Gold Derby contributor Luca Giliberti declares that Peter MacNicol will return to the Emmy race for his guest turn on “Veep” because he thinks the HBO political comedy will have a stellar showing in its final season. “When a show is much stronger across the board, it translates in these guest categories,” he explains. The fact that his 2016 nomination in the category was infamously rescinded will also “help him,” he adds. Giliberti recently joined me and Riley Chow to dish those highly competitive Comedy Guest Acting categories. Watch our full slugfest above.
MacNicol, a previous Emmy victor for his supporting role in “Ally McBeal” (2001), currently leads our racetrack odds for Best Comedy Guest Actor. Rounding out the top six are John Mulaney (“Saturday Night Live”), Bob Newhart (“The Big Bang Theory”), Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Adam Sandler (“Saturday Night Live”) and Luke Kirby (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”). But there are a lot more possible contenders hoping to break through, including Danny DeVito (“The Kominsky Method”), Adam Scott (“The Good Place”), RuPaul Charles (“Grace and Frankie”) and additional “SNL” guests Matt Damon, Seth Meyers and Robert De Niro, to name but a few.
Although Newhart, who won his first ever Emmy for guesting on “Big Bang” in 2013, is widely predicted to return for the sitcom’s last season, Chow is a little more skeptical. “I don’t know what’s going on with final seasons at the Emmys in recent years,” he says, noting that voters aren’t always sentimental these days about shows they once loved. For instance, “Nurse Jackie” had its poorest showing in its final season, and “The Good Wife” was snubbed for all its series regulars the year it said bon voyage. This could be bad news for Newhart, or even MacNicol for that matter.
On the actress side, four-time Emmy champ Jane Lynch is out front for her guest performance on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” It would be a second straight bid for the role, and as of this writing our odds are predicting her to collect a fifth trophy to go with the ones she won for “Glee,” “Drop the Soap” and “Hollywood Game Night” (twice). Close behind are Maya Rudolph (“The Good Place”), Sandra Oh (“Saturday Night Live”), Christine Baranski (“The Big Bang Theory”), Cate Blanchett (“Documentary Now!”) and Rachel Brosnahan (“Saturday Night Live”). Just outside the top six are Wanda Sykes (“Black-ish”), Ann-Margret (“The Kominsky Method”) and additional “SNL” guests Emma Thompson and Awkwafina.
Although Oh and Brosnahan look like the best bets to continue “SNL’s” guest acting dominance, I’m predicting Thompson could sneak in, considering “she closed out the season and she is very popular.” It certainly helps that the two-time Oscar winner (Best Actress for “Howards End” in 1992; Best Adapted Screenplay for “Sense and Sensibility” in 1995), already won this category for “Ellen” in 1995. Plus, she has gotten a ton of positive buzz for her recent film “Late Night,” which is all about the TV industry’s favorite subject: itself.
PREDICT the Emmys now; change them until July 16
Be sure to make your Emmy predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before nominations are announced on July 16. And join in the fun debate over the 2019 Emmy taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our television forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
