In just a couple of weeks, we will be reentering my favorite season: awards! The Emmys will be airing a virtual ceremony on September 20th, so to follow tradition, here are my predictions for this year’s winners broken down 3 ways: who will win, who should win, and who could win. For the last group, we have Limited Series!
Outstanding Limited Series
The Nominees: Little Fires Everywhere, Mrs. America, Unbelievable, Unorthodox, Watchmen
Will & Should Win: Watchmen
Having recently watched the entire series, there is no way this show doesn’t win this category. It had incredible individual performances balanced with great ensemble work. The story was one of the most compelling ones that aired this past year, and the topics and themes of the show have just become even more relevant now than when it first aired in late 2019. All of the shows in this category are outstanding, and if you haven’t seen them, I highly recommend watching all of them, but Watchmen just has something special about it that stands out from the rest.
Best Actor
The Nominees: Hugh Jackman (Bad Education), Jeremy Pope (Hollywood), Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True), Paul Mescal (Normal People), Jeremy Irons (Watchmen)
Will Win: Mark Ruffalo
He played twins who both are dealing with mental health problems. That is the kind of role (or in this case roles) that the Emmy voters eat up.
Should Win: Jeremy Pope
Was Hollywood the best show? No, it wasn’t (not like it stopped me from loving it anyway). But Jeremy Pope gave an amazing and nuanced performance in the role of Archie, a black and gay screenwriter in the Golden Age of Hollywood, that deserves this recognition from the Emmys.
Best Actress
The Nominees: Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere), Cate Blanchette (Mrs. America), Octavia Spencer (Self Made), Shira Haas (Unorthodox), Regina King (Watchmen)
Will Win: Cate Blanchette
Critics have been raving about her performance as Phyllis Schlafly, many even calling it the best performance of the year. As I’ve mentioned before, the Emmys love an Oscar winner, so her chances of winning this award are very high.
Could Win: Regina King
As the lead in Watchmen, she carried the show with gravitas and power (as she does every role she plays). It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if this show ends up sweeping all the Limited Series categories, including this one.
Should Win: Shira Haas
If you haven’t watched Unorthodox on Netflix yet, stop reading this now and go watch it (there are only 4 episodes and they’re maybe an hour each). Based on the true story of a woman escaping an ultraorthodox Jewish community in New York, Shira was able to balance fear and timidness with boldness and defiance so well, creating my personal favorite performance in this category for the year.
Best Supporting Actor
The Nominees: Dylan McDermott (Hollywood), Jom Parsons (Hollywood), Titus Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy v. The Reverend), Louis Gosset Jr. (Watchmen), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen), Jovan Adepo (Watchmen)
Will Win: Jim Parsons
Jim Parsons is an Emmy darling (he’s won 4 Emmy awards before) and did well with his role in Hollywood. His wasn’t my favorite role in the show, but he is a favorite of Emmy voters, so he’s most likely to win this category.
Could Win: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Again, I think Watchmen has the potential to sweep the awards, and Yahya is the most likely one to win this category for playing Cal/Dr. Manhattan, but there is a chance that the three Watchmen nominees in this category very well could cancel each other out and have the win go to another actor.
Should Win: Dylan McDermott
If anyone can best embody a Ryan Murphy show (ANY Ryan Murphy show), it’s Dylan McDermott. He brings just the right amount of camp and dramatic flair to his role of Ernie and would be my pick to win this if I were an Emmy voter.
Supporting Actress
The Nominees: Holland Taylor (Hollywood), Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America), Margo Martindale (Mrs. America), Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America), Toni Collette (Unbelievable), Jean Smart (Watchmen)
Will Win: Jean Smart
She was, like the rest of her castmates, amazing in Watchmen. She’s the most likely one to win this category, not slowing down the Watchmen win train.
Should Win: Holland Taylor
She was so good as acting coach Ellen Kincaid, giving a wonderfully understated performance that brought nuance and heart to a very over-the-top show. She’s also a queen, so I would just love to see her win this.
Now we just have to wait until September 20th to see who comes out victorious!