Final Emmy Nomination Predictions: Which Shows Will Be Up for Awards?

Limited Series
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)
“Godless” (Netflix)
“Howards End” (Starz)
“The Looming Tower” (Hulu)
“Twin Peaks” (Showtime)

This feels like the likely quintet but programs such as “Genius: Picasso” (NatGeo), “Patrick Melrose” (Showtime) and “Top of the Lake: China Girl” (Sundance) are in the mix as well. The story here will be Hulu expanding its Emmy game with “The Looming Tower,” a new potential for awards success after scoring with “The Handmaid’s Tale” last year. And if “Twin Peaks” misses the cut (it could), expect rioting from David Lynch’s obsessed fanbase.

Lead Actor – Limited Series/TV Movie
Antonio Banderas, “Genius: Picasso”
Darren Criss, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Patrick Melrose”
Jeff Daniels, “The Looming Tower”
John Legend, “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Al Pacino, “Paterno”

Virtuoso performances from Criss and Cumberbatch lead the way here. Banderas and Pacino are safe bets, along with Daniels (a likely double nominee this year with his supporting “Godless” performance in play as well). Meanwhile, Legend or Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”) could really liven things up. We’ll lean to the former.

Supporting Actor – Limited Series/TV Movie
Bill Camp, “The Looming Tower”
Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Brandon Victor Dixon, “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Edgar Ramirez, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
Peter Sarsgaard, “The Looming Tower”
Michael Stuhlbarg, “The Looming Tower”

Multiple players from “Gianni Versace” and “The Looming Tower” are taking aim here. In fact, nearly the whole slate could be filled out with stars from the latter. The only contender that could really shake things up is Brandon Victor Dixon from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” but Michael Shannon is often an awards favorite even when the project isn’t, so he’s a possibility with “Fahrenheit 451.” And if voters can get past the ick factor, Jason Ritter could even find a spot for his unsettling turn in “The Tale.”

Supporting Actress – Limited Series/TV Movie
Penelope Cruz, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
Nicole Kidman, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”
Angela Lansbury, “Little Women”
Jennifer Jason Leigh, “Patrick Melrose”
Judith Light, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”
Merritt Wever, “Godless”

Laura Dern will be angling for a double nomination to go along with her sure-fire bid for “The Tale,” but how much will voters really embrace “Twin Peaks”? Sharon Stone is an outside possibility for HBO’s “Mosaic.” If anyone is a weak link in the lineup it might be Leigh, overshadowed by Cumberbatch’s tour-de-force work.

Final Emmy Nomination Predictions: Which Shows Will Be Up for Awards?