Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Nominees are pictured and listed in alphabetical order. Submitted episode titles are in parentheses. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.

Will Arnett as Devon Banks, 30 Rock (Plan B)
This is Arnett’s third nomination in four years for his portrayal of Jack Donaghy’s arch-nemesis. His brief return finds him living a new life with children and unable to be nearly as shrewd and wild as he used to be. It’s not his strongest episode, so if he didn’t win in 2010 or 2008, I don’t think he’ll win this year. Arnett is clearly popular though, and anything could happen in this wildly unpredictable category.

Matt Damon as Carol, 30 Rock (Double-Edged Sword)
After missing out on a nomination for this role last year and his “Will & Grace” guest spot several years ago, Damon earns his first acting Emmy nod for his portrayal of Liz’s pilot boyfriend. His submitted episode is brilliant, and finds him fighting with Liz and trying to appease a plane full of people. He could definitely win this since he’s a popular actor, and it’s a great way to reward a well-liked show that probably won’t win any other awards this year.

Idris Elba as Lenny, The Big C (Blue-Eyed Iris)
Elba is a double nominee this year, also nominated for miniseries “Luther.” His submitted episode is the first in which he appeared, which isn’t a problem since he instantly energized both Cathy and Andrea. It’s great that he got nominated, and though he’d certainly be deserving of a win, his performance isn’t explicitly funny, which may diminish his chances.

Zach Galifianakis as Himself, Saturday Night Live (Host: Zach Galifianakis)
The increasingly popular comedian and star earns his first major awards nomination for hosting SNL. There isn’t much precedent for hosting gigs in this category aside from one of the other nominees, but Galifianakis is definitely funny, keeping the audience howling during his rather over-the-top bits on the variety show. He could win, but a victory would much more be about his body of work than this specific job.

Nathan Lane as Pepper Saltzman, Modern Family (Boys’ Night)
This is Lane’s third nomination, following bids in this category for “Mad About You” and “Frasier” in the 1990s. Lane is loud and flamboyant as Cameron and Mitchell’s friend Pepper, and he also manages not to dominate the episode too much. While I wouldn’t personally reward Lane for this role, he could well win since he’s a well-liked, established actor.

Justin Timberlake as Himself, Saturday Night Live (Host: Justin Timberlake)
Timberlake won this award in 2009 for the last time he hosted SNL, and he’s nominated for penning two songs from his submitted episode. Even if people take issue with his movie acting abilities, there’s no denying that he’s right at home playing along in skits here. He beat Alan Alda and Steve Martin last time, and I doubt that he’ll have any trouble triumphing over his fellow nominees.

Who should win (based on entire season): Damon or Elba
Who should win (based on individual episodes): Damon, Elba, or Timberlake
Who will win: I’m fairly certain that Timberlake will be able to prevail again, though it could also be one of the other nominees.

Next up: Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series