Friday, August 26, 2016

Emmy Predictions 2016 - Who Will Likely Win for Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie?

The nominations are in for The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The final round of voting is now taking place. So now, it's time to speculate on who is likely to win in each major category. Next up for analysis is Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie.





The Nominees:
  • Bryan Cranston for HBO's All the Way
  • Benedict Cumberbatch for PBS' Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
  • Cuba Gooding, Jr. for FX's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
  • Tom Hiddleston for AMC's The Night Manager
  • Idris Elba for BBC America's Luther
  • Courtney B. Vance for FX's The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

It's been more than a month since the nominations for this year's Emmys were announced. And yet, it's still so surprising that Cuba Gooding, Jr. got nominated for his work on The People v. O.J. Simpson. It's still shocking that he even was submitted in the lead category in the first place. That likely happened because he was playing the title character of the series. And yet, it wasn't really a lead performance. The focus was much more on the lawyers than it was the infamous football player-turned-murder suspect. Courtney B. Vance works in this category. He was the true male lead of the show. But Gooding Jr. is here as well for some reason and pushed out some other really deserving contenders. The wide support for The People v. O.J. Simpson means he has to be taken seriously as a contender as well.

And yet, if anyone from the latest Ryan Murphy anthology series is going to win here, it's going to be Vance. His portrayal of Johnnie Cochran was so powerful and nuanced. He has had such a strong career of truly memorable and fantastic performances. It's shocking that this is his first Emmy nomination. But he truly deserves this win. It's a win for a terrific career but it's also a win that honors the best performance in this field of six nominees. His competition were great components of a truly phenomenal year in limited series on television. But Vance just feels like the clear winner here. He should already be preparing for his speech. The other nominees should be shocked if somehow they are victorious. That's how confident I am right now in declaring a win for Vance.

Of course, Benedict Cumberbatch won in this category the last time he was nominated for playing Sherlock Holmes and Bryan Cranston is an Emmy favorite with four wins as an actor. They are in slightly different projects this time around. Cumberbatch is still playing Sherlock Holmes but The Abominable Bride was a period piece instead of the usual contemporary setting. Plus, the TV movie didn't do quite as well in total nominations as the series has done in the past. Meanwhile, Cranston is playing a totally new character in Lyndon B. Johnson. It's a role that already earned him a Tony for the stage play. All the Way feels like a lock to win for the top TV Movie prize. It boasts a huge number of nominations as well. But again, this is the year of The People v. O.J. Simpson. It was a great year for limited series. But it's just so hard to bet against the FX series in any of these categories for a number of factors.

Should Win: Courtney B. Vance
Will Win: Courtney B. Vance
Dark Horse: Bryan Cranston