It’s that time of year again, where the best shows of prime time television compete for the coveted Emmy Awards.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards are gearing up for this Sunday, where series like “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” “Game of Thrones” and “Fargo” dominate the nominations list.
Looking over the all these numbers may be perplexing, but let’s breakdown some of the numbers and most important nominations for this year’s Emmy’s.
Leading in overall numbers is HBO’s original series “Game of Thrones,” boasting 23 nominations total including nominations for outstanding drama series, as well as best supporting actor and actress for Kit Harrington, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke. “Game of Thrones” also has nominations for Miguel Sapochnik for outstanding directing for the episode “Battle of the Bastards,” as well as Jack Bender for the heart-wrenching episode “The Door.”
The HBO powerhouse might become one of the television series with the most wins of all time by the end of its run, needing only three more wins to surpass “Frasier’s” 37 awards.
Next in terms of overall nominations comes FX’s “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” with 22 overall nominations and “Fargo” with 18 nominations.
Both are nominated for outstanding limited series, while “The People vs. O.J.” has nominations for best actor in a limited series with Cuba Gooding Jr., best actress with Sarah Paulson, while “Fargo” has a potential winner in Kirsten Dunst in that same category.
In the realm of comedy, HBO’s “Veep” looks to retain its title it took from the ABC series “Modern Family” a year ago for outstanding comedy series, while also continuing to assert HBO’s dominance over the awards.
However, with every major network attempting to take precedent over another, there are a few predictions for key awards worth noting.
In the leading actor and actress categories, two noteworthy people to look at are Rami Malek of “Mr. Robot” and Viola Davis in “How to Get Away With Murder.”
Malek’s work as the cyber-security engineer turned vigilante hacker Elliot Alderson carves out its own path, one that has unlimited potential going into the show’s third season in 2017.
Davis acts as Professor Annalise Keating who becomes engulfed in a murder plot. But it’s through her acting ability that we see the true power of her performance. Already having had a monumental 2015 by becoming the first African-American woman to win for best leading actress in a drama series, she will likely still be a force to reckon with in this year’s Emmy’s.
In terms of supporting actors and actresses, there are plenty of options on the table, but only few stand out like “Better Call Saul’s” Jonathan Banks and “Downton Abbey’s” Dame Maggie Smith.
Banks as Mike Ehrmantraut delivers a performance that shines above his two main competitors Peter Dinklage and Kit Harrington, both of “Game of Thrones” fame.
Smith, like Banks, has to contend with the packed supporting cast of “Thrones.” While Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Maisie Williams all deliver stellar portrayals in the show’s sixth season, Smith’s incredible work as the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley will more than likely take home the gold.
While this year the Emmy’s showcase the best prime television has out there, one still has to look beyond the network blockbusters to find some of the best television the world has to offer.
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