Now for the finale of my “If I Picked the Emmy Winners” series. This time around I’ll be revealing which shows, actors, directors and writers I would vote for in the Drama categories.
If you haven’t already, check out my Comedy winners here and my Limited Series/TV Movie/Variety winners here. Now let’s dive right in. Remember, I will reveal which Emmy nominees I would vote for to win, and also my own personal pick from the 2016-17 TV season outside the confines of the nominees.
The nominees for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series are…
Alexis Bledel – The Handmaid’s Tale
Laverne Cox – Orange Is the New Black
Ann Dowd – The Leftovers
Shannon Purser – Stranger Things
Cicely Tyson – How to Get Away with Murder
Alison Wright – The Americans
I would vote for:
Ann Dowd – The Leftovers
To say that I was disappointed that the only Emmy nomination The Leftovers received in three seasons was this one would be an understatement. Having said that, Ann Dowd was absolutely brilliant in all three seasons of The Leftovers so I’m glad she could represent the entire show here. Dowd only appeared in one episode as Patti Levin in Season 3, but she was just as tormenting and hilarious as ever.
My personal pick:
Alexis Bledel – The Handmaid’s Tale
Yes, my personal pick is Alexis Bledel even though I would vote for Ann Dowd. Suffice to say, I want to give The Leftovers at least one Emmy and this would be my only opportunity, but Bledel’s work in The Handmaid’s Tale really stuck with me. As a handmaid forced to undergo cruel punishments just for being who she is, Bledel was heartbreaking in a near silent role. I never thought she was capable of delivering such a performance.
The nominees for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series are…
Hank Azaria – Ray Donovan
Brian Tyree Henry – This Is Us
Gerald McRaney – This Is Us
Ben Mendelsohn – Bloodline
Denis O’Hare – This Is Us
BD Wong – Mr. Robot
I would vote for:
Gerald McRaney – This Is Us
Gerald McRaney is one of the most under-appreciated veteran actors working today, but he finally got his breakout moment as Dr. K on This Is Us. From the very first episode he imbued his character with such warmth, and in his centric episode, titled “The Big Day,” McRaney delivers a masterful performance as a man struggling to cope with the loss of his wife.
My personal pick:
Gerald McRaney – This Is Us
Same reasons as above. There was no other guest actor in a drama series this year that crafted such a complex character in just a few episodes.
The nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series are…
Uzo Aduba – Orange Is the New Black
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
Ann Dowd – The Handmaid’s Tale
Chrissy Metz – This Is Us
Thandie Newton – Westworld
Samira Wiley – The Handmaid’s Tale
I would vote for:
Thandie Newton – Westworld
I am not the biggest fan of Westworld by any means, but one of the few things that kept me going with its first season was Thandie Newton’s performance as robot-gone-rogue Maeve Millay. Every time the show focused on her story of awakening and remembering her brutal past I was more invested, and Newton breathed so much life into what is, in my opinion, a dull series.
My personal pick:
Amy Brenneman – The Leftovers
So much has been written about Carrie Coon, Justin Theroux, and Ann Dowd’s performances in The Leftovers, but Amy Brenneman deserves to be in this conversation. The Season 3 episode “Certified” was probably the best performance of Brenneman’s career as her character, Laurie Garvey, reflects on her life and makes some meaningful choices. It was a devastating work of art, carried by Brenneman’s incredible talent.
The nominees for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series are…
Better Call Saul (“Witness”) — Vince Gilligan
The Crown (“Hyde Park Corner”) — Stephen Daldry
The Handmaid’s Tale (“Offred”) — Reed Morano
The Handmaid’s Tale (“The Bridge”) — Kate Dennis
Homeland (“America First”) — Lesli Linka Glatter
Stranger Things (“Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers”) — The Duffer Brothers
Westworld (“The Bicameral Mind”) — Jonathan Nolan
I would vote for:
Stranger Things (“Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers”) — The Duffer Brothers
This is not my ideal lineup, but I was most impressed by the Stranger Things pilot, which plunged into the world of ’80s childhood wonder with confidence. The Duffer Brothers immediately create an iconic aesthetic for the show and carefully teased out story threads that would be picked up in later episodes.
My personal pick:
The Leftovers (“The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)” — Craig Zobel
I absolutely loved “International Assassin,” the bonkers Season 2 episode of The Leftovers that took place in a purgatory-like space, and “The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)” very much lived up to this in Season 3. Director Craig Zobel had a lot on his hands, from double Justin Theroux to an insane presidential storyline and managed to produce a surprisingly emotional episode.
The nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series are…
Jonathan Banks – Better Call Saul
David Harbour – Stranger Things
Ron Cephas Jones – This Is Us
Michael Kelly – House of Cards
John Lithgow – The Crown
Mandy Patinkin – Homeland
Jeffrey Wright – Westworld
I would vote for:
Ron Cephas Jones – This Is Us
Ron Cephas Jones is a veteran actor I wasn’t fully conscious of before This Is Us but like McRaney, this was his day in the sun. This Is Us is sometimes criticized for being too sentimental at times, but Jones rose above and beyond the material as William, Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) cancer-stricken biological father. The episode “Memphis” is a total knockout for Jones, and I have to admit that he made me tear up.
My personal pick:
Tears. Chills.
The nominees for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series are…
The Americans (“The Soviet Division”) — Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg
Better Call Saul (“Chicanery”) — Gordon Smith
The Crown (“Assassins”) — Peter Morgan
The Handmaid’s Tale (“Offred”) — Bruce Miller
Stranger Things (“Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers”) — The Duffer Brothers
Westworld (“The Bicameral Mind”) — Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan
I would vote for:
The Handmaid’s Tale (“Offred”) — Bruce Miller
Much like the pilot episode of Stranger Things, The Handmaid’s Tale pilot immediately grabs your attention due to its devastating concept. This is thanks to Margaret Atwood’s original source material, but Bruce Miller structures this material in a way that had me hooked by the end of the episode. Again, this isn’t the best group of nominees this category has ever had, but The Handmaid’s Tale pilot stands out from the rest.
My personal pick:
The Leftovers (“The Book of Nora”) — Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta, and Tom Spezialy
The series finale of The Leftovers left me stunned, with Nora Durst (Carrie Coon) taking centerstage on a quest to find inner peace. The episode, written by Tom Spezialy and series creators Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, was an emotional journey for Nora and Kevin (Justin Theroux), who find each other later in life and acknowledge their fragile lives. The episode’s final monologue by Coon is an exemplary piece of writing.
The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series are…
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us
Anthony Hopkins – Westworld
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys – The Americans
Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey – House of Cards
Milo Ventimiglia – This Is Us
I would vote for:
Sterling K. Brown is one of my favorite actors working today, and his role as Randall Pearson in This Is Us is a shining example of his talent. Brown plays Randall as a role model and as a warm patriarchal figure, but he excels most in showing his flaws. While Brown and co-star Milo Ventimiglia play similar characters, the former brings a level of likable resonance that puts him over the top for me.
My personal pick:
Freddie Highmore – Bates Motel
What a legacy Freddie Highmore has left. In this final season of Bates Motel, Highmore’s Norman Bates confronted grief, self-doubt, rage, hurt and so much more as he coped with life without his beloved mother. It’s a shame there was such genre bias among awards groups because Highmore truly delivers one of the most iconic performances in modern-day television.
The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series are…
Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder
Claire Foy – The Crown
Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale
Keri Russell – The Americans
Evan Rachel Wood – Westworld
Robin Wright – House of Cards
I would vote for:
Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale
Elisabeth Moss is an actress who knows how to use her face to convey a thousand emotions at once. Her role as Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale allows her to explore those depths as we watch a fire rage inside her, a desire to change her circumstances, while also calculating the best move for each moment with the higher-ups at Gilead. It’s a performance that keeps getting better, too, with the finale being some of her finest work as an actress.
My personal pick:
Carrie Coon – The Leftovers
Damn you, Carrie Coon. Damn you for delivering one of the best performances in television history in just 28 episodes. It is the kind of bare-bones, raw performances that will make me follow Coon throughout her career, just because I know what she is capable of. Her performance in the finale, as discussed above, is the kind of masterful acting that just doesn’t come around much anymore.
The nominees for Outstanding Drama Series are…
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
House of Cards
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
I would vote for:
The Handmaid’s Tale
First of all, way to go, Emmys, for not even nominating The Leftovers. Unfortunately I’ll have to vote for the second best drama series of the year here, and the closest in quality, for me, is The Handmaid’s Tale. The emotional core of this show is a huge part of my investment in it, especially in regards to modern times, where the religious right continues to try and make their outdated doctrine into law. The performances, from Moss to Bledel to Ann Dowd to Yvonne Strahovski are excellent, each of them selling very difficult material.
My personal pick:
The Leftovers
Honestly, what else was it going to be? The quality of this show can best be summed up with my favorite Lady Gaga clip of all time:
So there you have it! Please consider watching some of the shows I’ve acknowledged in this and the previous two posts. The 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards will air live Sunday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on CBS.