My Fearless, Somewhat Frightening 2016 Emmy Predictions
Last year it was Jane the Virgin that got screwed. This year I have a sinking feeling it's going to be Mr. Robot.
Emmy Nominations will be announced Thursday at 11:30 am EST (stay glued to TVLine for the complete rundown/analysis!) and my gut is telling me that USA Network's breakout hacker drama — and its sterling ensemble, led by Rami Malek and Christian Slater — will be completely shut out.
Speaking of egregious snubs, FX's long-overlooked The Americans will come up empty again, while TV's best drama — HBO's The Leftovers — will likely have to make do with one single nod, for best actress contender Carrie Coon (and believe me, I'll be happy with that).
But Thursday's announcement is also poised to feature some pleasant surprises, including the CW's first-ever acting nod (for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Rachel Bloom) and an impressive showing for Aziz Ansari's rookie Netflix Comedy Master of None.
Scroll down to review my fearless predictions in the major drama and comedy categories, and then hit the comments with your own Emmy forecast. And remember — these are predictions not endorsements. To get a sense of who we'd like to see nom'd on Thursday, view TVLine's Dream Emmy Nominations.
OUTSTANDING DRAMABetter Call SaulBillions
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of CardsOrange Is the New BlackOUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Carrie Coon, The Leftovers
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Robin Wright, House of Cards
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Paul Giamatti, Billions
Damien Lewis, Billions
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Maura Tierney, The Affair
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
OUTSTANDING COMEDYThe Big Bang TheoryMaster of NoneModern FamilySilicon ValleyTransparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
VeepOUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Anna Faris, Mom
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Anthony Anderson, black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Allison Janney, Mom
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Tony Hale, Veep
Hugh Laurie, Veep