2015 Emmy Awards: Predicting the Winners

Predicting the winners for Sunday's Emmy Awards.

ByABC News
September 18, 2015, 2:37 AM

— -- Emmy voters said goodbye to a few veteran shows this year, but the question remains whether they will give them a golden send off when the 67th Emmy Awards airs Sunday.

Probably the biggest question of the night is whether Jon Hamm will finally get his due now that "Mad Men" has finally wrapped after seven seasons.

"I kind of think this is going to be 'Mad Men’s' year," Ken Tucker, Yahoo! TV's critic-at-large, told ABC News. "It's the last chance for Emmy voters to give them awards. It's kind of amazing it hasn’t gotten more."

Tucker is referring specifically to star Hamm, who up to now hasn't won a single Emmy despite 12 nominations.

The 44-year-old actor has had a rough year on the personal front with a stint in rehab and a public breakup with his long-time girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt.

"On the other hand, his career is going awfully well," Tucker said, pointing out that he's also up for a guest role Emmy for "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and his "SNL" appearances were some of the most talked about. "He's really proved he’s got range."

So while the awards show might get a little boring if "Mad Men" sweeps many of the major categories, as Tucker predicts it could, "It could also be kind of touching for Emmy voters," he noted.

In the variety talk series category, voters also faced some tough choices. Three of the six shows had their final season -- "The Colbert Report," "Late Show with David Letterman," and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

"I think the real race is between David Letterman and Jon Stewart," Tucker said, with Emmy voters "wanting to give them one last pat on the back."

Though Tucker would like to see Letterman win, he thinks Stewart has the edge.

Here are Tucker's other predictions for the winners and possible spoilers for this year's Emmy Awards:

Comedy Series

  • "Louie"
  • "Modern Family"
  • "Parks and Recreation"
  • "Silicon Valley"
  • "Transparent"
  • "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
  • "Veep"

Despite Emmy's love for "Modern Family," which has won five Emmys for outstanding comedy series five years in a row, Tucker thinks the HBO series "Veep" could win this year. "'Veep' had a really strong season and it's such a good ensemble cast," Tucker said. "There's a lot of Emmy love for 'Veep.'"

Actress in a Comedy Series

  • Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
  • Lisa Kudrow, "The Comeback"
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
  • Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
  • Amy Schumer, "Inside Amy Schumer"
  • Lily Tomlin, "Grace and Frankie"

Most of that Emmy love for "Veep" gets bestowed on star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who Tucker thinks will probably win, though he'd like to see Amy Poehler win for her final season of "Parks and Recreation." But if there's any spoiler in this category, it's Amy Schumer. "In terms of momentum and sentiment, Amy Schumer is kind of the it girl," Tucker said.

Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Anthony Anderson, "Black-ish"
  • Louis CK, "Louie"
  • Don Cheadle, "House of Llies"
  • Will Forte, "Last Man on Earth"
  • Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"
  • William H. Macy, "Shameless"
  • Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"

If there’s a lock in any of these categories, Tucker said, it’s Jeffrey Tambor for his role in Amazon's "Transparent." "It's so amazing and so striking," Tucker said. "I think he’s really got it sewn up. Although if Anthony Anderson wins for 'Black-ish,' I will be happy and I will have egg on my face."

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series

  • Andre Braugher, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
  • Adam Driver, "Girls"
  • Keegan-Michael Key, "Key & Peele"
  • Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
  • Tituss Burgess, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
  • Tony Hale, "Veep"

"It might be Ty Burrell's year," Tucker said about the "Modern Family" star, pointing out that so many of his co-stars have won multiple times while he's only won twice. His strongest competition, according to Tucker, is Tony Hale from "Veep," while Tituss Burgess from "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" is a wild card, coming off his Golden Globe win.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series

  • Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"
  • Niecy Nash, "Getting On"
  • Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
  • Allison Janney, "Mom"
  • Kate McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live"
  • Gaby Hoffmann, "Transparent"
  • Jane Krakowski, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
  • Anna Chlumsky, "Veep"

There's a strong possibility that Allison Janney could pull a repeat win in this category, Tucker said. But he'd like to see Anna Chlumsky get the Emmy for "Veep."

Drama Series

  • "Better Call Saul"
  • "Downton Abbey"
  • "Game of Thrones"
  • "Homeland"
  • "House of Cards"
  • "Mad Men"
  • "Orange Is the New Black"

"'Mad Men' has a really strong chance of winning," Tucker said. But it's not without competition, particularly from the nomination leader "Game of Thrones," which is sure to pick up some wins for its 24 nominations, even if Emmy voters don't always connect with that kind of epic fantasy. Newcomers "Better Call Saul" and "Orange Is the New Black" (new to the drama category this season) are possible wild cards.