A rundown on the actors and shows I think should take home the trophies in the top categories.
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‘Do you remember / The 21st (and 22nd!) night of September?’
Even though I had to alter one of my favorite Earth, Wind & Fire lyrics a little to make my point, it’s guaranteed this awards season watcher will remember, as Emmys weekend is finally upon us! Kicking off Saturday night with the airing of last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys ceremony (8pm ET on FXX), the lead-up to Sunday night’s big show (8pm ET on Fox) gives you red carpet pre-show options on both E! (6pm ET) and Fox (6:30pm ET), with E!’s live post-show picking up after all the winners have been revealed (11pm ET). There’s something for everyone to celebrate TV’s biggest night!
But, before the glitz hits (and after lots of submission episode watching), I’m weighing in with my picks—not predictions—for the shows and actors I think should snag the golden lady in the main categories, with a few surprises in the mix for good measure.
Best Comedy Series: Fleabag
I expected to struggle a bit with this category, given what a great year it’s been for comedies. But when it came time to tick my final ballot, the choice ended up being easy: Fleabag, by a mile. My surprise closest runner up? The ingenious and boldly creative third season of The Good Place.
Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
JLD was in top form in her show’s swan song season, but never more so than in the series finale, which might be one of her best submissions ever. Not much of a contest.
Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Cheadle bursts onto the screen in the series’ pilot and doesn’t let up until the credits roll, when you realize it’s his central performance that’s defined and embodied the tone of the entire show. It wouldn’t be the same without him, and that alone deserves an Emmy in my book.
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Olivia Colman, Fleabag
With eight nominees, there was a lot of take in here. While Sarah Goldberg is utterly deserving for her poolside monologue on Barry, my final pick is recent Oscar winner Colman, who is devastatingly funny every moment she’s on screen in Fleabag.
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Tony Hale, Veep
Alan Arkin is excellent in The Kominsky Method, but for pure, inspired laughs (and even a tear or two), my money is on Tony Hale for his last go ‘round on Veep, who shines bright in the show’s final installment.
Best Drama Series: Pose
This is going to go to Game of Thrones for its final season, which is mostly deserves. But for my money, no show was more original, moving, fully realized and relevant than the first season of Pose.
Best Actress in a Drama Series: Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Oh was excellent in both her and (also-great) co-star Jodie Comer’s episode submissions, and I came away more impressed by her after the repeat exposure. (I get why Comer chose the episode that she did, but sadly I think she had stronger reels.) My not-far-behind runner-up? Mandy Moore for This Is Us, who was both heartwarming and heartbreaking in her perfectly chosen submission.
Best Actor in a Drama Series: Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
For me, this is a blowout. None of the other guys on the list—however excellent—hits the notes that Ventimiglia does in the episode where his demons from Vietnam catch-up with him. His work in the final scene alone when Rebecca is singing to him in the car runs circles around the other nominees.
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Great in all three of her fellow nominated co-stars’ submissions, Williams locked it up for me in her own episode, where her range, strength (literal and figurative) and versatility are on stunning display, culminating in the series-defining moment when she takes down The Night King. A badass performance that deserves a trip to the podium.
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
The work in Banks’s reel is so nuanced that it automatically put him at the front of the pack. But it’s the way he makes you feel sympathetic for this complicated, good-bad guy—even when he carries out an awful act on an order—that has me rooting for the veteran to bring it home.