Who will — or should — win at this year’s Emmys
The winners will be named today when the 69th Emmy Awards are presented at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show will air live on CBS at 2 p.m., with a rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
In the meantime, guesses will have to suffice. With that in mind, Associated Press television critic Frazier Moore is going public with his picks for who will win — and who should.
DRAMA SERIES
>> Should win: NBC’s “This Is Us.” Is this the gutsiest drama on TV? It dares to confront everyday, ordinary life — and makes it extraordinary.
>> Will win: Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” A classic novel from the past is transformed into a hauntingly up-to-the-minute cautionary tale.
COMEDY SERIES
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>> Should win: Netflix’s “Master of None.” Moving even beyond the masterful first season, Year 2 was a festival of inspired short films, with emotions and ideas supplementing its wit.
>> Will win: “Veep.” Despite a field of bright, new and varied candidates, voters will default to HBO’s plenty-rewarded, all-too-seasoned Emmy mainstay.
ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
>> Should win: Matthew Rhys (“The Americans” on FX). He’s so long overdue after five seasons of high intrigue and multiple personas in his role as a Russian spy masquerading as a 1980s American suburban dad.
>> Will win: “This Is Us” stars Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia will cancel out each other in the voting. That leaves lovably shifty Bob Odenkirk the winner after three consecutive nominations as the lead on “Better Call Saul.”
ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
>> Should win: Keri Russell (“The Americans”). She’s so long overdue after five seasons of high intrigue and multiple personas in her role as a Russian spy masquerading as a 1980s American suburban mom.
>> Will win: Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), passed over as a nominee seven times in the past for “Mad Men” and other great work. Voters realize it’s her turn.
ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
>> Should win: Aziz Ansari. Previously known as a clever comic presence, he went even further with this season’s “Master of None.” That extra credit should translate into an Emmy.
>> Will win: Donald Glover (“Atlanta” on FX). A breakout talent with a fresh and deeply felt comic vision — who wouldn’t want to give this star an Emmy salute?
ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
>> Should win: So many overlooked funny ladies should be here: Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer of “Broad City.” Julie Klausner of “Difficult People.” Rashida Jones of “Angie Tribeca.” Sharon Horgan of “Catastrophe.” Sarah Jessica Parker of “Divorce.”
Since they aren’t, and Ellie Kemper is, why not reward her for the gradually wisening naif she plays so irresistibly on Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”?
>> Will win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”). Why would voters stop with five in a row?
LIMITED SERIES
>> Should win: Edging out the equally deserving “Big Little Lies” in a photo finish: “The Night Of,” also from HBO, a dark and disturbing feast of storytelling, acting, pathos and suspense. Not a false note or a moment of relief. A masterpiece.
>> Will win: “Feud: Bette and Joan” from FX. Flashy, lavish and blessed with bravura performances by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange.