Patti Murin, Michael Paul Smith, TV Staff Make Emmy Predictions

By: Matt Tamanini Sep. 18, 2015

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Alright TV junkies, it's time to celebrate the best that was during the 2014-2015 TV Season. The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards telecast will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, September 20th (8 PM ET/5 PM PT) on FOX from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and BroadwayWorld TV has you covered with all of the news, features, and coverage you could want.

Throughout the week, we've been highlighting some of our favorite nominees with theatre backgrounds, and on Sunday, we will have a live-recap blog, looks back at all of the winners and the ceremony's best moments, and we will be live tweeting from @BWWTVWorld.

This afternoon, we are releasing our official BroadwayWorld predictions. Below you will find the predictions of all of BWW TV cumulative recappers; Jennifer McHugh, BWW TV Critic and Co-Host of the new "Some Like it Pop Podcast," Patti Murin, Broadway leading lady and BWW's resident BACHELOR expert; Caryn Robbins, BWW TV's Managing Editor; Michael Paul Smith, the star, writer, and director of BWW's hit web comedy THE RESIDUALS; and me, Matt Tamanini, BWW's Senior TV and Film Critic.

As you can see below, everyone took a slightly different approach to their picks; some were straight forward, some sided with fellow theatre folk, and some (Jenn) covered their bases by picking everyone in the category in some form or fashion. Let us know whom you will be rooting for in the comments below, or on twitter, using #BWWEmmys.

BWW Recappers: MAD MEN
McHugh: Will/Hope/Should Win: MAD MEN | Ridiculous Snub: THE AMERICANS
Murin: Obviously GAME OF THRONES should win this, mainly because I started literally every single other series on this list and got bored. Or annoyed. Or saw someone that my husband dated previously and didn't feel like watching anymore. GAME OF THRONES for the win!!!
Robbins: MAD MEN
Smith: MAD MEN; This show's final season left pretty much no one disappointed. This to me is the slam dunk of the year.
Tamanini: I am normally not a fan of giving annual awards for "Lifetime Achievement" purposes, but in the case of MAD MEN, whose sun has been blotted out by BREAKING BAD for years, it's time to let this show go out on an Emmy high note. I believe that MAD MEN will and should win this category.

BWW Recappers: MODERN FAMILY
McHugh: Will Win: TRANSPARENT | Hope Wins: SILICON VALLEY | Should Win: VEEP | Ridiculous Snub: YOU'RE THE WORST
Murin: PARKS AND REC! I had a longer relationship with this show than my first husband, plus Amy Poehler is a comic genius.
Robbins: MODERN FAMILY
Smith: VEEP
Tamanini: As I said on the podcast, TRANSPARENT is the right show at the right time. Not only is it a singularly remarkable show, but it is addressing an important issue of education and acceptance that this country needs right now. I think TRANSPARENT will and should win, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that, in this category, my heart belongs to KIMMY SCHMIDT.

BWW Recappers: Jon Hamm
McHugh: Will/Hope/Should Win: Jon Hamm | Ridiculous Snub: Matthew Rhys, THE AMERICANS
Murin: I know the popular answer is Jon Hamm, and he will probably win, but Kyle Chandler is spectacular, and so is BLOODLINE. If you haven't watched it yet, DO IT. So many Broadway people on that show!
Robbins: Kevin Spacey
Smith: Jon Hamm
Tamanini: As I said in the Drama category with MAD MEN, Jon Hamm should and will win this award, not only for a satisfying (if not uneven) ending to a ground-breaking series, but for creating one of the most iconic and important roles in American TV history. That being typed, any time Kyle Chandler is nominated for anything, I hope he wins, just so he can deliver an acceptance speech that ends with "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."

BWW Recappers: Viola Davis
Jennifer McHugh: Will Win: Viola Davis | Hope/Should Win: Tatiana Maslany | Ridiculous Snub: Keri Russell, THE AMERICANS
Murin: TATIANA MASLANY!!! She plays like 82 different roles, and you actually have to remind yourself that it's the same actress every time. She's been snubbed in the past, so I don't expect her to take it, but she works harder than all of these actresses combined.
Robbins: Viola Davis
Smith: Elisabeth Moss; I could stay up all night trying to find the perfect pitch for Elisabeth Moss's portrayal of Peggy Olsen to win this year. But that would imply that I'm as good as Peggy. And I wouldn't dare.
Tamanini: While I would love for Tatiana Maslany to win this award, I recognize that there is next to no chance that she actually will win; and while her performance is always the most impressive, given how much layered and nuanced work she does on an episode-to-episode basis, Season 3 of ORPHAN BLACK, while more coherent than S2, was nowhere near the psychological, ethical, and emotional masterpiece of the first season. So, other than Tat, I guess I will stick with the MAD MEN theme and pick ~~Zoey Bartlet~~ Elisabeth Moss.

BWW Recappers: Jeffrey Tambor
McHugh: Will Win: Jeffrey Tambor | Hope Wins: Will Forte | Should Win: Louis C.K. | Ridiculous Snub: Jonathan Groff, LOOKING
Murin: Anthony Anderson, mainly because the kids on that show are stupid adorable. He's good too.
Robbins: Louis C.K.
Smith: Jeffrey Tambor; I think the mark of great artists is their willingness to challenge themselves. Jeffrey Tambor manages to do that, while also somehow making it look easy.
Tamanini: Jeffrey Tambor should and will win this one. See my note on Comedy series above.

BWW Recappers: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
McHugh: Will Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Hope Wins: Amy Schumer | Should Win: Amy Poehler | Ridiculous Snub: Ellie Kemper, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
Murin: Anyone named Amy could win this and I would be happy.
Robbins: Amy Schumer
Smith: Lisa Kudrow; Easily the most sought-after return of a show in recent memory, and the most quotable comedy of the year, in my opinion. This show didn't miss a beat.
Tamanini: While I would expect Julia Louis-Dreyfus to win a sixth time, or for Amy Poehler to get a going away Emmy, no one in this category deserves the trophy more than Amy Schumer. Good comedy makes you laugh, great comedy makes you laugh and think, transcendent comedy makes you laugh, think, and change; and the work on INSIDE AMY SCHUMER is nothing if not transcendent. With her humor, heart, and intelligence, Schumer is helping change the way that Americans think of women in Hollywood, and, more importantly, women in general.

BWW Recappers: Peter Dinklage
McHugh: Will Win: Peter Dinklage | Hope/Should Win: Ben Mendelsohn | Ridiculous Snub: John Slattery, MAD MEN
Murin: Ben Mendelsohn. Enough said. WATCH BLOODLINE NOW.
Robbins: Ben Mendelsohn
Smith: Peter Dinklage
Tamanini: I don't watch GAME OF THRONES, I'm not a big fantasy fan, and it seems like too much work to catch up now, but Dinklage seems to be the odds on favorite, which is fine for me, but like some of my astute colleagues have said, Ben Mendelsohn's portrayal of Danny Rayburn on BLOODLINE is honestly one of the most impressive performances I have ever seen. This is an actor that I have never heard of before in intense scenes with the likes of Kyle Chandler, Norbert Leo Butz, Sam Shepard, and Sissy Spacek, and he is by far the most compelling person on screen. This performance is the stuff that dreams are made of.

BWW Recappers: Uzo Aduba
McHugh: Will Win: Christina Hendricks | Hope Wins: Uzo Aduba | Should Win: Joanne Froggatt | Ridiculous Snub: Melissa McBride, THE WALKING DEAD
Murin: All of these women are amazing, but Uzo Aduba is special and wonderful and deserves all the awards ever. Did you see her in CORAM BOY on Broadway?? Yeah.
Robbins: Christina Hendricks
Smith: Lena Headey; Any G.O.T fans (who are caught up, that is) know the exact scene that should earn Lena Headey her Emmy this year. Enough said.
Tamanini: Chalk another up to the MAD MEN sweep, and give it to Christina Hendricks, though the idea of Uzo Aduba winning for Guest Actress in a Comedy last year and Supporting Actress in a Drama this year for the same character on the same show, is kind of interesting.

BWW Recappers: Tituss Burgess
McHugh: Will Win: Tony Hale | Hope Wins: Tituss Burgess | Should Win: Keegan-Michael Key | Ridiculous Snub: Jordan Peele, KEY & PEELE
Murin: Tituss! Can you tell I'm skewing Broadway here?
Robbins: Tituss Burgess
Smith: Keegan-Michael Key
Tamanini: Many people will tell you that VEEP is the best comedy on TV, and while Julia Louis-Dreyfus' presence has brought it to the forefront, it has also helped shed a light on the often overlooked brilliance of Tony Hale. I think that as the VEEP star continues to ascend, Hale will become more a part of that trajectory. So, I expect him to win this year, but Tituss Burgess delivered a majority of the best lines on KIMMY SCHMIDT, so I will be rooting for him Sunday night.

BWW Recappers: Anna Chlumsky
McHugh: Will Win: Gaby Hoffman | Hope Wins: Kate McKinnon| Should Win: Anna Chlumsky| Ridiculous Snub: Kristen Schaal, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
Murin: Kate McKinnon has the gift of becoming any human being on the planet, so she should get a trophy for that.
Robbins: Mayim Bialik
Smith: Allison Janney
Tamanini: I mean, at this point, you would be foolish to pick against anyone with the words "MODERN FAMILY" after their name, but I think the Emmy voters are getting tired of the pushback from the MODERN FAMILY fatigue, so I would go against the history here and pick Allison Janney. While MOM isn't the best comedy on TV, Janney is beloved in the industry, and there is a far better chance that people will vote for her performance on a Chuck Lorre-produced CBS sitcom than they will for someone they aren't as familiar with on a streaming or premium cable show.

McHugh: Richard Jenkins
Murin: I didn't watch any of these, but I love Richard Jenkins, and I loved that book, so let's go with him.
Robbins: David Oyelowo
Smith: David Oyelowo
Tamanini: Anything DEREK is incredibly funny and touching, but I am going with Broadway's favorite acceptance speech poet Mark Rylance. Based on the same novels that gave us WOLF HALL PARTS 1 AND 2 on Broadway this year, this mini-series starred Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and erstwhile Nicholas Brody, Damian Lewis as Henry VIII. If you haven't seen it, you should.

LEAD ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Felicity Huffman, AMERICAN CRIME | Jessica Lange, AMERICAN HORROR STORY | Queen Latifah, BESSIE | Maggie Gyllenhaal, THE HONORABLE WOMAN | Frances McDormand, OLIVE KITTERIDGE | Emma Thompson, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

McHugh: Frances McDormand
Murin: I would say Emma Thompson, but I hold the shameful opinion of not liking SWEENEY TODD. Sue me! So let's say Jessica Lange.
Robbins: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Smith: Queen Latifah
Tamanini: I LOVED THE HONORABLE WOMAN, and think that Maggie Gyllenhaal deserves this win, but for much of the same reasons that one of my favorite shows on TV, RECTIFY, didn't get a single nomination, (both shows air on little seen network Sundance TV) she won't win. My gut is telling me that Queen Latifah will end the weekend half way to an EGOT.

McHugh: THE AMAZING RACE
Murin: I mean, if THE BACHELOR and THE BACHELORETTE and BACHELOR IN PARADISE aren't on this list, I guess I'll go with my second reality love, THE AMAZING RACE.
Robbins: THE AMAZING RACE
Smith: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
Tamanini: I wrote an entire column this week on why SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE is one of the most important television shows on TV today, but it has no shot of winning. Since this award was established in 2003, THE AMAZING RACE has won 10 times. They have a record of 10-2 in this category. Until another show can break the streak for more than one year at a time, I'm sticking with them.

McHugh: Will Win: THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON | Hope Wins: THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART| Should Win: LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN | Ridiculous Snub: THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE
Murin: I'm boycotting this category because we need more women in late night.
Robbins: THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
Smith: THE COLBERT REPORT; Remember how relieved you were to see the return of Stephen to your television? Me too.
Tamanini: I honestly don't know how you pick in this category. Three of the shows aren't on the air anymore, two routinely deliver side-splittingly funny content, and the other, LAST WEEK TONIGHT, might be the smartest show on TV. I would be fine with any if these shows win, but my heart has always belonged to THE DAILY SHOW. I still have a book of Craig Kilborne's best "Five Questions."

LIMITED SERIES
AMERICAN CRIME | AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW | THE HONORABLE WOMAN | OLIVE KITTERIDGE | WOLF HALL

McHugh: OLIVE KITTERIDGE
Murin: OLIVE KITTERIDGE! I loved that book. I'm sure the miniseries was just as good.
Robbins: AMERICAN CRIME
Smith: OLIVE KITTERIDGE
Tamanini: As I said above, I would love for THE HONORABLE WOMAN TO win, and I also really enjoyed WOLF HALL, but I think most of my colleagues are correct that OLIVE KITTERIDGE will win.

VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
DRUNK HISTORY | INSIDE AMY SCHUMER | KEY & PEELE | PORTLANDIA | SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

McHugh: INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
Murin: AMY SCHUMER AMY SCHUMER AMY SCHUMER AMY SCHUMER AMY SCHUMER
Robbins: INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
Smith: KEY & PEELE
Tamanini: DRUNK HISTORY and PORTLANDIA make me uncomfortable and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE is often more annoying than funny, so I can't go with any of those shows, but it is tough to pick a winner between INSIDE AMY SCHUMER and KEY & PEELE. I think they both do incredible work presenting comedy from a different perspective (and I mean that because of more than just their race or gender), and with KEY & PEELE ending their run this season, I would like to see them recognized, but INSIDE AMY SCHUMER deserves this win.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Richard Cabral, AMERICAN CRIME | Denis O'Hare, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW | Finn Wittrock, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW | Michael Kenneth Williams, BESSIE | Bill Murray, OLIVE KITTERIDGE | Damian Lewis, WOLF HALL

McHugh: Billy Murray
Murin: Finn Wittrock was crazy pants creepy, and somehow still hot.
Robbins: Richard Cabral
Smith: Bill Murray
Tamanini: I would LOVE to see Denis O'Hare win, but AHS: FREAK SHOW was a dumpster fire of missed opportunities and forgotten storylines. Anytime a comedian plays against type in a serious role that is the definition of award's bait. I'm taking Bill Murray here.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Regina King, AMERICAN CRIME | Sarah Paulson, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW | Angela Bassett, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW | Kathy Bates, AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW | Mo'Nique, BESSIE | Zoe Kazan, OLIVE KITTERIDGE

McHugh: Mo'Nique
Murin: Kathy Bates! Just cause I like her. BOOM.
Robbins: Mo'Nique
Smith: Mo'Nique
Tamanini: As I said above about AHS, I think the show often starts out incredibly strong, before unraveling amidst its own lofty ideas. However, Sarah Paulson did some really impressive work playing conjoined twins Bettie and Dot Tattler. While this show doesn't have the prestige of BESSIE or OLIVE KITTERIDGE, I think the feat that a beloved actress like Paulson pulled off will carry her to a win. I also love everything Zoe Kazan does, including OLIVE KITTERIDGE, so I will be rooting for her.

Ok, you've seen our picks, who've you got? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" challenge, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Also, stick with BWW TV all weekend for in-depth Emmy coverage, including all the winners, a live-recap, video of all of the best moments, and more on Sunday night. Follow along with all of our coverage on twitter using #BWWEmmys, and don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.

Photo Credit: The Emmy Awards

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Patti Murin, Michael Paul Smith, TV Staff Make Emmy Predictions

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