2013 Golden Globes: Predictions and Proclamations

TV Lists Golden Globes

Tomorrow night, the Hollywood Foreign Press will honor the year’s best in film and TV at the 70th Annual Golden Globes. To get you prepared for the upcoming ceremony, we’re posting our own predictions and proclamations, taking a look at who will win, who should win and who got snubbed.

Don’t forget to join us back here tomorrow night at 8 p.m. EST as we liveblog the show, keeping you informed of all the winners and commenting on all the broadcast’s highlights (of which, considering this year’s hosts are Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, there are sure to be many).

Best Motion Picture, Drama
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Nominated: Argo, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty
Who Will WIn: Lincoln
There’s been awards buzz surrounding Lincoln for far longer than it’s been out in theaters; as soon as word that Daniel Day-Lewis was cast in the Steven Spielberg project, it was pretty much a done deal. Day-Lewis and Spielberg are both awards show darlings, and when you throw in a few other themes that frequently get rewarded at shows like these (biopics, Civil War drama), it seems like Lincoln will be the one to beat.

Who Should Win: Life of Pi
Life of Pi deserves praise for its restraint as much as its visual opulence. Ang Lee has created a truly adult adventure, not because the material is salacious or violent, but because it deals with complex themes of spirituality and self-discovery in the guise of an accessible and engrossing fantasy. The film tells us there are no easy answers for Pi, or for anyone, but luckily the road to finding them can be spectacularly entertaining.—Dan Kaufman

Who Got Snubbed: Beasts of the Southern Wild
While the Oscars gave Beasts of the Southern Wild nominations in many major categories, the magical indie received no love from the Golden Globes. Benh Zeitlin created one of the most beautiful films of 2012, one with an emotional brilliance lacking in any of the Golden Globes’ drama nominees.—Ross Bonaime

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
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Nominated: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Helen Mirren (Hitchcock), Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)

Who Will Win: Marion Cotillard
Actors and actresses frequently get rewarded for playing against type, and as Shannon M. Houston noted in our review of Rust and Bone, the movie features Cotillard as we’ve never seen her before: “Stéphanie is introduced as a bloodied club-goer, recently punched in the face during a brawl. She is dressed in all black and gets called a slut for the better part of her opening scene. Suffice it to say, this is not the vision of Cotillard to which viewers have grown accustomed.”

Who Should Win: Jessica Chastain
Chastain takes on the deceptively difficult job of being the focal point in a film with dozens of speaking roles, and a final act that barely includes her. As Maya, she is classic female-American spunk, undeterred by her gender, her job or the bureaucracy that put her there. Like many strong female characters, Maya can appeal to viewers of both genders. When she does blow her stack at a superior, or curses in front of the CIA director, it’s with a fire that feels both hearty and exhausted, Chastain playing her traditional Hollywood moments for all they’re worth.—Norm Schrager

Who Got Snubbed: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Acting performances featuring a character losing his mind—due to age, disease or other malady—are nearly always overrated; they’re much simpler than they appear. Riva’s beautiful and chilling portrayal of a woman slipping away into that dark night is definitely an exception. It’s elegantly understated and heartbreaking.—Michael Dunaway

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
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Nominated: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Richard Gere (Arbitrage), John Hawkes (The Sessions), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Denzel Washington (Flight)

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
As soon as Daniel Day-Lewis stepped into the role of Lincoln, it seemed like the question wouldn’t be whether or not he’d rake in a bunch of awards, but rather whether or not his performance would live up to the hype and be deserving of the accolades. Thankfully, it does (see below).

Who Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
In the role of the 16th president, Daniel Day-Lewis delivers one of the best performances in a career already full of stellar turns. Given his devotion to the Method and his intense concentration as an artist, Day-Lewis could have easily created a tremendous caricature of Lincoln that would have worked quite well. Instead, he demonstrates masterful restraint, presenting a simple, subtle take on the former president, as if he had spent years shadowing Lincoln instead of years reading books about him. Day-Lewis’ Lincoln is sad, quiet, wise, hopeful and surprisingly witty.—David Roark

Who Got Snubbed: Jean-Louis Trintignant (Amour)
Possibly the best male performance of the year came from a man who first won the Best Actor award at Cannes 43 years ago, beating out Easy Rider‘s Peter Fonda. Trintignant actually starred in three Cannes films that year. His character in Amour isn’t always noble or even always sympathetic, but it’s a supremely human—and heartbreaking—performance.—Michael Dunaway

To get you prepared for the upcoming ceremony, we’re posting our own predictions and proclamations, taking a look at who will win, who should win and who got snubbed.

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
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Nominated: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Les Miserables, Moonrise Kingdom, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Silver Linings Playbook

Who Will Win: Les Miserables
Part of the problem with lumping musicals in with the comedies is that as a result, you’re often comparing apples and oranges, and that’s the case here. There’s nothing funny about the nearly three-hour cryfest that is Les Miserables, and its well-executed drama will certainly be rewarded—but it shouldn’t be at the expense of other deserving comedies.

Who Should Win: Moonrise Kingdom
After seven features, a Wes Anderson production is unmistakable: white, upper-middle-class dysfunctional families deadpanning wry dialogue amid meticulous mise-en-scène to an eclectic soundtrack. Also: exquisite, often centered, shot compositions; uninterrupted lateral tracking camerawork through dollhouse-like sets; and inserts of quasi-obscure cultural objects. The auteur’s calculated quality persists in his latest film as well, but where his past work can come off as chilly and detached, Moonrise Kingdom exudes a warmth and innocence generated by the earnest adolescent romance at its core.—Annlee Ellingson

Who Got Snubbed: Safety Not Guaranteed
At the last few Sundance Film Festivals, a running joke has developed about the ubiquity of Mark Duplass. It seems like if he’s not writing and directing an independent film with his brother Jay (Cyrus, Jeff, Who Lives at Home), he’s producing and/or starring in another. But while indie film fans may feel like they’ve gotten a handle on Duplass’s hipster vibe, his performance in Safety Not Guaranteed shows that he can be mysterious as well as funny, brooding as well as charming.—Jeremy Matthews

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
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Nominated: Emily Blunt (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), Judi Dench (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Maggie Smith (Quartet), Meryl Streep (Hope Springs)

Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence
Though Lawrence’s work in Winter’s Bone established her dramatic acting chops, and the Hunger Games and X-Men: First Class franchises displayed her action star potential, Silver Linings Playbook adds romantic lead to the résumé. It’s difficult to think of another young actress so ideally positioned to do whatever she damn well pleases in the coming years.—Michael Burgin

Who Should Win: Jennifer Lawrence

Who Got Snubbed: Aubrey Plaza (Safety Not Guaranteed)
Plaza has earned a reputation for her deadpan wisecracks on TV’s Parks and Recreation and supporting roles in various films. Safety Not Guaranteed lets her showcase her dramatic abilities on top of her comedic skills. She and Mark Duplass work brilliantly off one another, performing a dance of passion and doubt. They give each other the will to embrace the madness, then begin to feel vulnerable and doubt themselves.—Jeremy Mathews

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
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Nominated: Jack Black (Bernie), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), Ewan MacGregor (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen), Bill Murray (Hyde Park on Hudson)

Who Will Win: Hugh Jackman
As with the best picture category, the obvious drama of Les Miserables will carry it to victory over more comedic performances here. Jackman turned in a solid performance as Jean Valjean, and it will be enough for him to take home a statue.

Who Should Win: Bradley Cooper
As much as David O. Russell’s film has going for it, the peculiar alchemy of Silver Linings Playbook doesn’t work without an excess of both charisma and chemistry in its leads. Though Cooper has received plenty of Hollywood “hunk” coverage, his turn as Pat Solitano is revelatory for its sheer charm and appeal. We’re talking a Category 4 Clooney here.—Michael Burgin

Who Got Snubbed: Jason Segel (Jeff, Who Lives At Home)
Jeff (Jason Segel), who lives at home, is stuck and has been ever since his father died when he was a teen. Jeff seeks meaning in random incidents, looking for signs to guide his actions. In fact, his favorite movie is Signs, M. Night Shyamalan’s 2002 movie that perhaps reveals just how long ago the Duplasses first wrote this script. He philosophizes from his mother’s basement from behind his considerable bong. The Duplasses’ approach of “studied improvisation,” which attempts to capture realism by encouraging actors to go off-script and find the authentic emotion in a scene, is especially suited to Jeff. Each is trying to articulate complex thoughts or communicate complicated feelings. In real life, people aren’t so eloquent during highly charged moments—nor are the characters here.—Annlee Ellingson

To get you prepared for the upcoming ceremony, we’re posting our own predictions and proclamations, taking a look at who will win, who should win and who got snubbed.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
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Nominated: Amy Adams (The Master), Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy)

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway
In the film’s standout moment, Anne Hathaway beautifully captures the essence of despair in a long, shaky take of “I Dreamed a Dream.” Hathaway intensely feels the music. Her character, Fantine, has been stripped of all dignity in her efforts to earn money to care for her daughter. Hathaway sings the song not just with desperation, but with anger and heartbreak. It’s great singing and great acting. Perhaps the film’s biggest disadvantage is that nothing in the remaining two hours can quite top it.—Jeremy Mathews

Who Should Win: Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway’s performance in Les Miserables featured less screen time than any of her fellow nominees; however her role is much more powerful, and that’s what matters. Her rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” has become the definitive version of the song, and in a film that most critics are mixed on, Hathaway is the one aspect of Les Mis that almost all of them can agree is award-worthy.—Ross Bonaime

Who Got Snubbed: Ann Dowd (Compliance)
Upon first viewing, Dreama Walker’s raw performance is the one that stands out. But as the film implants itself in your mind, it’s Ann Dowd’s wonderfully nuanced portrayal of the “adult in charge” that you can’t get out of your head.—Michael Dunaway

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
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Nominated: Alan Arkin (Argo), Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master), Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Who Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones
In a movie filled with big names, Tommy Lee Jones “at times steals the show as the hilarious and outspoken Pennsylvania Republican Representative Thaddeus Stevens, a grumpy old, wig-wearing politician who likes to name-call more than actually debate,” as David Roark noted in our Lincoln review.

Who Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the best actors working today, and this is some of his finest work. His performance has an unmistakable magnetism that makes it easy to understand why people follow Dodd. The most interesting thing about him may be his draw toward Freddie, a man whose unpredictability could ruin the religious empire he’s trying to build. Perhaps establishing control over Freddie would be the ultimate achievement.—Jeremy Matthews

Who Got Snubbed: Javier Bardem (Skyfall)
This time 007 has to follow the trail of a stolen list of undercover NATO operatives—dangerous information in the wrong hands. Those wrong hands belong to Mr. Silva (Javier Bardem), a nasty cyber-terrorist with a mad-on for MI6 in general and for its director, M, in particular. Bardem’s Silva is a throwback to a more traditional Bond villain, with equal parts creepy sensuality, intelligence and psychopathy, and a touch of physical deformity for good measure.—Dan Kaufman

Best Director, Motion Picture
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Nominated: Ben Affleck (Argo), Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)

Who Will Win: Quentin Tarantino
The best thing about Quentin Tarantino is also the worst thing about Quentin Tarantino—he believes, wholeheartedly, in whatever he’s doing. Most of the time, what he’s doing consists of overly referential homage mashups with dialogue that would give most screenwriters carpal tunnel. The old video store clerk is sublime at saying important things through mediums that don’t usually convey them—Kung Fu films, revenge fantasies and spaghetti Westerns, for starters. He is an artist dressed as a Philistine, splattering the screen with cartoonish violence when what he’s really blowing is our minds.Tarantino’s latest effort isn’t his best, but it is his most ambitious, and for someone capable of so much, that means quite a lot.—Tyler Chase

Who Should Win: Ang Lee
Leave it to director Ang Lee to create a thinking man’s blockbuster. In much of his past work, he has strived to imbue his stories with a deep sense of purpose—to explore themes of longing and connection. Even when dabbling in genre films, he’s tried to look past the Hollywood flash and stay true to this artistic vision, for better (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) or worse (Hulk). With Life of Pi, Lee may have found the perfect balance of spectacle and substance, creating his best outing in years.—Dan Kaufman

Who Got Snubbed: Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
In his feature debut, director Benh Zeitlin has stirred up a magic pot of poetry, neo-realism, surrealism, pre-historic creatures, the ice age, childhood and lost cultures. The film is a symphony of curiosity that builds toward a glorious crescendo. It’s set on an island known as “The Bathtub,” located outside the Louisiana levees. It’s a forbidden land—off-limits according to the government—but misfits still inhabit it, living in makeshift shelters and using vehicles that would be at home in a post-apocalyptic world. If Zeitlin’s sheer ambition weren’t enough, the film’s young star and narrator, Quvenzhané Wallis, was born with a magnetic screen presence. Six-year-old Wallis injects Beasts with youthful verve. The story is told through her character’s curious eyes, and she emits so much lovable hope that it’s impossible not to follow her.—Jeremy Mathews

To get you prepared for the upcoming ceremony, we’re posting our own predictions and proclamations, taking a look at who will win, who should win and who got snubbed.

Best Television Series, Drama
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Nominated: Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Homeland, The Newsroom

Who Will Win: Homeland
When this show shocked everyone and defeated both four-time champ Mad Men and critical darling Breaking Bad in the Best Drama category of last year’s Emmys, many were forced to sit up, scratch their heads and ask “What’s Homeland?” Now that they’ve had time to catch up, watch for the Hollywood Foreign Press to follow suit and give the big one to this newly popular series.

Who Should Win: Breaking Bad
With Breaking Bad, creator Vince Gilligan takes us on his character’s journey from protagonist to antihero, but doesn’t stop there. The once mild-mannered high-school chemistry teacher has left “antihero” in the dust. We’re now in villain territory. This is a five-season arc of a man becoming spiritually bankrupt. And yet it’s the best drama on TV since The Wire, in part because Gilligan surrounds Walter with a cast of deeply flawed but ultimately redeeming individuals, ensuring that the show never gets unmoored from its moral anchor.—Josh Jackson

Who Got Snubbed: Mad Men
Prostitution. Suicide. Divorce. Flashbacks, dream sequences and LSD trips. On paper, it sounds like the kind of stuff you’d encounter on a smutty soap opera, but Mad Men handled all of its sensational plotlines with grace and intelligence during its fifth—and best—season. We never thought we’d see a happily married Don Draper lose his passion for advertising (and, truth be told, if the last few episodes of the season are any indication, the old Don seems poised for a comeback), but the development of his character (as well as Lane’s tragic demise, Pete’s affair and Peggy’s departure from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce) took the show into uncharted territory. At the end of the season, he’s asked, “Are you alone?” and while the episode cuts to credits before he can answer, one thing’s for certain: This year of Mad Men stands alone as its finest.

Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama
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Nominated: Connie Britton (Nashville), Glenn Close (Damages), Claire Danes (Homeland), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)

Who Will Win: Claire Danes
You know you’ve infiltrated the mainstream when you’re being spoofed on Saturday Night Live, so perhaps there was no clearer signal that this is Claire Danes’ year than when Anne Hathaway impersonated her portrayal of Homeland’s Carrie on SNL. Whether or not they agree that her work is the strongest of the bunch, voters can all agree that it is now enjoying its moment in the sun—a factor that comes into play more than you’d expect.

Who Should Win: Connie Britton
Britton’s Southern-accented Rayna Jaymes is the best thing about ABC’s freshman show. While boasting Hayden Panettiere as a co-lead, Nashville will only work as far as Britton carries it. And carry it she will. Rayna isn’t just a fading superstar who wants to hold onto fame; she’s the artist who wants to continue to make good music. Her personal life gets in the way, and she struggles to find a balance between resurrecting her career and running her family, but nothing is very clear cut. By the season finale, we’ve seen Rayna range from a confident women to an industry vet re-learning to “play the game” to, well, a desperate housewife just trying to make sure her man isn’t a cheater. In every situation, she’s a powerhouse.—Adam Vitcavage

Who Got Snubbed: Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Gunn continues to get woefully underrated for her performance as Skylar on Breaking Bad. As Walt transforms from desperate and dying to outright villain, Gunn’s Skylar undergoes her own transformations to adapt to her failing marriage. The changes in her are more subtle, but they shouldn’t be ignored.

Best Actor in a Television Series, Drama
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Nominated: Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Damian Lewis (Homeland)

Who Will Win: Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston’s been awarded in the past plenty of times for his depiction of Walter White on Breaking Bad, but this past season was when Walt truly became unhinged. He stopped toeing the line and leapt straight over to the side of darkness, and Cranston’s chilling performance won’t go unnoticed.

Who Should Win: Jon Hamm
Mad Men is pretty underrepresented at the Globes this year, so it’d be nice to see Jon Hamm take home an award in this pivotal year for Don Draper. This season he had to adapt both to the changing times and to his new, younger wife—and he didn’t disappoint.

Who Got Snubbed: Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey)
It’s a pretty strong field already this year, but missing from the bunch is Hugh Bonneville. As Lord Grantham, the head of the household on Downton Abbey, he maintained a stiff upper lip despite all life threw at him—including death, illness, temptation and (gasp!) a daughter who ran away with the chauffeur.

To get you prepared for the upcoming ceremony, we’re posting our own predictions and proclamations, taking a look at who will win, who should win and who got snubbed.

Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical
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Nominated: The Big Bang Theory, Episodes, Girls, Modern Family, Smash

Who Will Win: Girls
Awards-show favorite Modern Family could give it a run for its money, but the ABC sitcom is having a down year so far, while Girls has only been on the upswing. Our money’s on Lena Dunham and company.

Who Should Win: Girls
From the series’ very first scene where Hannah Horvath pleads with her parents for money at dinner before being told she’s going to have to make it on her own, Girls served to define a certain generation of un- or under-employed post-collegiates. Filled with awkward sex scenes and petty blow-out fights, Girls was purposefully under-polished and was simultaneously praised and criticized—people loved it, hated it or just had no idea what to think about it. What no one could argue, though, was the show’s importance, both in portraying a particular kind of twentysomething and for launching the career of creator, writer and star Lena Dunham, a name we’re sure to hear for years to come.—Ryan Bort

Who Got Snubbed: Parks and Recreation
The five nominees for best comedy or musical series have some serious weak spots, so it’s a shame that NBC’s best series, Parks and Recreation, wasn’t able to fill one of the slots. The city of Pawnee and the great ensemble of characters that inhabit it have created one of the finest comedies on television. Even though Amy Poehler received an acting nomination, it just doesn’t seem like enough for the great year Parks & Rec had.—Ross Bonaime

Best Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical
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Nominated: Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Lena Dunham (Girls), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Who Will Win: Tina Fey
Awards shows love to pay tribute to great shows and performers in their final seasons as a way of saying “thanks for the memories” and bidding them adieu. Don’t be surprised if that’s the case this year and Tina Fey takes home an award for 30 Rock in its seventh and final season.

Who Should Win: Amy Poehler
Poehler’s portrayal of an over-eager small-town bureaucrat with a heart of gold manages to stay peppy and slightly over the top without veering toward annoying; she is the lynchpin of both the Pawnee Parks department and the show.—Alissa Wilkinson

Who Got Snubbed: Kaitlin Olsen (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
While you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a more talented group of women than this year’s nominees, this is the eighth year that Kaitlin Olsen has been ignored for her hilarious work as Dee Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny.

Best Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical
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Nominated: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Louis C.K. (Louie), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)

Who Will Win: Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin’s won this category three times in the past six years, so he’s already a favorite. Will he too benefit from being in his final season on 30 Rock? It almost doesn’t matter—he’s been a staple here.

Who Should Win: Louis C.K.
Louis C.K. has created a fascinating show in Louie. While he is the show’s main director and writer, his performance, a take on himself, is equally as impressive and should get him the Globe.—Ross Bonaime

Who Got Snubbed: Joel McHale (Community)
McHale has received a Critic’s Choice Award nomination two years in a row for his work as Jeff Winger, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has yet to take notice.

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
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Nominated: Hayden Panetierre (Nashville), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), Sarah Paulson (Game Change), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)

Who Will Win: Maggie Smith
It’s often hard to pin down the best character in shows featuring massive ensembles. Not so with Downton Abbey. As Britain’s upper-class faces the shifting sands of societal change spurred on by a World War, Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess serves as a reminder of the rigidness that came even earlier. But those times when her saucy air of unapproachable superiority cracks to show the humanity beneath are just as much a joy to watch as when she casually delivers her trademark piercing barbs.—Josh Jackson

Who Should Win: Maggie Smith
Dowager Countess for life.

Who Got Snubbed: Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
This year, Christina Hendricks turned in her finest performances to date on Mad Men as her character Joan saw her marriage dissolve and her closest friend in the office kill himself, and—faced with the daunting prospect of single motherhood in the ‘60s—made some tough choices and literally sold herself out for a partnership at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and a more secure future for her child. Hendricks was heart-wrenching this year, and it’s a mystery why her name isn’t on the list of nominees.

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
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Nominated: Max Greenfield (New Girl), Ed Harris (Game Change), Danny Huston (Magic City), Mandy Patinkin (Homeland), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)

Who Will Win: Mandy Patinkin
At the Emmys, he walked away with the night’s coveted Claire Danes acceptance speech shout-out (“Mandy Patinkin, holla!”). This year, it’s safe to say Danes won’t be the only one hollering at our boy Mandy. If all goes well, it’s likely he’ll have a chance to return the favor tomorrow night.

Who Should Win: Max Greenfield
On New Girl, no one has garnered more laughs than Schmidt. He’s a cocky, organized, control freak who is prone to making himself more so with every episode and unusual Schmidt witticism. Out of all the characters, including Jess, Schmidt has probably become the most complex and fleshed-out—something that seemed entirely unlikely after watching him put money in the “douche jar” when he was first introduced. We now know more about his past, his job, why he is who he is and his romantic life than any of the other characters. It almost seems like Schmidt is becoming the lead, and we’re OK with that.—Ross Bonaime

Who Got Snubbed: Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation)
Already a favorite, the meat-loving, wood-working, government-loathing, friend-tolerating mustache that is Ron Swanson grew a little in complexity this past season by falling for a single mom. While his idea for a fresh-pork barbecue to thank city park employees might not have been without its drawbacks, the solid rock of Pawnee allowed himself to be the slightest bit vulnerable, even letting his new girlfriend in on the secret of Duke Silver. Ron Swanson is on our Pyramid of Greatness.—Josh Jackson

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