2016 Emmy Nominations Predictions

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Nominations for the 68th Annual Emmy Awards, honoring the best of the best in television, will be announced tomorrow, July 14th. While the television academy rarely strays from their well-tread path of favorites in selecting their nominees, there were enough departing series (namely Mad Men) or shows that didn't air new episodes during the past year (like Louie) to free up at least one slot in almost every category - meaning there's still room for Frasier or The West Wing to nab a nomination or two! ...I'm mostly kidding. Below are my last-minute predictions in 16 of the top categories.

DRAMA

BEST DRAMA SERIES

Game of Thrones (HBO)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Mr. Robot (USA)
Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
Homeland (Showtime)

Alternates: The Good Wife (CBS), The Americans (FX), Billions (Showtime), UnREAL (Lifetime)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: The Leftovers (HBO)

The Americans continues to be one of the best and most acclaimed shows on TV (yet it's been mostly ignored for each of its first three seasons), and this is voters' last chance to honor The Good Wife (which made the lineup once, in 2011), though it's safest to assume all of last year's nominated shows will make it again this year (with the much buzzed-about freshman series Mr. Robot taking the slot once occupied by Mad Men).
 

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)
Paul Giamatti (Billions)
Bobby Cannavale (Vinyl)
Kyle Chandler (Bloodline)

Alternates: Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Damien Lewis (Billions), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Justin Theroux (The Leftovers)
 

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder)
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Taraji P. Henson (Empire)
Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey)

Alternates: Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Kerry Washington (Scandal), Catriona Balfe (Outlander), Keri Russell (The Americans)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Carrie Coon (The Leftovers)
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul)
Christian Slater (Mr. Robot)
Jim Carter (Downton Abbey)
Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
Michael McKean (Better Call Saul)

Alternates: Michael Kelly (House of Cards), Jon Voight (Ray Donovan), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Nick Sandow (Orange is the New Black)
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black)
Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
Constance Zimmer (UnREAL)

Alternates: Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Regina King (The Leftovers), Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul), Miranda Otto (Homeland)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Ann Dowd (The Leftovers)


COMEDY

BEST COMEDY SERIES

Veep (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Modern Family (ABC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Black-ish (ABC)
Master of None (Netflix)

Alternates: Girls (HBO), The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW), Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Catastrophe (Amazon)
 

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
William H. Macy (Shameless)
Will Forte (Last Man on Earth)
Aziz Ansari (Master of None)
Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley)

Alternates: Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle), Rob Lowe (The Grinder), Rob Delaney (Catastrophe)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Josh Thomas (Please Like Me)
 

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Lily Tomlin (Grace & Frankie)
Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer)
Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat)

Alternates: Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jane Fonda (Grace & Frankie), Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Aya Cash (You're the Worst)
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Tony Hale (Veep)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Hugh Laurie (Veep)
Louie Anderson (Baskets)

Alternates: Laurence Fishburne (Black-ish), T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley), Adam Driver (Girls), Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Andrew Rannells (Girls)
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Allison Janney (Mom)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Judith Light (Transparent)

Alternates: Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent), Amy Landecker (Transparent), Niecy Nash (Getting On)
Underdog I'm Rooting For: Alex Borstein (Getting On)


LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

BEST LIMITED SERIES

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Fargo (FX)
American Crime (ABC)
The Night Manager (AMC)
Roots (History)

Alternates: Show Me a Hero (HBO), London Spy (BBC), 11.22.63 (Hulu)
 

BEST TV MOVIE

All the Way (HBO)
Confirmation (HBO)
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (PBS)
Luther (BBC)
The Dresser (Starz)

Alternates: Coat of Many Colors (NBC), Wallander: The Troubled Man (BBC)
 

BEST ACTOR IN A TV MOVIE/MINISERIES

Bryan Cranston (All the Way)
Courtney B. Vance (The People v O.J. Simpson)
Idris Elba (Luther)
Ian McKellen (The Dresser)
Patrick Wilson (Fargo)
Oscar Isaac (Show Me a Hero)

Alternates: Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock: The Abominable Bride), Anthony Hopkins (The Dresser), Timothy Hutton (American Crime), Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager)
 

BEST ACTRESS IN A TV MOVIE/MINISERIES

Sarah Paulson (The People v O.J. Simpson)
Kerry Washington (Confirmation)
Kirsten Dunst (Fargo)
Felicity Huffman (American Crime)
Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill)
Lili Taylor (American Crime)

Alternates: Blythe Danner (Madoff), Shanice Williams (The Wiz Live!), Riley Keough (The Girlfriend Experience), Lady Gaga (American Horror Story: Hotel)
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TV MOVIE/MINISERIES

Sterling K. Brown (The People v O.J. Simpson)
Jesse Plemons (Fargo)
Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager)
John Travolta (The People v O.J. Simpson)
Frank Langella (All the Way)
Forest Whitaker (Roots)

Alternates: Ted Danson (Fargo), Nathan Lane (The People v O.J. Simpson), David Schwimmer (The People v O.J. Simpson), Anthony Mackie (All the Way)
 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TV MOVIE/MINISERIES

Melissa Leo (All the Way)
Jean Smart (Fargo)
Olivia Colman (The Night Manager)
Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story: Hotel)
Regina King (American Crime)
Catherine Keener (Show Me a Hero)

Alternates: Anika Noni Rose (Roots), Kathy Bates (American Horror Story: Hotel), Uzo Aduba (The Wiz Live!), Connie Britton (The People v O.J. Simpson)
 

Nominations will be announced live here and on various television networks at 11:30am ET by Anthony Anderson and Lauren Graham. The 68th Annual Emmy Awards will be broadcast by ABC on Sunday, September 18th.