The 62nd Annual Prime-Time Emmy Awards, with host Jimmy Fallon, will be televised on NBC Sunday night at 8 ET. Until then, it's anybody's guess who will win in the major categories -- so we here at TV WORTH WATCHING thought it would be fun to have anybody guess. We'll start with some of our correspondents, who are fighting for bragging rights. Then we'll open it up to you, for your OWN bragging rights, plus some tacky TV prize to be named later...
[UPDATE: Friday's USA Today features an Emmy advance article by Marco R. della Cava which both quotes me and credits TV WORTH WATCHING. Thanks, Marco! Read it HERE...]
Now that the website has been relaunched for, oh, almost a week, I thought I'd provide not only my own predictions for the winners of the top six categories, but those of others here at TVWW as well. Some were vacationing, and others were, let's just say, less than eager.
("Hell," Eric Mink wrote me in what he may have mistakenly thought was a private message, "even when I WATCHED everything, my Emmy predictions were always wrong!" By the way, I worked alongside the guy. They weren't.)
But I did get seven to play along -- managing editor Diane Werts, and correspondents P.J. Bednarski, Mark Bianculli, Tom Brinkmoeller (the Bs were well-accounted for), Eric Gould, Ed Martin and Alan Pergament. [Actually, there are eight: Theresa Corigliano slipped in tardily, but still welcomed.] Counting me, that's enough for a quorum, so let's see who's predicting what. And, because these folks are writers, expect commentary as well as votes. Some voted only in some categories, or only for winner, or only for whom they wanted to win. Others, after supplying their predictions, just kept writing.
In fact, three of them -- P.J., Mark, and Ed -- wrote such lengthy commentaries that they qualify as separate blogs. So, in addition to tallying their votes here, that's how I decided to publish them. On their own column pages here on TVWW, as well as on the overall Contributors blog, check out their comments, and reasoning, in their individual blog postings. We want you to get comfortable checking out the entire home page, and here's another good reason. Three of them, actually.
And when you're done reading the overall predictions here, feel free to add your own predictions. Just do it before 8 p.m. ET Sunday, or it won't be impressive -- and it won't count.
Here goes:
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, Lost, Mad Men, True Blood
P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: The Good Wife
WILL WIN: Mad Men
David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Breaking Bad, Dexter and Mad Men all had fabulous, win-worthy seasons.
WILL WIN: Mad Men
Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men
WILL WIN: Mad Men
Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Dexter and Breaking Bad had electrifying finales, but Mad Men ended a marriage, dissolved an ad agency and assassinated a president.
WILL WIN: Lost, for six years viewers will never get back. Now that's drama!
Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: The Good Wife
Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men, perhaps the most adult, believable drama since thirtysomething. I miss Miles.
WILL WIN: Mad Men
Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men
WILL WIN: Mad Men
Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men
WILL WIN: Lost
Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Dexter. Or Breaking Bad. I implore you Emmy people!
WILL WIN: But sigh, I suspect it'll be more so-sleek, so-cold Mad Men.
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee, Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, The Office, 30 Rock
P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: 30 Rock
WILL WIN: Curb Your Enthusiasm
David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Curb Your Enthusiasm, for its brilliant faux Seinfeld reunion - though Glee and Modern Family, in different ways, were brilliant, too.
WILL WIN: Modern Family
Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Glee
WILL WIN: Glee
Tom Brinkmoeller--
SHOULD WIN: 30 Rock
WILL WIN: Modern Family
Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: The other week I was watching TV episodes off the monitor in the seatback of an airplane. Earphones on, I was laughing out loud and didn’t realize it, until the flight attendant stopped by. "Oh, no wonder," she said. "You're watching Modern Family."
WILL WIN: Modern Family, with points to Curb for those funny Seinfeld reunion shows. Not funny: omitting The Big Bang Theory.
Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Big Bang Theory (Oh, right, they don't allow write-in votes... so, ok, Nurse Jackie)
Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Curb Your Enthusiasm -- Just smarter, and it's time to thank the smartest self-made pariah since John Cleese... just not as silly.
WILL WIN: Utter toss-up here, so I'll go with most jokes per square inch, 30 Rock.
Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Modern Family
WILL WIN: Glee
Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: 30 Rock
WILL WIN: Modern Family
Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: If Emmy wants to honor Glee, this looks like the place -- if voters consider it a comedy. That's fine by me.
WILL WIN: But I wouldn't be surprised to see them support the "real" comedy of Modern Family.
OUTSTANDING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights; Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Matthew Fox, Lost; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Hugh Laurie, House
P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Bryan Cranston
WILL WIN: Kyle Chandler
David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Honestly, everyone in this category astounded me last season. Everyone.
WILL WIN: Cranston, again.
Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: My heart wants Cranston for the three-peat.
WILL WIN: My head says Laurie will be recognized for a particularly difficult season.
Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Matthew Morrison should have been saluted here, instead of in comedy, after that terrifyingly real marital meltdown scene that yanked Glee off a campy cliff.
WILL WIN: Bryan Cranston, scary good as always in Breaking Bad.
Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Hugh Laurie (is anybody watching what he does?)
Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Jon Hamm, for Don Draper's multi-headed Hydra... a riddle inside a mystery.
WILL WIN: Jon Hamm. Three years of amazing work.
Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Jon Hamm
WILL WIN: If Michael C. Hall is ever to receive an Emmy for his work on Dexter it will happen this Sunday...
Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Michael C. Hall
WILL WIN: Jon Hamm
Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Every nominee knocked it out of the park.
WILL WIN: Hugh Laurie might win for House being bad/good/bad, and that would be good/good/good.
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights; Glenn Close, Damages; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; January Jones, Mad Men; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies
WILL WIN: January Jones
David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Connie Britton -- finally, much too tardily nominated.
WILL WIN: Julianna Margulies, in a relative upset over Glenn Close
Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies
WILL WIN: Julianna Margulies. This one's a no-brainer (hopefully, or I'll look very stupid). Hottest new drama. Hottest new character. Margulies is wonderful (and beautiful) in everything she's in. Time for a second Emmy.
Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: A few seasons ago, Julianna Margulies was miscast as an unsympathetic superwoman in Canterbury's Law. Perfectly cast as The Good Wife, she brought grace, edge and courage to a complicated character.
WILL WIN: Close, but no cigar.
Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies (she had me at the pilot)
Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Mariska Haritgay. If outstanding makes you believe, then I believe, every time, even within some of the dopier plots.
WILL WIN: Mariska Hargitay
Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Kyra Sedgwick, Connie Britton
WILL WIN: If anyone is going to block the formidable Glenn Close of Damages from a third consecutive win, it's Good Wife star Julianna Margulies.
Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Connie Britton
WILL WIN: Julianna Margulies
Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies did wonders with the least showy role in the group...
WILL WIN: ...And I'd be amazed if Emmy didn't recognize that.
OUTSTANDING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Steve Carell, The Office; Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Matthew Morrison, Glee; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Tony Shalhoub, Monk
P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Alec Baldwin
WILL WIN: Matthew Morrison
David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons are equally astounding.
WILL WIN: Let's shake things up: In the biggest surprise of the night, Parsons.
Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Parsons seems to be the easy fan favorite in this one...
WILL WIN: ...But I doubt the Academy will forget just what a true master of comedy Alec Baldwin has consistently proven to be.
Tom Brinkmoeller--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin
Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Sheldon Cooper is a narcissist know-it-all and yet Parsons finds a way to make him sympathetic if not quite loveable. That's quantum physics.
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin. Hey, he's Alec Baldwin.
Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons... Jim Parsons... Jim Parsons
Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Probably Steve Carell: Even though The Office has run out of steam, he hasn't, and his talent is at the top of this heap, if edging out Baldwin only by a lash.
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin
Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin, Tony Shalhoub. I'm calling this one a toss-up.
Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin
Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Please, oh please, give Jim Parsons his due. (Do voters think he IS his character?)
WILL WIN: But I suspect they'll give a big wet goodbye kiss to Tony Shalhoub.
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Toni Collette, The United States of Tara; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine; Lea Michele, Glee; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Tina Fey
WILL WIN: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Toni Collette
WILL WIN: Toni Collette. Hell, she could take home FIVE Emmys -- one for each alter ego -- and still have additional characters in her arsenal.
Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco
WILL WIN: Edie Falco. Since it's specifically an "actress" award, I think it would take a miracle to beat the likes of Edie Falco (...a miracle, or Toni Collette).
Tom Brinkmoeller--
SHOULD WIN: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
WILL WIN: Lea Michele
Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Glee's breakout star Jane Lynch, not even nominated here. C'mon, Lea Michele is in this category and Lynch is relegated to supporting actress? That's not how Sue C's it. The others are all funny ladies but, as Sue would say, nobody watches their shows.
WILL WIN: Tina Fey. And why not?
Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco
Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Toni Collette, for playing not just one character, but six. That's six Emmys.
WILL WIN: Toni Collette
Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco
WILL WIN: Edie Falco. With her work on Nurse Jackie, she has done something I didn't think possible -- she has shoved aside all memories of her career-defining role as Carmela Soprano.
Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco
WILL WIN: Edie Falco
Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
WILL WIN: Edie Falco, Toni Collette
--
Those are theirs. Now how about yours? You can vote only once -- and if you can figure out some other way to cheat, don't bother. The prizes, whatever they are, won't be worth it. And besides, I'm behind in mailing out the LAST prizes, though I've contacted those winners to apologize.
This website relaunching stuff takes time. So, it turns out, does tabulating Emmy predictions (he types, at 4:25 a.m. ET)...