Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Directing for a Drama Series

Nominees are pictured and listed in alphabetical order. Beware of spoilers for listed episodes.

Jack Bender, Lost (The End, Parts 1 & 2)
The now-ended series won in this category for its pilot back in 2005 and was nominated again for its second and third season finales. Now, the two-and-a-half-hour series finale is eligible and could serve as a great way to say goodbye to the series since it likely won’t win the top prize it did after the show’s debut season.

Lesli Linka Glatter, Mad Men (Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency)
Despite having one episode recognized each year, the popular AMC show has never triumphed in this category. The representative installment for this year is the on where the British guy’s foot gets run over by a tractor, which serves as an oddly comic and entertaining installment and definitely stands apart from the other more dreary submissions in this category.

Agnieszka Holland, Treme (Do You Know What It Means?)
HBO’s latest critically-acclaimed show had to settle for this nomination and one for music and lyrics. The pilots of HBO series “Six Feet Under” and “Deadwood” won this award, while “The Sopranos” and “Big Love” were nominated but didn’t get the award (“The Sopranos” won in its final season). Given the fact that this show has only one other nomination (compared with the other four, which are all nominated for Best Drama Series), I think this well-directed pilot will sit this race out.

Michelle MacLaren, Breaking Bad (One Minute)
One of the more intense episodes of the most intense show on television last season is most compelling in its final minute, which should leave voters with energetic, astounding memories of the episode. The pilot of this show was nominated two years ago, and the series is now up for the top prize and has only gotten better. This is definitely a dark horse for the award.

Steve Shill, Dexter (The Getaway)
The first directing nod for Showtime’s serial killer dramedy comes in its fourth season for the finale which, like the episode above, packs a punch in its final moments. Truthfully, it’s probably the least likely to win given the fact that it’s not nearly as accessible as some of the other installments (disregarding “Lost,” of course). While it’s a good episode, it’s not necessarily the strongest of the season, while the other four installments here could all be argued as such.

Who should win: “Do You Know What It Means?” (my ballot)
Who will win: “The End, Parts 1 & 2”

Next up: Best Writing for a Drama Series