‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Atlanta’ and ‘The Night Of’ lead our 2017 Emmys Buzzmeter
The
Our panelists:
Lorraine Ali/L.A. Times; Matt Roush/TV Guide Magazine; Tom O’Neill/Gold Derby; Glenn Whipp/The Envelope
Their picks in key categories:
Drama series | Most Buzz: 'Stranger Things'
“It’s a toss-up between ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ I’ll probably change my pick half a dozen times between now and September.”
— Glenn Whipp
Critics' Picks
"The Crown" Matt
"Stranger Things" Glenn, Tom
"Westworld" Lorraine
Comedy series | Most Buzz: 'Veep'
“‘Veep’ earned 17 nominations, including key nods in writing and directing. Across-the-board support makes it, yet again, the favorite.”
— Glenn Whipp
Critics' Picks
"Veep" Tom, Glenn, Matt
"Master of None" Lorraine
Drama actor | Most Buzz: Bob Odenkirk
“Bob Odenkirk is so good as a conflicted, ambulance-chasing lawyer in the making here! He’s been nominated before, so this should be his year. But alas, he’s up against Anthony Hopkins. So unfair.”
— Lorraine Ali
Critics' Picks
Sterling K. Brown, "This Is Us" Matt
Bob Odenkirk, "Better Call Saul" Tom, Glenn, Lorraine
Drama actress | Most Buzz: Elisabeth Moss | Claire Foy
“A toss-up, between Claire Foy’s classy depiction of a naïve young queen growing a spine and Elisabeth Moss' wrenching performance of long-simmering rage against her oppressive masters. Could go either way, and depends on the strength of a ‘Crown’ sweep.”
— Matt Roush
Critics' Picks
Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid’s Tale" Tom, Glenn
Claire Foy, "The Crown" Matt, Lorraine
Drama supporting actor | Most Buzz: John Lithgow
“Longtime Emmy fave John Lithgow (5 wins) has the edge considering that Emmys were won by the last two nominees to portray Winston Churchill: Albert Finney (‘The Gathering Storm,’ 2002) and
— Tom O’Neil
Critics' Picks
John Lithgow, "The Crown" Tom, Glenn, Matt, Lorraine
Drama supporting actress | Most Buzz: Thandie Newton
“Samira Wiley is a powerful figure in ‘Handmaid’s,’ but Thandie Newton contributes so much to the disturbing, sci-fi narrative of ‘Westworld’ she should have been in the lead actress category.”
— Robert Bianco
Critics' Picks
Chrissy Metz, "This Is Us" Tom, Glenn, Matt
Thandie Newton, "Westworld" Lorraine
Comedy actor | Most Buzz: Donald Glover
“The auteur of the year took so many chances in this bold and revelatory human comedy, this is his best shot at a win.”
— Matt Roush
Critics' Picks
Donald Glover, “Atlanta” Tom, Glenn, Matt, Lorraine
Comedy actress | Most Buzz: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
“When will Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ record end? Probably not this year. As Selina Meyer, she’s as desperately funny as ever.”
— Matt Roush
Critics' Picks
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” Tom, Glenn, Matt
Ellie Kemper, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Lorraine
Comedy supporting actor | Most Buzz: Alec Baldwin
“I’ll be checking @realDonaldTrump the day after the Emmys for his reaction! #MAGA.”
— Glenn Whipp
Critics' Picks
Alec Baldwin, “SNL” Tom, Glenn, Matt, Lorraine
Comedy supporting actress | Most Buzz: Kate McKinnon
“Kate McKinnon’s impression of Kellyanne Conway alone should land her a nomination. But then drop in her Jeff Sessions character and it’s almost guaranteed. The rest of the category is anyone’s guess, but how could anyone leave out Rita Moreno?”
— Lorraine Ali
Critics' Picks
Anna Chlumsky, “Veep” Lorraine
Kate McKinnon, “SNL” Glenn, Matt, Tom
TV movie | Most Buzz: 'Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'
“Many experts pick 'Black Mirror' to win now that it’s finally nominated, but voters are probably more familiar with that other cult-hit U.K. movie franchise, 'Sherlock,' which pulled off a jaw-dropping upset in this category last year.”
— Tom O’Neil
Critics' Picks
"The Wizard of Lies" Matt
"Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" Tom, Glenn
"Churchill's Secret" Lorraine
Limited series| Most Buzz: 'Feud: Betty and Joan'
“Hollywood loves a good Hollywood story, and while on the surface this was a juicy battle of the divas, ‘Feud’ unearthed deeper, darker truths about the industry's abuse of its female pioneers. Masterful and meaty.”
— Matt Roush
Critics' Picks
"Feud: Betty and Joan" Tom, Matt
"Big Little Lies" Glenn
"The Night Of" Lorraine
Limited series/movie actor| Most Buzz: Robert De Niro
“As the rumpled, public defender Jack Stone, John Turturro kept this dark and riveting story of crime and injustice grounded. And he educated the public on the challenges of eczema in the process.”
— Lorraine Ali
Critics' Picks
Robert De Niro, "Wizard of Wall Street" Tom, Matt
Riz Ahmed, "The Night Of" Glenn
John Turturro, "The Night Of" Lorraine
Limited series/movie actress| Most Buzz: Jessica Lange
“Nicole Kidman could win just for the therapy scenes alone. It’s the best performance — television or film — this year.”
— Glenn Whipp
Critics' Picks
Jessica Lange, "Feud" Tom, Matt, Lorraine
Nicole Kidman, "Big Little Lies" Glenn
From the Oscars to the Emmys.
Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.