Final Emmy Predictions

The Emmy Awards air this Sunday night on CBS. Due to the unfortunate timing of the awards ceremony (only hours after Rosh Hashanah ends), I may not actually get to watch it live, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less excited about predicting the winners. I still do plan to post my reactions to the show, which I’ll be taping and watching as soon as I’m able to later on Sunday night. This year could easily be a boring rehash of last year’s winners – “Mad Men,” “30 Rock,” Bryan Cranston, Glenn Close, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and Dianne Wiest – though that’s not to say that they’re not all (or mostly) deserving of repeat victories. Still, I’d posit that at least a few surprises are in store. I worry I may be underestimating the chances of one enormously popular newcomer – Jim Parsons – and possibly overestimating the overdue winner factor for two of my favorite television stars, Steve Carrell and Kyra Sedgwick. I’m also courageously (or stupidly, depending on how you see it) predicting major upsets in both the Best Drama Series and Best Comedy Series fields, though I’ll readily admit that both “Mad Men” and “30 Rock” could just as easily triumph. We’ll see what happens. To read more detailed predictions, click on the name of each category.

No guts, no glory: Battlestar Galactica for Best Directing in a Drama Series, Jemaine Clement for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

DRAMA SERIES:
Breaking Bad

DRAMA LEAD ACTOR:
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

DRAMA LEAD ACTRESS:
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment

DRAMA DIRECTING:
Mad Men, “The Jet Set”

DRAMA WRITING:
Mad Men, “Six Month Leave”

COMEDY SERIES:
How I Met Your Mother

COMEDY LEAD ACTOR:
Steve Carell, The Office

COMEDY LEAD ACTRESS:
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live

COMEDY DIRECTING:
Flight of the Conchords, “The Tough Brets”

COMEDY WRITING:
30 Rock, “Apollo, Apollo”

MADE FOR TV MOVIE:
Grey Gardens

MINISERIES:
Little Dorrit

MOVIE/MINI LEAD ACTOR:
Ian McKellen, King Lear

MOVIE/MINI LEAD ACTRESS:
Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens

MOVIE/MINI SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Len Cariou, Into the Storm

MOVIE/MINI SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Saddam

MOVIE/MINI DIRECTING:
Grey Gardens

MOVIE/MINI WRITING:
Grey Gardens

VARIETY SERIES:
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

VARIETY SPECIAL:
Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America (HBO)

VARIETY SERIES DIRECTING:
Saturday Night Live

VARIETY SERIES WRITING:
Saturday Night Live

REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM:
The Amazing Race

REALITY HOST:
Jeff Probst, Survivor