Monday brings us the second biggest awards show of the year when the 66th Primetime Emmys airs. And the biggest question I have is why is it airing on Monday? Isn’t Sunday the usual night for the Emmys? This stalwart awards show couldn’t possibly be running scared from the MTV Awards which is set to air on this Sunday could it? That would be a bigger flinch than SUPERMAN v BATMAN moving to a new date to avoid the third Captain America movie. Oh well, whatever the case it comes on Monday and is I have predictions and ruminations to share as the title of this post so clearly states.

Outstanding Actress – Drama

The Nominees: Michelle Dockery (DOWNTON ABBEY), Robin Wright (HOUSE OF CARDS), Kerry Washington (SCANDAL), Julianna Marguilies (THE GOOD WIFE), Lizzy Caplan (MASTERS OF SEX), Claire Danes (HOMELAND)

Will Win: Robin Wright
It is hard to argue against Wright for the win in this category because her portrayal of Claire Underwood was pretty darn epic and she showed an amazing ability to present cracks in Claire’s icy exterior that were just enough to make you begin to feel sympathy for her and then she’d go back to behaving like a Shakespearean villain. She also won this award last year and her performance in Season 2 was even better than Season 1.

Should Win: Julianna Margulies
As wonderful as Wright may be, I have to go with Margulies as being the most deserving of the win in this category. From the moment she discovered that her on-again-off-again lover had been murdered, Margulies’ Alicia Florrick was a wonderful mess of conflicting emotions and selfish reactions as she stubbornly wallowed in her grief. She was just amazing and owned every moment of the screen regardless of who was in a scene with her.

Got Robbed: Tatiana Maslany (ORPHAN BLACK)
For the second year in a row The Emmys failed to recognize the talents of the hardest working woman in television. I honestly don’t know what more Maslany can do to get some Emmy love. She plays a platoon of characters and makes each and every one feel like an entirely different actress is playing the part. To not even give her a nomination is just nuts. As much as I live Claire Danes, HOMELAND was an absolute train wreck this past season so Maslany could have been given her spot.

Outstanding Actor – Drama

The Nominees: Bryan Cranston (BREAKING BAD), Jon Hamm (MAD MEN), Kevin Spacey (HOUSE OF CARDS), Jeff Daniels (NEWSROOM), Matthew McConaughey (TRUE DETECTIVE), Woody Harrellson (TRUE DETECTIVE)

Will Win: Matthew McConaughey
McConaughey is pretty much the closest thing to a lock that this Emmy season has. It is “The Year of McConaughey” and we are living in “The McConaissance”. It also doesn’t hurt that his portrayal of Rust Cohle was one of the most intriguing of the year. So McConaughey’s streak of winning shiny objects will continue even against such stiff competition as Cranston, Spacey and his own TRUE DETECTIVES co-star Harrelson.

Should Win: Matthew McConaughey
Look, the guy was just that good.

Got Robbed: Mads Mikkelsen (HANNIBAL)
How Mikkelsen even failed to get a nomination is just a head-scratcher. Sure HANNIBAL can be a bit hard to watch with all of it’s graphic imagery and murders but the show is damn good due in large part to the amazing portrayal that Mikkelsen gives of such an iconic character. I would even go so far as to make the proclamation that Mikkelsen’s Hannibal is now the definitive version of the character. So to see him get snubbed while Jeff Daniels of all people gets yet another undeserved nom for that dreadful mess of a show THE NEWSROOM just baffles me.

Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama

The Nominees: Anna Gun (BREAKING BAD), Maggie Smith (DOWNTON ABBEY), Christina Hendricks (MAD MEN), Joanne Froggatt (DOWNTON ABBEY), Lena Headey (GAME OF THRONES), Christine Baranski (THE GOOD WIFE)

Will Win: Anna Gunn
As maligned as the character of Skyler White may be by a certain segment of the BREAKING BAD fandom, there is no denying the monumental talent that her portrayer showed in this final season of the show. Gunn rose to the occasion and met the incomparable Bryan Cranston head on in every scene and she is deserving of the win even if she isn’t my pick.

Should Win: Lena Headey
While Skyler White is a sometimes unlikable character, she is actually not supposed to be. The audience is supposed to feel empathy for her. Cersei Lannister on the other hand is a monster so any empathy that can be drawn out of the audience is based on the performance of Lena Headey. This past season gave Headey many moments to show the layers to Cersei and despite myself I found I was actually feeling bad for her even when her monstrous son was killed. That is acting talent.

Got Robbed: Bellamy Young (SCANDAL)
Bellamy Young being overlooked this year is a travesty. She took the role of SCANDAL’s long-suffering First Lady Mellie White to new heights and at times even overshadowed Kerry Washington. I would have been perfectly fine seeing Young nominated over Hendricks, Smith or Froggat because her work deserved some recognition.

Outstanding Supporting Actor – Drama

The Nominees: Peter Dinklage (GAME OF THRONES), Josh Charles (THE GOOD WIFE), Jim Carter (DOWTON ABBEY), Mandy Patinkin (HOMELAND), Jon Voight (RAY DONOVAN), Aaron Paul (BREAKING BAD)

Will Win: Peter Dinklage
I am just going to put this right here:

Should Win: Peter Dinklage
Did you watch the video?

Got Robbed: Scott Wilson (THE WALKING DEAD)
Wilson’s performance in the Season 4 episode “Isolation” was probably the Outstanding acting performance of the entire THE WALKING DEAD series and one of the Outstanding performances of the 2013-2014 TV season. So it is sad that the stigma of being on a “zombie show” kept him from getting a very deserved nomination.

Outstanding Series – Drama

The Nominees: BREAKING BAD (AMC), DOWTON ABBEY (PBS), GAME OF THRONES (HBO), HOUSE OF CARDS (Netflix), MAD MEN (AMC), TRUE DETECTIVE (HBO)

Will Win: TRUE DETECTIVE
This show was a phenomenon when it aired and it featured incredible acting, writing, directing and some of the most lush cinematography on TV. Just for the techinical proficeincy of that fourth episode 6-minute single tracking shot I think TRUE DETECTIVE would have won this award. But when it is exemplary in every category as well as becoming a cultural hot topic, well the writing is on the wall as to who this award will go to.

Should Win: TRUE DETECTIVE
I know a lot of people think that BREAKING BAD deserves this award but I honestly was a bit letdown by the majority of the final season of that show. Sure the final episode was amazing and the performances from all of the cast were great throughout, but I was not nearly as engrossed by those final episodes as I wanted to be. And TRUE DETECTIVE just had me from the first shot of episode one.

Got Robbed: HANNIBAL
It is amazing that not one network drama got a nomination this year especially when there were so many good dramas this season. My pick for biggest snub though goes to HANNIBAL. As beautiful as TRUE DETECTIVE looked, it still came in second to HANNIBAL in the amazing visuals department. Bryan Fuller did so much with so little and his directing along with the really strong cast and smart writing makes HANNIBAL not getting an Emmy nod just ridiculous. I mean who is honestly watching and loving DOWNTON ABBEY anymore?