Emmys Predictions: Who Will Win And Who Could Surprise Us All

Washington: After years of fans crying foul, The Americans finally got some Emmy nomination love - but can the FX Cold War drama actually win? Will anyone break the Veep stranglehold on the comedy categories? Could James Corden defeat John Oliver in battle of the talk show hosts?

Before the Emmy Awards on Sunday night (airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC), we take a look at the major match-ups and make some predictions:

DRAMA

Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mr. Robot (USA)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Homeland (Showtime)
The Americans (FX)
Better Call Saul (AMC)

Will probably win:The Americans

Time for the TV academy to make up for lost time, given that they ignored this dynamic drama for so long.

Deserves to win: Mr. Robot

Say what you will about the current second season, but the first was an exciting reminder of what it takes to create a groundbreaking new series.

Dark horse: Game of Thrones

If The Americans doesn't pull through GoT will win it all - maybe if it keeps winning, it won't go away!

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Rami Malek, Mr. Robot (USA)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline (Netflix)
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)

Will probably win: Rami Malek

The breakout newcomer stole the show and would easily be the most exciting choice in a field of regulars.

Deserves to win: Bob Odenkirk

It's not easy when you have to follow Breaking Bad but Odenkirk has helped effortlessly elevate this spin-off.

Dark horse: Kevin Spacey

Even though House of Cards has completely gone off the rails (and maybe was never even that good?), the voters just cannot resist Spacey.

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)

Will probably win: Viola Davis

The Oscar nominee easily carries the increasingly-crazy How to Get Away With Murder every week, so something tells us she'll win this category for a second year in a row.

Deserves to win: Taraji P. Henson

Yes, we can all agree the second season of Empire is ridiculous, but you can't take your eyes of Cookie Lyon.

Dark horse: Keri Russell

She's a longtime favorite of the industry, so voters might lean Russell's way to give The Americans a trophy in at least one major category.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (Netflix)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Kit Harington, Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Michael Kelly House Of Cards (Netflix)
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)

Will probably win: Peter Dinklage

Game of Thrones is still on fire heading into its final years, and Dinklage has won this trophy twice before so ... why not?

Deserves to win: Kit Harington

Ditto about Game of Thrones, and Harington deserves some attention in his first year in the category.

Dark horse: Kit Harington

Honestly, if it's not Dinklage, it will be Harington. This is a GoT category.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

Maura Tierney, The Affair (Showtime)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Lena Headey, Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Emilia Clarke, Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Constance Zimmer, UnREAL (Lifetime)

Will probably win: Lena Headey

It's a Game of Thrones world, we're just living in it. But Headey really was an unstoppable force as Cersei Lannister went from tragedy to triumph.

Deserves to win: Maura Tierney

Tierney straight-up owned the second season of The Affair as she tried to move on from her husband's infidelity during his pretty lame mid-life crisis.

Dark horse: Maggie Smith

Voters love her, and shouldn't they give Downton Abbey some sort of going-away present?

COMEDY SERIES

Modern Family (ABC)
Veep (HBO)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
black-ish (ABC)
Master of None (Netflix)

Will probably win: Veep

The industry favorite HBO comedy snapped the Modern Family five-year winning streak last year, and will probably continue after a strong season.

Deserves to win: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The Tina Fey-produced Netflix comedy is probably too weird to win the big prize, but it's a prime example of tackling taboo topics in a hilarious way.

Dark horse: black-ish

The ABC series just had its breakout year, with both its stars nominated in the leading acting categories - don't count it out.

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY

William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)
Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC)
Will Forte, Last Man on Earth (Fox)
Aziz Ansari, Master of None (Netflix)
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)

Will probably win: Jeffrey Tambor

While the buzz for Transparent has quieted, Tambor's dynamic performance shines through, and should pick up his second win in a row.

Deserves to win: Anthony Anderson

It's hard to stand out on a sitcom when you have kids as cute as the ones on black-ish, but Anderson knocks it out of the park as the patriarch.

Dark horse: Aziz Ansari

Ansari's nomination was a bit surprising (acting isn't really the strong suit in Master of None) but if voters like him enough to put him in this tough category, he may walk away with the whole thing.

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Amy Schumer Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Lily Tomlin Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish (ABC)
Laurie Metcalf, Getting On (HBO)

Will probably win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Is it ever not going to be Julia Louis-Dreyfus?

Deserves to win: Ellie Kemper

She deserves huge credit for pulling off the often deranged situations in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as the damaged, unnervingly sunny central character.

Dark horse: Amy Schumer

Schumer is as polarizing as ever, and the latest sketches from her show didn't go viral this time around, but lots of voters love her work.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fox Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
Louie Anderson, Baskets (FX)
Matt Walsh, Veep (HBO)

Will probably win: Tony Hale

He won last year and in 2013 as the ever-loyal Gary, and Veep shows no sign of slowing down.

Deserves to win: Andre Braugher

If there was anything funnier than Braugher's normally-stoic police captain character becoming delirious when he got the mumps this season, we haven't seen it.

Dark horse: Ty Burrell

He continues to be the standout on Modern Family and there's a chance voters could slip back into their broadcast TV-leaning ways.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Niecy Nash, Getting On (HBO)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Gaby Hoffmann Transparent (Amazon)
Judith Light, Transparent (Amazon)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)

Will probably win: Kate McKinnon

Starring as the fan-favorite character in a big summer movie shouldn't matter for the Emmys - but hey, it did for Melissa McCarthy. Anyway, Ghostbusters just might push the four-time nominee to her first win.

Deserves to win: Allison Janney Janney (and her chemistry with co-star Anna Faris) continues to be the best thing about Chuck Lorre's newest sitcom. Plus, it would be her third win in a row.

Dark horse: Judith Light

There's still a lot of love for Transparent and critics love Light.

LIMITED SERIES

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (FX)
Fargo (FX)
The Night Manager (AMC)
Roots (History)
American Crime (ABC)

Will probably win: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

It's not even a contest. This miniseries and all its outstanding actors helped fuel a national conversation about the crime of the century, 20 years later.

Deserves to win: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

See above.

Dark horse: Fargo

If something crazy happens, Fargo could slip through, but there's basically no shot.

TELEVISION MOVIE

Luther (BBC America)
All the Way (HBO)
Confirmation (HBO)
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (PBS)
A Very Murray Christmas (Netflix)

Will probably win: Confirmation

The acclaimed movie about Anita Hill and the Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas's confirmation hearings won over critics and voters, making it basically a lock.

Deserves to win: Confirmation

An impressive retelling of the story with excellent performances, especially from star Kerry Washington.

Dark horse: A Very Murray Christmas

Hey, people just really like Bill Murray.

VARIETY TALK SERIES

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)
Late Late Show With James Corden (CBS)
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Crackle)
Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)

Will probably win: Late Late Show With James Corden

Forgive us, Washington Post TV critic Hank Stuever - but Late Late Show already won two Emmys last weekend at the Creative Arts ceremony (for interactive program and variety special for "Carpool Karaoke") and it could very easily take this category.

Deserves to win: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver The former Daily Show correspondent continues to dominate with viral videos every week as he eviscerates everything from politics to journalism.

Dark horse: Jimmy Kimmel Live

Well, he IS the Emmys host ...

VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

Drunk History (Comedy Central)
Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
Portlandia (IFC)
Documentary Now! (IFC)

Will probably win: Inside Amy Schumer

Again, Schumer's show didn't have quite the cultural reach as it did last year, but she's a bigger star than ever.

Deserves to win: Key & Peele

This just feels like their year, as the comedy duo has been popping up everywhere.

Dark horse: Key & Peele

It's the final chance to show this great series some love - the series finale aired in September.

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM

The Amazing Race (CBS)
Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)
American Ninja Warrior (NBC)

Will probably win: The Voice

The NBC juggernaut has won twice already and continues to make headlines, while formerly annual winner Amazing Race is so over.

Deserves to win: Dancing With the Stars

It's a lot harder to produce that show than it looks, especially when protesters storm the stage to protest Ryan Lochte.

Dark horse:

American Ninja Warrior

A surprise entry in this category (that likely bumped off the final season of American Idol), this show is surprisingly addicting.

© 2016, The Washington Post

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)