Game of Thrones Emmy Competition and Biased Prognostication

Peter Dinklage, 2011

Or alternatively titled, “A guy that only watches Game of Thrones boldly predicts the winners of the 68^th Primetime Emmy Awards.”

The off-season is dark and full of TV shows I know nothing about.

Who better to run through the Emmy nominations and give half-ass, uneducated predictions about who has the best odds of winning? The certified village idiot. That’s who.

The ceremony will be held on Sunday, September 18, 2016. So get your tuxes rented, Sers. And ladies, pull out that dusty prom dress. It’s time to walk the carpet…

Disclaimer: This primary objective of this post is to provoke discussion on the nominees of the 68^th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they relate to Game of Thrones and NOT to give any merit whatsoever to my biased winning predictions. Good folks who have time to watch more telly than myself are abundantly more qualified to do so. If you are one of those people, then by all means, please give your opinion in the comments below. I am interested to read what you have to say.

Let’s be honest… awards mean different things to different people, especially those of us in the viewing public. I personally appreciate the recognition of great acting on a great production with great writing accompanied with great direction. But many don’t give a rip, which is their right. To each his/her own.

Does it mean that I pick my viewing pleasures by way of Emmy nominees? Unabashedly NO. Too many good shows have been overlooked through the years to let the Emmys decide what is blasted on the new H.D. L.G. of House O.Z.

Besides that, have you ever stopped watching a show just because it didn’t win an Emmy or because it was snubbed altogether? I would hope not. Virtually all of the selected nominees are likely worthy of something and the ceremony should be more of a celebration of great television rather than a concentration on who won and who lost.

That being said, it would be ludicrous for us not to root for the home team. And so we shall…

By the way, if you are unrefined on how Emmy voting is handled these days, I would suggest checking out this piece of reality. Probably the most interesting bit of info from the piece are the changes made just last year in an attempt to increase voter participation.

After becoming more in tune with the new procedure, perhaps I am qualified. Hell, we all are.

One more thing: This post is probably a great opportunity to recommend existing shows to watch now that we are devoid of the only show that matters. Knock yourselves out! Netflix’s Stranger Things is good stuff, especially if you are even mildly interested in sci-fi and are embroiled in some odd search of 80’s nostalgia. And thus far, HBO’s The Night Of has filled in the Sunday night vacancy beautifully.

And we’re off…

Best Drama

The Americans

Better Call Saul

Downton Abbey

Homeland

House of Cards

Game of Thrones

Mr. Robot

Biased Conjecture: Considering Thrones won the award for Season 5 for what was a less-than-stellar season, Thrones S6 has to be the undeniable favorite if for no other reason than the previous accolade vote (coupled with the fact that it was arguably much better).

A man has been informed that Mr. Robot is fantastic as well. I’ve been a fan of Rami Malek ever since his crushing portrayal of King Ahkmenrah in the coveted Night at the Museum trilogy. OK… I’m kidding about that one. What I meant to say, was his portrayal of Merriel “Snafu” Shelton in The Pacific. If you haven’t seen it, do it now.

Even better, it put Christian Slater back on television.

Beyond that, The Americans is on my personal radar for no other reason than word of mouth. I heard it was pretty damn compelling.

Even still, Thrones has the upper hand (of the queens) and Emmy voters would be foolish to uncrown a previous winner after the series was even better than the previous winning season. And they won’t.

Winner: Game of Thrones

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Downton Abbey “Episode 9”

Game of Thrones “The Door”

Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards”

Homeland “The Tradition of Hospitality”

Ray Donovan “Exsuscito”

The Knick “This is All We Are”

Biased Conjecture: When two of the six are nominated for the same show, then you are ahead of the curve right out of the gate. Homeland has a history of carrying its own weight in terms of noms and statues, and is always a fly in the punch at the GoT party.

But the only real threat here is probably Downton Abbey who is coming off of a series finale. Emmy voters have been known to give a farewell sympathy vote if nothing more than to show appreciation for the body of work. And we already know who is going to win Best Drama.

But considering the strong GoT eps that are nominated, an upset seems to be highly unlikely.

Winner: Battle of the Bastards (Sapochnik, baby)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Jonathan Banks- Better Call Saul

Ben Mendelsohn- Bloodline

Peter Dinklage- Game of Thrones

Kit Harington- Game of Thrones

Michael Kelly- House of Cards

Jon Voight- Ray Donovan

Biased Conjecture: Once again, the men of GoT have a decided advantage as it pertains to the other men of drama from various shows.

However, I’m not as certain about this one as I’d like to be.

Dinklage is a past winner and is obviously someone the voters cannot ignore. But I’m not sure that Peter had enough variable scenes during the course of Season 6 to display his vast array of acting chops to warrant a win.

Kit is a pleasant surprise and deserves the accolades of a nomination. Argue what you will about Harington’s ability, but no one can take away the guy’s passion and dedication to doing his best representation of the character. Even Cogman tweeted his congrats calling Kit the “hardest working sonofabitch I know.”

Making the odds even better would have been the inclusion of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. But the nominating Gods weren’t smiling on Jaime for some unknown, nonsensical reason.

That being said, the competition in the category is just too fierce for the hometown heroes. I haven’t seen Banks in Saul, but I did see him in Breaking Bad, and the guy literally kills it as Mike. And what little I’ve seen of Kelly in Cards is always quality.

I’m rooting for the King in the North. But…

Winner: Banks or Kelly

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Dame Maggie Smith- Downton Abbey

Lena Headey- Game of Thrones

Emilia Clarke- Game of Thrones

Maisie Williams- Game of Thrones

Maura Tierney- The Affair

Constance Zimmer- UnREAL

Biased Conjecture: Speaking of advantage, good Lord. Three of the six are from our backyard. And two of them are queens.

Emilia is always solid, so long as she is given more to work with than the monotone “break the wheel” dialogue. And Season 6 gave her a lot more to work with.

Maisie is a bit of a surprise nominee in the eyes of many (blind or not). Game of Thrones has given us the opportunity to see her progress from being a scared little girl back when Ned lost his head to a semi-trained assassin in the demise of Walder Frey. It’s definitely nice to see her recognized.

But this year seems pretty much a lock for Lena. After losing to Anna Gunn in 2014 and Uzo Aduba in 2015, voters won’t miss this opportunity to give the Queen her crown. No one knows how long Cersei will sit on the iron throne (and correspondingly, how long she will be alive in Season 7). Considering GoT won’t be in contention for the Emmy’s next year, this will be the final opportunity for voters to bend the knee for a while. As it relates to GoT, maybe ever.

Winner: Lena Headey

Outstanding Sound Editing

Black Sails  “XX”

Game of Thrones “The Door”

Gotham “Azrael”

Marvel’s Daredevil “New York’s Finest”

Vikings “The Last Ship”

Biased Conjecture: Dammit… “The Door” deserves to win something.

FX’s “The Americans”

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Downton Abbey “Episode 8”

Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards”

Mr. Robot “Pilot”

The Americans “Persona Non Grata”

The Good Wife “End”

UnREAL “Return”

Biased Conjecture: Voter fatigue. Thrones winning a handful of statues is pretty much a mathematical certainty. At what point do voters change their vote to avoid making the ceremony a GoT love fest?

And God forbid another entity having good writers and being recognized. Blasphemy!

Winner: Mr. Robot or The Americans

Outstanding Special Visual Effects

Black Sails “XX”

Game of Thrones “Battle of the Bastards”

Penny Dreadful “And They Were Enemies”

The Man in the High Castle “The New World”

Vikings “The Last Ship”

Biased Conjecture: I can honestly tell you that I haven’t been fortunate enough to see any of the opposing nominees. But I can promise you this: If BotB doesn’t win, I will immediately view the top award getter while conceding that I don’t have a damn clue what’s going on in the rest of the series. In other words, if it beats Battle, it deserves a stand-alone view.

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

House of Cards

Mr. Robot

Orange is the New Black

Biased Conjecture: Nina Gold.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Max von Sydow- Game of Thrones

Reg E. Cathey- House of Cards

Mahershala Ali- House of Cards

Paul Sparks- House of Cards

Hank Azaria- Ray Donovan

Michael J. Fox- The Good Wife

Biased Conjecture: Never tell me the odds, especially if they aren’t in my favor.

Cards returns serve with three nominations in the category all of which are pretty stellar judging from past performances. I’m a huge Reg E. Cathey fan from basically everything I’ve ever seen him in. Plus, he is a returning champion. Sparks and Ali are no slouches either and supposedly had more of a role in Cards than Reg this year.

Max portrayed the Three-Eyed rooted vision man better than anyone could have ask for and definitely deserves the nom. I’m just not sure it was enough of a role to unseat the current title holder or one of his co’s.

Winner: Cathey or Sparks

 

Enough of my banter! Here are the rest of the categories. Speculate as you see fit.

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or more)

American Horror Story: Hotel

Game of Thrones “Blood of my Blood, The Broken Man, No One”

House of Cards “Chapter41, Chapter 47, Chapter 48”

Penny Dreadful “Fresh Hell, Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places, And Hell Itself My Only Foe”

The Man in the High Castle “The New World”

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series

Bates Motel

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

Gotham

Homeland

House of Cards

The Man in the High Castle

OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION FOR A DRAMA SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE – 2016

Game of Thrones

Gotham

Daredevil

Rush Hour

Blacklist

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES – 2016

Downton Abbey

Game of Thrones

Masters of Sex

Penny Dreadful

The Knick

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES (NON-PROSTHETIC) – 2016

Game Of Thrones “Battle Of The Bastards”

Penny Dreadful “Glorious Horrors”

The Knick “Whiplash”

Vikings “Yol”

Vinyl “Pilot”

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) – 2016

Better Call Saul “Klick”

Downton Abbey “Episode 9”

Game Of Thrones “Battle Of The Bastards”

House of Cards “Chapter 52”

Mr. Robot “eps1.5_br4ve-trave1er.asf”

Ray Donovan “Exsuscito”

OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL – 2016

All the Way

American Horror Story: Hotel

Game of Thrones

Penny Dreadful

The Walking Dead

OUTSTANDING SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES – 2016

Better Call Saul “Rebecca”

Better Call Saul “Nailed”

Game Of Thrones “Oathbreaker”

Game Of Thrones “Battle Of The Bastards”

Narcos “Descenso”

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A PERIOD/FANTASY SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE – 2016

Downton Abbey “Episode 8”

Game Of Thrones “The Winds Of Winter”

Outlander “Not In Scotland Anymore”

Roots “Night One”

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”

OUTSTANDING INTERACTIVE PROGRAM – 2016

Conan

Game Of Thrones Main Titles 360 Experience

Saturday Night Live Interactive Experience

Talking Dead Interactive Experience

The Late Late Show With James Corden

That’s a wrap for me today, guys and gals! Hope you are all having a grand off-season. Don’t be bashful on recommendations for viewing during the current dead period. Life leaves a man little time, and there is too much good TV out there to waste it on crap.

Until next time, happy viewing and may there always be peace in your realm. -Oz

Follow Oz on Twitter.

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