Tomorrow morning at 5:35am PDT, the nominations for the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced. I will now put myself out there on a limb with my own predictions of whose names will be called. I’ll have all the final nomination information as soon as it breaks, as long as my plan to be online at that point in time works out. I will literally stop working to do this for you, remember that.
NOTE: Some of these predictions have changed thanks to the leaked Top 10 lists. Most have not.
Oustanding Drama Series
Lost
I think it’s the best show on television, and I think that its season was certainly worthy of an Emmy nomination. The show is unmatched on network television in terms of writing, production and performances.
Grey’s Anatomy
It’s season was uneven, but its popular support and wide-range of acting talents will be too hard for the ATAS to ignore.
The Sopranos
The show’s final season kept the buzz level high, and the finale basically clinched it: no one will be forgetting The Sopranos this year.
House
It’s the second biggest drama on television, and people just seem to love the show to death. I think that it is a show that has proven itself worthy in the past, unlike Heroes which still hasn’t won that level of respect.
Friday Night Lights
Admittedly, this is a sentimental choice. However, I can’t not believe that Emmy voters will find the heart of this series too endearing to pass up. With Kyle Chandler making the Drama Actor Top 10, I think the show has a shot.
Oustanding Comedy Series
The Office
Last year’s winner had another strong and buzz-worthy season. It was a bit of a dark horse last year, but this time around it’s absolutely a front-runner…but in a category full of them.
Ugly Betty
One-hour comedies have a distinct advantage over half-hour ones, but even ignoring that Ugly Betty was a charming series that features some great performances. With Becki Newton and Vanessa Williams making the Top 10, I also think this show is a shoe-in.
30 Rock
The other new show to make this list, 30 Rock is a show made for the Emmys: prestigious talent (Fey, Baldwin, Krakowski), relevant and relatable theme (Show about a show), and it’s incredibly liberal. Plus, it’s kind of also the best new comedy of the year. Just sayin’.
Two and a Half Men
The only traditional sitcom left in the Emmy race, I think that voters will trend towards it like the sheep they are. That being said, the show is not the worst sitcom ever: it’s just similar to them in every way.
Entourage
While Scrubs did have the musical episode, I think that Entourage is the closest the category has to a hip show that hasn’t quite gotten its due. 30 Rock is actually quite safe, The Office is now almost too popular, so it’s Entourage that best fits the bill. With Kevin Dillon breaking the Top 10 for Supporting Actor, the show has a shot.
Extra Prediction:
The Sopranos will garner the most nominations on the drama side, while 30 Rock and The Office will fight it out for the most comedy nominations with Ugly Betty not far behind.
The rest of the nominations can be found below, with full explanations found here (Drama) and here (Comedy).
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini (The Sopranos)
Kiefer Sutherland (24)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Steve Carell (The Office)
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Tony Shahloub (Monk)
Jason Lee (My Name is Earl)
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Edie Falco (The Sopranos)
Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit)
Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives)
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty)
Julia-Louis Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine)
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner (Boston Legal)
Terry O’Quinn (Lost)
Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos)
T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy)
Jack Coleman (Heroes)
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)
Justin Kirk (Weeds)
Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
John Krasinski (The Office)
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters)
Aida Turturro (The Sopranos)
Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy)
Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy)
Patricia Wettig (Brothers & Sisters)
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty)
Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men)
Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds)
Jenna Fischer (The Office)
Cultural Learnings 