The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards are almost upon us and there is one thing you must remember: there will be upsets. This year there are simply too many categories that are too close to call for their not to be. Does that make you more excited to watch than the fact Colin Jost and Michael Che are hosting?
(Wait, don’t answer that…)
READ MORE: Emmys 2018 Snubs and Surprises: ‘Barry,’ Sandra Oh, ‘Twin Peaks’ and more
The Creative Arts Emmys (aka the below-the-line Emmys) were handed out this past weekend and while they are not necessarily a consistent indicator of who will win on the main telecast, they do indicate trends. At this point, “Game of Thrones” already has 7 Emmy wins. “Saturday Night Live” already has 7 more statues. “The Crown,” “Atlanta,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Assassination Of Gianni Versace” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” already have three wins. How many more will they each win on Monday night? Likely, a ton.
Keeping all this in mind and the fact 22,000 voting members can always surprise, here are some predictions for the 2018 Emmy Awards for you to ponder.
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta
Henry Winkler, Barry
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Who will win: Henry Winkler
Who should win: Tony Shalhoub or Winkler
Upset: Tony Shalhoub
Lowdown: Winkler should be where the Television Academy rewards “Barry,” but Shalhoub is a three-time winner and now a nine-time nominee. He could easily win here.
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Zazie Beetz, Atlanta
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne
Leslie Jones, Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
Who will win: Kate McKinnon
Who should win: Kate McKinnon
Upset: Laurie Metcalf or Alex Borstein
Lowdown: McKinnon isn’t the lock she was last year, but it would still be a major surprise for the “SNL” star to not win again. Her competition, Metcalf and Borstein, are also in the mix, especially the scene-stealing “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star.
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game Of Thrones
Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Matt Smith, The Crown
Joseph Fiennes, The Handmaid’s Tale
Who will win: David Harbour
Who should win: Matt Smith
Upset: Peter Dinklage or Mandy Patinkin
Lowdown: This is actually a pretty tight category. Dinklage could easily win if “Game of Thrones” is having a big night and Patinkin has long been a TV Academy favorite with four nods in this category. That being said, it feels like Harbour’s time (but we might have said that last year too).
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey, Game Of Thrones
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Vanessa Kirby, The Crown
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Thandie Newton, Westworld
Who will win: Thandie Newton
Who should win: Yvonne Strahovski, Vanessa Kirby or Newton
Upset: Ann Dowd
Lowdown: The previous winner in this category, Dowd, was good, but not as impressive during her second season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” as she was last year. Her co-star, Strahovski, was phenomenal in what you could argue was almost a lead role and Newton was simply the best performance on “Westworld” in its second season. With three “Handmaid’s” nominations in this category a split seems likely and that someone else could breakout. Our guess is Newton, but Millie Bobby Brown, Kirby or even Lena Headley could find themselves in Emmy’s graces. It’s truly too close to call, but if we have to we’re taking our chances with Newton.
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso
Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose
Jeff Daniels, The Looming Tower
John Legend, Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesse Plemons, Black Mirror: USS Callister
Who will win: Darren Criss
Who should win: Darren Criss
Upset: There won’t be one
Lowdown: Criss taking this category is one of the biggest locks of the night.