Sunday night could be a pretty historic night for the Emmys—if House of Cards manages to take home anything, it’ll be a first for a Netflix series, legitimizing it as a medium for quality TV. As always, we’ll be back here that night beginning at 8 p.m. EST to live-blog all the proceedings. In the meantime, we’re sharing all of our predictions and proclamations for the 10 major categories below.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel; Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey; Claire Danes, Homeland; Robin Wright, House of Cards; Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men; Connie Britton, Nashville; Kerry Washington, Scandal
Who Will Win: Kerry Washington
Who Should Win: Elisabeth Moss
Who Got Snubbed: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
With favorites like Elisabeth Moss, Claire Danes, Robin Wright and Connie Britton likely to split the vote, this could be Washington’s year. But, as Josh Jackson wrote in his review of the first season, no one deserves to beat Tatiana Maslany, who wasn’t even nominated: “Each clone she comes across—the uptight suburban mom, the gay hipster scientist, the Ukrainian religious fanatic—feels like such a different character that it’s easy to forget that the same actress is behind them all. Even when one dresses up like another, the mannerisms are distinct enough to feel like characters making poor attempts to fit into each other’s skin.”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey; Damian Lewis, Homeland; Kevin Spacey, House of Cards; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Who Will Win: Bryan Cranston
Who Should Win: Bryan Cranston
Who Got Snubbed: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
He’s already (deservedly) won three Emmys for his portrayal of Walter White, and with Breaking Bad so close to wrapping up its final season, voters will likely want to reward him once again. He’s certainly worthy—although with such a stunning season of Mad Men this year as well, we’d be okay with Jon Hamm finally bringing home an award for his work as Don Draper as well.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad; Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey; Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones; Morena Baccarin, Homeland; Christina Hendricks, Mad Men; Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Who Will Win: Anna Gunn
Who Should Win: Emilia Clarke
Who Got Snubbed: Michelle Fairley, Game of Thrones
Maggie Smith’s been unstoppable in this category since joining Downton Abbey. Christina Hendricks has been consistently great, but she was underutilized this past season. Anna Gunn has never won as Skyler White, and it feels like this could be the year she breaks her losing streak. If anyone from Breaking Bad deserves it, though, it’s Betsy Brandt. But Emilia Clarke is captivating in every scene she’s in—as is befitting the Mother of Dragons.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire; Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad; Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad; Jim Carter, Downton Abbey; Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones; Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Who Will Win: Aaron Paul
Who Should Win: Aaron Paul
Who Got Snubbed: Vincent Kartheiser, Mad Men
Every year I use this space to mention how insane it is that Vincent Kartheiser has never been nominated for an Emmy for his work as Pete Campbell on Mad Men, and here we are again. Aaron Paul will likely take home the win in this stacked category.
Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards, Mad Men
Who Will Win: Breaking Bad
Who Should Win: Breaking Bad
Who Got Snubbed: Boardwalk Empire
Last season it was Homeland that finally broke Mad Men’s victory streak in this category, and if anyone stands to do it this year, it’s the totally deserving Breaking Bad—although this past season of Mad Men was its strongest yet, and we won’t be too broken up if it winds up back on top.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Laura Dern, Enlightened; Lena Dunham, Girls; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Who Will Win: Tina Fey
Who Should Win: Amy Poehler
Who Got Snubbed: Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Fey will likely get the nostalgia vote now that 30 Rock is no more, and while she’s been completely Emmy-worthy as Liz Lemon, it’s time the award show spread the wealth a little bit and finally acknowledges Amy Poehler’s excellent work on Parks and Recreation.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Jason Bateman, Arrested Development; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Don Cheadle, House of Lies; Louis C.K., Louie; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Who Will Win: Alec Baldwin
Who Should Win: Louis C.K.
Who Got Snubbed: Jake Johnson, New Girl
Just like with Fey, Emmy voters will likely want to reward Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock one last time, and while we’d rather see Louis C.K. take home the prize, we mainly don’t want it to go to Jim Parsons—it’s time we, as a nation, stop encouraging The Big Bang Theory.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Jane Lynch, Glee; Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Sofia Vergara, Modern Family; Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie; Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory; Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Who Will Win: Julie Bowen
Who Should Win: None of the above, but if we’ve got to pick one, Julie Bowen
Who Got Snubbed: Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation
Can we just start over with the nominations in this category? Here’s our list: Jessica Walter, Arrested Development; Retta, Parks and Recreation; Alison Brie, Community; Zosia Mamet, Girls; Kaitlin Olson, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation (winner). Even as part of the best ensemble cast in a sitcom, Plaza steals every scene she’s in. The fact that she hasn’t even been nominated is a little mystifying.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Adam Driver, Girls; Ed O’Neill, Modern Family; Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family, Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live; Tony Hale, Veep
Who Will Win: Ty Burrell
Who Should Win: Tony Hale
Who Got Snubbed: Will Arnett, Arrested Development
A Modern Family actor has won this category for the past three years, but it’d be great to see Hale be victorious. And no nomination for Will Arnett, who was the best thing about the new season of Arrested Development? COME ON!
Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock, Girls, Louie, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, Veep
Who Will Win: 30 Rock
Who Should Win: Louie
Who Got Snubbed: Parks and Recreation
It is highly, highly unlikely that anything will beat the departing 30 Rock this year—but if there was going to be a huge upset, it’d be lovely for it to be Louie. However, the fact that the best sitcom currently on TV (Parks and Recreation) wasn’t even nominated this year is an egregious oversight.