HBO, CBS, NBCSteve Carell has been deprived of an Emmy for at least a hundred years. And no, we don't think we're exaggerating about that time span. Six times the man has been nominated! Six! Sure, The Office has had its ups and downs as a show, but Michael Scott remained consistently and wonderfully awkward. And now that Carell has peaced-out of The Office and this is his last year to win, will the Emmys finally give him a bone?
Thus, our current debate going on during day two of our 2011 Emmy predictions. Today, we pick our "will win" and "should win" for the Best Actor categories in both drama and comedy. Where do we put Carell? And is this Jon Hamm's time to shine?
Best Actor, Drama Series
Should Win: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights. Duh! Of course Kyle deserves Emmy gold. It's been a long time coming, and through the changing seasons (both television-wise and football-wise), Chandler has remained the anchor holding the storylines and characters down. Let's face it, Coach Taylor could have been played in a lot of ways, but Chandler's portrayal was perfection. Quiet, strong, flawed…helmets off to you, Mr. Chandler. Now give him the Emmy!
Will Win: Jon Hamm, Mad Men. It's no shock that the Emmy voters love Mad Men like humans love videos of cats on the Internet. (Have you seen this one? Delightful.) But Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad has always snatched the trophy away from Hamm, and guess what? No nomination for him this year. So, after a particularly wonderful season of Mad Men, Don Draper will finally get his win. He's won other awards for his performance (Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guilds, etc.), but the Emmy has always eluded Hamm. Not this year.
Best Actor, Comedy Series
Should Win: Steve Carell, The Office. C'mon, we think it's time for Michael Scott to win one. As much as we love Jim Parsons and, well, every other nominee in the category, after seven seasons on The Office, it'll be heartbreaking to see Carell end up empty-handed on Sunday. Give him the send-off he deserves, Academy!
Will Win: Steve Carell. We're giving the voters the benefit of the doubt and trust they'll get all sentimental on us by giving Steve the Emmy. And if they don't...we know where all of them live.