Emmys 2014: predictions, disappointments, hopes and fears

The nominations for the 2014 Emmys were announced recently and they're not surprising, but still fairly satisfying. My hopes for the Emmys this year were for Breaking Bad to win literally every drama category except for best actress, reserved for Tatiana Maslany of Orphan Black, and for Orange Is The New Black to sweep the comedy category, and I guess Sherlock could take mini-series/T.V. movie.

That's not going to happen, but, as I said, I was still fairly satisfied with the news.

Breaking Bad is nominated for best drama series for its fifth year in a row, and has the chance to win for the second time (would be two consecutive wins). It's up against some stiff competition of shows I haven't really watched, like Games Of Thrones, Mad Men, House of Cards, True Detective and Downton Abbey. That being said, I'm not concerned. Breaking Bad already took home the Golden Globe for its final season -- and it's their final season and they've only won twice.

I haven't seen any episodes of Game of Thrones (which has the most nominations this year at 19), nor have I seen any episodes of True Detective, which has both its leads up against Bryan Cranston for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Bryan Cranston has the Emmy in the bag this year. Wanna know why? Every time he has been nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Walter White, he has won. He won for the first three seasons, then wasn't nominated for the last two Emmys (for some inconceivable reason). I doubt he'll break this streak. He'll obviously submit "Ozymandias", but even looking beyond his mind-blowing acting in that one episode, I'm sure voters will consider his work across the series -- and the fact that he hasn't been recognized for it for two years. He'll win. And he won the Golden Globe for the final season, if that's an indication.

Aaron Paul has been nominated for the fifth year in a row for Outstanding Supporting Actor. He's won twice before, for seasons 3 and 4. And to be quite honest and melancholy, I'm not getting my hopes up this year. Aaron definitely, definitely deserves a total of 3 Emmys for his master-class acting throughout the series and the world needs another one of his adorable acceptance speeches, but this season wasn't really his season. Jesse had no lines at all in one of the episodes, and for many others, he only had a handful. Of course, it will in theory depend only on the episode he submits, which probably will be "Confessions" and I think he could hold his own with that episode. Then again, his character doesn't allow for the fuller range of emotions in the final season as it did in previous seasons: all Jesse does in season 5b, heart-breakingly, is cry. A lot. There's a lot of anger in "Confessions" as well (a lot -- the most rage we've ever seen from Jesse), but I'm not sure if it will be enough.

I'm thrilled to see Anna Gunn nominated for the third time in a row, and fresh off her spectacularly well-deserved win last year. She should also submit "Ozymandias"; even in that one 45-minute episode it's hard to decide which clip will best demonstrate her prowess, but even this episode doesn't showcase her talent in the same way "Fifty-One" does. It would have been criminal for her not to have won last year. But this year... I'm even less hopeful about Anna's chances than Aaron's, but that being said I think it helps that both of them are in the supporting category, to slightly lessen the competition. In many shows that don't have as clear a single leading man their roles would be large enough to be considering leads.

Breaking Bad also holds two of the nomination spots for Best Writing -- Moira Walley Becket for "Ozymandias" and Vince Gilligan for "Felina." I don't want to live in a world where "Ozymandias" hasn't won an Emmy for best writing.Vince Gilligan has another shot at an Emmy for directing "Felina" -- which is totally deserved. And then there's another seven nominations in the Creative Arts category for a total of 16 nominations. *eyes well up* I love my show. I'm so proud.

In conclusion, I won't set myself up for disappointment if all three Breaking Bad actors don't win. But I will definitely cry if it doesn't win best drama series.

Speaking of drama series... WHERE IS TATIANA MASLANY'S NOMINATION? This was not a surprising omission, but still disappointing. I shouldn't be surprised that the Emmys isn't actually looking for the best acting -- just to award the most critically-acclaimed shows and not move outside of its ring of T.V.-snobbery. Which would actually help Breaking Bad's chances, so it's not all bad. But still, my wife needs an Emmy.

Moving onto comedy, I hope that this year is all about Orange Is The New Black. I recently watched the first two seasons of this fantastic show. This year the second season (in my opinion the better of the two) has secured a slew of nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, a whopping 3 in Guest Actress, Writing, Directing and then a few Creative Arts nominations. I just don't want Modern Family to win. Please, no.

Sherlock earned a few nominations in the TV movie category for which it submitted "His Last Vow." Brilliant decision. Interestingly, Benedict Cumberbatch has been nominated in the same category as Martin Freeman (the latter nominated for his role in Fargo). Martin Freeman is also nominated for Sherlock as a supporting actor. I hope they both win, and I think they do have a chance.

No matter what happens, it will be fun to watch and see a lot of my favorite shows recognized!

Unless Breaking Bad doesn't win best drama series. Then I will cry.