Emily Cottone
Tonight is the night! The 65th PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS is only hours away and speculation has reached its peak. With a solid combination of old favorites and new faces it’s going to be difficult to pin down the nights winners. Fortunately, I love a challenge. So without further ado here are my two cents on how the night is going to play out…
Best Series (Drama)
Who Will Win: BREAKING BAD is unstoppable this year. With only two episodes left, the shows hype has reached an all-time high. If you don’t believe me, count how many of your Facebook statuses will be about tonight’s episode. That show is almost a religious experience to its fans. That zealousness coupled with the massive amounts of critical praise make it a shoe in to win the night’s top prize before its series finale a week from today.
Who Should Win: GAME OF THRONES is the most ambitious show on television and this past season was absolutely jaw dropping both visually and plot wise (I still can’t talk about the Red Wedding without crying for at least fifteen minutes). The scope of the show is nothing short of epic and the amazingly talented ensemble cast consistently delivers some of the best moments ever written for the small screen. Unfortunately, the fantasy genre has always been a tough sell for Emmy voters so I fully expected this brilliant show to be passed over.
Best Actor (Drama)
Who Will Win: Although Bryan Cranston has already won this award three other times, he is still the frontrunner for the gold. Cranston has captivated audiences everywhere as the infamous Walter White. Not only did we watch the destruction of this man’s soul, Cranston had me wondering if good ol’ Walt ever had one to begin with.
Who Should Win: Emmy voters, it’s time to give Jon Hamm a trophy for his phenomenal work on MAD MEN. With the series winding down and entering its (heavily staggered) final season we only have so much time left with the sexy and tortured Don Draper. It would be a travesty for Jon Hamm to say goodbye his iconic character without taking home the Best Actor statue at least once.
Best Actress (Drama)
Who Will Win: It would be easy (and completely justified) to give Claire Danes another Emmy for her fearlessly acted role on HOMELAND. Dane’s knows how to pack an emotional punch. Her performance is sometimes so raw that I feel indecent watching. By all accounts she deserves it.
Who Should Win: SCANDAL may be dismissed as a soap opera on speed but Kerry Washington’s performance as the political savvy Olivia Pope should be taken very seriously. Interestingly, if she were to win it would make her the first African American woman to ever win in this category.
Dark Horse: Vera Farmiga (BATES MOTEL) as the neurotic, controlling mother of future serial killer Norman Bates is haunting and deserving of countless accolades.
Best Supporting Actor (Drama)
Who Will Win and Who Should Win: Aaron Paul of course! He is the emotional center of BREAKING BAD and it would very fitting for him to walk away from the role Emmy in hand.
Best Supporting Actress (Drama)
Who Will and Should Win: Anna Gunn (BREAKING BAD) has got this in the bag. Watching Skylar fight for her morality and family as her entire reality unraveled has made for completely breathtaking television. An Emmy is long overdue.
Best Comedy Series
Who Will Win: The safe bet is definitely MODERN FAMILY as it has been the apple of the Emmy’s eye for the past three years but every streak has to end sometime. VEEP is fresh enough that it might just dethrone the popular family comedy BUT if I’m being honest…
Who Should Win: 30 ROCK took its final bow last year and it deserves one last Emmy to commemorate seven years of hilariously original comedy.
Egregious Snub: No PARKS AND RECREATION? Really? It completely baffles me that the smartest comedy on television isn’t even nominated. Sure, PARKS AND RECREATION took a while to get its footing but it has long since grown into a spectacular single camera sitcom. Wake up and smell the waffles Emmy. You’re screwing up.
Best Actor (Comedy)
Who Will Win: I almost put Louis C.K (LOUIE) in the “should win” category but I have a feeling that the award is his to lose this year. He may not be the exact definition of an acting tour de force but his nuanced and subtly sad performance in LOUIE sets him apart from the other nominees.
Who Should Win: Does anyone else think Matt LeBlanc (EPISODES) is completely hilarious as a fictionalized caricature of himself? It would be really awesome to see such a hardworking and self-effacing actor come out as top dog.
Best Actress (Comedy)
Who Will Win: Yes, Julia Louis Dreyfus is a comedy Goddess and her work on VEEP as the incompetent Vice President continues to be absolutely stellar BUT she took home the statue last year so her winning would feel a tad bit redundant.
Who Should Win: Amy Poehler has been grossly overlooked for far too long. As I’ve said several times before, PARKS AND RECREATION is the smartest comedy on network television and that is in no small part to Amy Poehler. Give this woman the Emmy love she deserves!
Best Supporting Actor (Comedy)
Who Will Win: Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ed O’Neil have equal chances of taking home this award. They are the only two members of the adult cast of MODERN FAMILY that have yet to be recognized by the Emmy’s so it seems as if it’s only a matter of time before both of them win.
Who Should Win: The man who brought the world Stefon (New York’s hottest club promoter) deserves all of the Emmy love. His diverse range and numerous characters have made him an SNL staple and now that he’s gone winning this Emmy would be the cherry on top of a job very well done.
Fun Fact: If Bill Hader were to win it would mark SNL’S first Emmy win in any of the acting categories.
Best Supporting Actress (Comedy)
Who Will Win: Mayim Bialik will most likely take home the Emmy this year. Her socially inept and sexually frustrated Amy has been given fantastic material this year as her relationship with Sheldon has continued to evolve. Not to mention her chemistry with Jim Parsons is out of this world.
Who Should Win:Jane Krakowski has been nominated in this category three other times and it’s about time she won. 30 ROCK’S Jenna Maroney is a psychotic narcissist that could make even Karen Walker seem tame by comparison. She took insanity to a new level year after year and for that she should be justly rewarded.
Get ready Emmy watchers. The competition is tough this year and I’m fully expecting a few surprises. Not to mention Neil Patrick Harris is hosting and that’s bound to be de… wait for it… lightful! 
Emily Cottone has been a TV addict since she her awkward middle school days when she realized the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were her longest and most stable relationships. Even though she has long since managed to establish actual human connections television remains one of her very best friends. Follow her on Twitter @EmilyTalksTV.