Emmy Awards 2020: Who The Experts Think Will Win Tonight
The Primetime Emmys 2020 is our last chance to celebrate all of the good TV made before everyone had to stop making TV for months on end. On Sunday, September 20, Jimmy Kimmel will host as the final set of Emmy winners for the year are announced. Among the major shows that have multiple nominations are Watchmen, Succession, Schitt's Creek and Mrs. America, all of which are battling it out in the major categories.
In the lead up to the Emmy Awards, experts from multiple entertainment sites have given their predictions. Newsweek has collated predictions from Time, The Guardian, CNet, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Gold Derby, Vanity Fair and The AV Club to give you the best idea of who will win in the major show and acting categories – as well as giving offering some of our preferred winners.
Outstanding drama series
Nominees: Better Call Saul (AMC), Killing Eve (BBC America), The Crown (Netflix), The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), The Mandalorian (Disney+), Ozark (Netflix), Stranger Things (Netflix), Succession (HBO).
What should win: Succession. While multiple shows on this list (like Killing Eve and The Handmaid's Tale) have their best years behind them, and other shows just offered dumb fun (Mandalorian, Stranger Things) Succession doubled down in its second season to become the most brilliantly fun, cruel and quotable show on TV. Plus, any show that puts Holly Hunter onto our TV screens deserves multiple awards.
Who the experts think will win: All publication picked Succession except CNet who went for Better Call Saul.
Outstanding comedy series
Nominees: Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), The Good Place (NBC), Schitt's Creek (Pop TV), Dead To Me (Netflix), Insecure (HBO), The Kominsky Method (Netflix), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), What We Do In The Shadows (FX).
What should win: The Good Place. The Emmys overlooked the NBC comedy time and time again, despite it being the best comedy on TV for most of its run – a comedy that was willing to rip up the rulebook about how a sitcom should be plotted every single episode. Now the show has ended and managed to stick its landing with an all-time great finale, it is time for the Emmy voters to give it a win, even if they likely won't.
Who the experts think will win: All publications opted for Schitt's Creek except Gold Derby, who predicted The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Outstanding limited series
Nominees: Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu), Mrs. America (FX), Unbelievable (Netflix), Unorthodox (Netflix), Watchmen (HBO).
What should win: Watchmen. Though Mrs. America deserves to clean up in the limited series acting categories, with the performances ranging from cold perfection (Cate Blanchett) to bold and bizarre (Tracey Ullman), Watchmen is the better show. A masterclass in how to update a franchise for our socially conscious prestige TV stage that also demonstrated everything Zack Snyder got wrong in his movie adaptation.
Who the experts think will win: All websites opted for Watchmen.
Outstanding lead actress in a drama
Nominees: Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Zendaya (Euphoria), Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show), Laura Linney (Ozark), Olivia Colman (The Crown).
Who should win: Zendaya. Though Euphoria often felt bleak for bleak's sake, Zendaya was its beating heart. Her nomination was a surprise, but the more exciting shock would be if she could win it.
Who the experts think will win: Of the seven publications that offered acting predictions (AV Club only made predications in the show categories), all opted for Jennifer Aniston.
Outstanding lead actor in a drama
Nominees: Jason Bateman (Ozark), Sterling K Brown (This Is Us), Billy Porter (Pose), Steve Carrell (The Morning Show), Jeremy Strong (Succession), Brian Cox (Succession).
Who should win: Brian Cox. Since watching Succession, who among us has not started telling people to "f*** off" exactly as Logan would do it?
Who the experts think will win: Experts split between Brian Cox (5), Jeremy Strong (1) and Jason Bateman (1).
Outstanding lead actress in a comedy
Nominees: Christina Applegate (Dead to Me), Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel), Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me), Tracee Ellis-Ross (black-ish), Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek), Issa Rae (Insecure).
Who should win: Catherine O'Hara. Though Christina Applegate is a dark delight in Dead to Me, that show still has one more year to shine. This is our last chance, however, to give O'Hara the enemy she deserves every time she unveils a new wig or new bizarre way of saying something on Schitt's Creek.
Who the experts think will win: All publications picked Catherine O'Hara.
Outstanding lead actor in a comedy
Nominees: Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Don Cheadle (Black Monday), Ted Danson (The Good Place), Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method), Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek), Ramy Youssef (Ramy).
Who should win: Ted Danson. He managed to "keep it sleazy" until the end in his best role since Cheers as the demon turned humanophile Michael. Cheadle or Youssef wins, however, would be great if they got more people to watch the criminally under-seen Ramy and Black Monday.
Who the experts think will win: Five publications tipped Levy, while Danson and Youssef got one prediction a piece.
Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or TV movie
Nominees: Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere), Octavia Spencer (Self Made), Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America), Regina King (Watchmen), Shira Haas (Unorthodox).
Who should win: Regina King. Blanchett is perfection, but King gets a boost by being the best thing (that it isn't a foot long and made of blue silicon) in the best show of the year.
Who the experts think will win: Split between King (five publications) and Blanchett (2).
Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or TV movie
Nominees: Jeremy Irons (Watchmen), Hugh Jackman (Bad Education), Jeremy Pope (Hollywood), Paul Mescal (Normal People), Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True).
Who should win: Paul Mescal. He and Jeremy Pope were both breakout stars of their respective shows, but Normal People is a much (much, much) better show than Hollywood.
Who the experts think will win: Split between Ruffalo (3), Jackman (3) and Mescal (1)
