Last year's winners — Donald Glover for 'Atlanta' and Sterling K. Brown for 'This Is Us' — are primed for repeats, but plenty of other comedy and drama champs could run away with the trophy.
00:00The 2018 Emmys are right around the corner. Last year, Donald Glover took home lead actor
00:05in a comedy series for Atlanta, while Sterling K. Brown won lead actor in a drama series
00:09for This Is Us. So do these two stars have the upper hand in their respective categories
00:13this year? THR's awards analyst Scott Feinberg broke down all the nominees' chances of winning,
00:18and we've got what you need to know on your Emmy update from The Hollywood Reporter News.
00:22Let's kick things off with the best actor in a comedy series category.
00:26Black-ish star Anthony Anderson is nominated for the fourth year in a row.
00:30His prospects may be boosted by being the only contender who was also nominated for 2018
00:35Golden Globe, SAG and Critics' Choice Awards. But on the other hand, it would be unusual to win
00:41a first award for a show's fourth season.
00:43I'm still your favorite, right mother?
00:45Oh, come on now. Y'all know rankings don't come out until December.
00:49Meanwhile, Ted Danson is nominated for The Good Place, marking his first Emmy nom for the show.
00:54It's a torture museum. Is there a gift shop? Jason, this is hell. Of course there's a gift shop.
00:59In January, Danson won a Critics' Choice Award for his role, but he is one of only two actors
01:04in this category whose shows did not receive a series nomination. The same is true for
01:09Shameless star William H. Macy. The veteran character actor is nominated for the fifth year in a row.
01:14Mr. Gallagher, it says here you only worked six weeks your entire life.
01:18Well, if you mean a formal job, yes.
01:22Macy won a SAG Award for his role for the third time in 2018 and was a Globe nominee.
01:27But he has never won an Emmy for this part. So, according to Feinberg, it's hard to imagine him winning now.
01:33And after a six-year hiatus, Larry David brought back Curb Your Enthusiasm to HBO and received a nomination.
01:39I think this is a breakthrough.
01:41No, it's not a breakthrough. I think it's a breakthrough. It's not a breakthrough. I'm pretty sure it's a breakthrough.
01:46Now, while he also received a SAG Award nom back in January, the hilarious 71-year-old actor has never won an award for his acting.
01:54Meanwhile, fellow HBO star Bill Hader is hotter than ever, having landed noms for writing, directing, producing, and starring in Barry,
02:02a new dark comedy about a hitman who wants to become an actor. According to Feinberg, history shows that a series about Hollywood
02:09often plays well with Emmy voters.
02:11The acting class made me feel really good. I feel really motivated right now.
02:14These are professional actors. They're the real deal and they say I got something.
02:18But on the other hand, HBO also has to push for Larry David in this race. And the network has a long-standing relationship with the Curb actor.
02:26And finally, let's talk about Donald Glover for Atlanta. At 34, last year's winner is again the youngest nominee in this category.
02:33I don't know what I want. I know this arrangement works for me.
02:39With 16 nominations, Atlanta has more noms than any other comedy. And many feel that its second season was even stronger than the first.
02:46Aside from acting, Glover's also nominated again this year for his producing, directing, and writing on the show.
02:52But it could be Bill Hader's turn to be the TV Academy's multi-hyphenate darling, a.k.a. writer, producer, director, actor extraordinaire for a new show.
03:01Now, on the drama front, this year's Best Actor nominees include This Is Us stars Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia,
03:08Westworld's Ed Harris and Jeffrey Wright, Ozark's Jason Bateman, and the American star Matthew Rhys.
03:14So, does Sterling K. Brown have it in the bag again this year? For Scott Feinberg's full column and analysis, head to THR.com.
03:21And be sure to let me know your top Emmy picks for the September 17th show in the comments.
03:26Until next time, for The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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