Okay, time for the comedy acting. These tend to go for a lot of repeat winners down the line, so I think this is going to be more boring to predict than the movie/mini ones. Hopefully there's something of a surprise in there along the way.
ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
- Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
- Aziz Ansari, Master of None
- Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth
- William H. Macy, Shameless
- Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
- Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Tambor was the big winner everywhere last year, but the second season of Transparent didn't seem to have as much buzz, even if it was just as good. That doesn't necessarily mean he won't win again, but I could see someone like Anthony Anderson, whose show had a very attention grabbing season, come in from the outside. Or even Ansari, for the buzz on Master of None.
Winner: Anthony Anderson (something tells me the expanded voting body will gravitate to the more populist show this time)
Alternate: Jeffrey Tambor (could just as easily repeat and it might be unwise on my part to not predict him, but it's the only chance I'm taking in the comedy categories)
Dark Horse: Aziz Ansari (he could definitely sneak in here)
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
- Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
- Laurie Metcalf, Getting On
- Tracee Ellis-Ross, Black-ish
- Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
- Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Unbelievably, I do think that Julia Louis-Dreyfus is going to win her fifth consecutive Emmy for this role. The show is the frontrunner for the comedy award again and reportedly had an amazing season with yet another dynamite turn from the television comedy legend. I think you can bank on it.
Winner: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Alternate: Lily Tomlin (another veteran fave, but unlikely)
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
- Louie Anderson, Baskets
- Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
- Titus Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Ty Burrell, Modern Family
- Tony Hale, Veep
- Keegan-Michael Key, Key and Peele
- Matt Walsh, Veep
I would really love to see consistent episode-stealer Titus Burgess win this, but with the Emmy repeat rule, I think Hale is more likely to get his third. With Veep's dominance, I suppose Matt Walsh has an outside shot (and I love seeing him get in here), but it's been decided for a while now that Tony Hale is the key supporting player to Dreyfus's queen on the show.
Winner: Tony Hale
Alternate: Titus Burgess (this is more like wishful thinking on my part, since I'm not exactly sure who the alternate choice is most likely to be here)
Dark Horse: Keegan-Michael Key (with this being K&P's last season, I do think he has a sliver of a chance)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
- Anna Chlumsky, Veep
- Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent
- Allison Janney, Mom
- Judith Light, Transparent
- Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
- Niecy Nash, Getting On
Eh. Once more, the repeat winner's rule applies, so Janney continues to dominate. But this is also a case where I'm just not sure who the voters would rally behind as an alternative. Frankly, one of these years I'd like to see McKinnon take it for continually being the MVP of the middling SNL, but no sketch player has ever won this award. The Transparent ladies probably cancel each other out, Chlumsky has nowhere near a meaty enough role, and Nash is on a show that hasn't been as talked about or seen. So that leaves us with the repeater.
Winner: Allison Janney
Alternate: Kate McKinnon
