Amid all the hoopla over whether the Television Academy can pull off a successful virtual party, it's easy to overlook the ceremony's mission to celebrate the best in the business. Here's a stab at predictions in key categories:
Limited series
Nominees: "Little Fires Everywhere," "Mrs. America," "Unbelievable," "Unorthodox," "Watchmen."
Who should and will win: In an extraordinary year for female-driven miniseries, "Watchmen" landed the most powerful punch. Expect star Regina King to add a fourth acting Emmy to her mantel.
Comedy series
Nominees: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Dead to Me," "The Good Place," "Insecure," "The Kominsky Method," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Schitt's Creek," "What We Do in the Shadows."
Who will win: "Schitt's Creek," the "SCTV"-rooted sitcom that flew under the radar for years, completes its unlikely rise to the top.
Who should win: "Maisel," a previous winner in this category, did nothing to stain its marvelous reputation. The show's best bet lies with scene-stealer Alex Borstein, who is in line for a three-peat in the supporting actress race.
Comedic actress
Nominees: Christina Applegate ("Dead to Me"), Rachel Brosnahan ("Maisel"), Linda Cardellini ("Dead to Me"), Catherine O'Hara ("Schitt's Creek"), Issa Rae ("Insecure"), Tracee Ellis Ross ("Black-ish").
Who will win: O'Hara has an Emmy in her pocket, but it's for writing nearly 40 years ago. Time for a shiny new one.
Who should win: Applegate buried her Kelly Bundy persona once and for all with this layered performance. Co-star Cardellini was almost as impressive.
Comedic actor
Nominees: Anthony Anderson ("Black-ish"), Don Cheadle ("Black Monday"), Ted Danson ("The Good Place"), Michael Douglas ("Kominsky"), Eugene Levy ("Schitt's Creek"), Ramy Youssef ("Ramy").
Who will and should win: Levy has a good chance of being part of a "Schitt's" sweep, but my money is on Youssef and a sitcom tailor-made for these "woke" times.
Dramatic series
Nominees: "Better Call Saul," "The Crown," "The Handmaid's Tale," "Killing Eve," "The Mandalorian," "Ozark," "Stranger Things," "Succession."
Who should and will win: Unless "Star Wars" fans somehow manage to vote twice, it's a "Succession" lock.
Dramatic actor
Nominees: Sterling K. Brown ("This Is Us"), Steve Carell ("The Morning Show"), Brian Cox ("Succession"), Billy Porter ("Pose"), Jeremy Strong ("Succession").
Who should and will win: The "Succession" co-stars may split the vote, but I suspect Cox will still garner enough support to take home the Emmy, his first since being honored for "Nuremberg" 20 years ago.
Dramatic actress
Nominees: Jennifer Aniston ("The Morning Show"), Olivia Colman ("The Crown"), Jodie Comer ("Killing Eve"), Laura Linney ("Ozark"), Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve"), Zendaya ("Euphoria").
Who will win: The closest horse race of the night. When in doubt, back a queen, especially when she's a recent Oscar winner.
Who should win: This wasn't the sharpest season of "Eve," but I'd love to see Oh take home the same prize her co-star snagged last time around.
Neal Justin
