode: “Part 12”) (Netflix)
Should: Jonathan Banks – Like Odenkirk, Banks brought the same level of outstanding acting from “Breaking Bad” and should win.
Will: Alan Cumming – Made up of mostly older members, the Academy will go with the safe choice with Cumming.
Best Supporting Actress In A Drama
- Uzo Aduba as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on “Orange Is the New Black” (Episode: “Hugs Can Be Deceiving”) (Netflix)
- Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart on “The Good Wife” (Episode: “Loser Edit”) (CBS)
- Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen on “Game of Thrones” (Episode: “The Dance of Dragons”) (HBO)
- Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates on “Downton Abbey” (Episode: “Episode Eight”) (PBS)
- Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister on “Game of Thrones” (Episode: “Mother’s Mercy”) (HBO)
- Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris on “Mad Men” (Episode: “Lost Horizon”) (AMC)
Should: Lena Headey – The walk of shame was enough for anybody to win an Emmy.
Will: Uzo Aduba – People love crazy and “Orange Is the New Black.” Aduba will take home her second Emmy.
“The 67th Emmy Awards,” hosted by Andy Samberg, airs Sunday September 20 on Fox.
George Johnston can be reached at [email protected] or @gjohnston786 on Twitter.
