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Opening Odds for the 2020 Emmy Awards After Nominations Announced

JJ De La Torre

By JJ De La Torre in Entertainment

Updated: March 19, 2021 at 9:56 am EDT

Published:


Rami Malek at the 2016 Emmy Awards
Rami Malek, seen here at the 2016 Emmy Awards, recently added a Golden Globe to his resume. Is an Oscar going to follow? Photo by Disney | ABC Television (flickr) [<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0">CC License</a>].
  • Emmy nominations were virtually announced on July 28, 2020 by Leslie Jones, Laverne Cox, Josh Gad, and Tatiana Maslany
  • Leading the nominations this year is Watchmen with eleven nods, followed by Succession with ten and Ozark with nine
  • See the odds for the entire field of awards within the story below

This year’s Primetime Emmy Awards are going to be a little different. It’s the first event scheduled for the upcoming awards season. Naturally, the lingering effects of COVID-19 are likely to impact the ceremony.

While host Jimmy Kimmel and ABC producers have been busy securing both in-person and virtual venue possibilities, the nominees were announced this week.

Nominees this year lean more toward fan favorite shows from previous years such as Schitt’s Creek, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Ozark. Newcomers such as Apple TV+’sThe Morning Show pop up in select categories, but it’s the tenured shows to watch for this year.

2020 Outstanding Comedy Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Schitt’s Creek -125
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel +125
Curb Your Enthusiasm +800
The Good Place +1000
Dead to Me +1200
The Kominsky Method +1600
Insecure +2500
What We Do in the Shadows +4000

All Odds taken July 29

You can’t deny the power of the Levy-produced powerhouse Schitt’s Creek. The Pop TV original really found its footing this year in its sixth and final season. It was nominated for the first time last year and lost to Fleabag.

With the latter out of the picture this year, Schitt’s is slated to win. Schitt’s Creek has the best odds and seems on track to win.

Pick: Schitt’s Creek (-125)

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2020 Outstanding Drama Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Succession -150
Ozark +200
The Crown +400
Better Call Saul +800
The Handmaid’s Tale +1600
Stranger Things +2500
Killing Eve +3300
The Mandalorian +3300

Last year, Succession was one of the top contenders but lost to the final season of Game of Thrones. With Thrones now wrapped, Succession is poised to take the trophy.

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The HBO black comedy is now in its second season. Fans and critics alike agree that Succession only got better in its sophomore production. It only makes sense to see the odds in the show’s favor and probable for Succession to be the winner.

Pick: Succession (-150)

2020 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek) -500
Ted Danson (The Good Place) +300
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) +800
Don Cheadle (Black Monday) +1200
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish) +1400
Ramy Youssef (Ramy) +1400

While Schitt’s is beloved, lead character Johnny Rose isn’t exactly the most titillating role. This would make Eugene Levy’s great odds seem a little off upon first glance.

Looking at the rest of the nominees, though, and it makes sense for Levy to win. The category is filled with characters even less charming and less memorable.

Pick: Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek) (-500)

2020 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Brian Cox (Succession) -250
Jason Bateman (Ozark) +150
Jeremy Strong (Succession) +1000
Billy Porter (Pose) +1200
Sterling K. Brown (This is Us) +1400
Steve Carell (The Morning Show) +2000

Jason Bateman has been the runner-up for several years for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. His work on Ozark has earned him the silver spot two years in a row and it’s probably going to happen again.

While Bateman is great in Ozark, Brian Cox’s role on Succession feels more current and fresh. Cox shines bright in the HBO sleeper hit, and having the best odds in this category make sense.

Pick: Brian Cox (Succession) (-250)

 

2020 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) -350
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) +250
Christina Applegate (Dead to Me) +500
Issa Rae (Insecure) +1000
Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me) +1600
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) +3300

Catherine O’Hara is a no brainer to win. Her role as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek has single-handedly made the show a contemporary classic. O’Hara’s Moira is brilliant, filled with priceless dialogue, on-point voice work, and a surprising amount of character development.

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While Rachael Brosnahan also scores big points for her work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, she already won for this role in 2018. With Schitt’s officially closing the curtain with this final season, O’Hara is much more suited to win.

Pick: Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) – (-350)

2020 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Laura Linney (Ozark) -1000
Olivia Colman (The Crown) +800
Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show) +800
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) +1400
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) +1400
Zendaya (Euphoria) +3300

Wow. Judging by the odds, nobody even comes close to touching Laura Linney’s role in Ozark. While Olivia Colman is also a fan favorite in The Crown, you can’t compare to the stunning character work Linney brings to the table.

https://twitter.com/margotfiIms/status/1288088933285400578

Last year, audiences were surprised when Linney lost to Killing Eve‘s Jodie Comer. Chances are the Emmy voters will give Linney her honors this year.

Pick: Laura Linney (Ozark) (-1000)

2020 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) -600
Daniel Levy (Schitt’s Creek) +400
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method) +700
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live) +1400
Sterling K. Brown (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) +1600
Mahershala Ali (Ramy) +2500
Andre Braughter (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) +3300
William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) +3300

While Tony Shalhoub really does make a scene great in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, he already won this award last year. And although it doesn’t go against voting rules or tradition to shun someone twice for the same performance, let’s take a moment to talk about the greatness that is Daniel Levy.

Levy, also a producer and writer on Schitt’s Creek, truly delivered in his role as David Rose. The last couple of seasons saw immense growth in Levy’s portrayal of the character. While Shalhoub’s odds seem better this early in the race, you can bet things will change more in Levy’s favor closer to the awards.

Pick: Daniel Levy (Schitt’s Creek) (+400)

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2020 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show) +125
Kieran Culkin (Succession) +125
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale) +300
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) +900
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) +1200
Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) +3300
Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) +3300
Nicolas Braun (Succession) +3300

From child star to teen actor, Kieran Culkin has been a Hollywood talent his whole life. It should be no surprise that he truly delivers in Succession. While his odds are on par with Billy Crudup in The Morning Show, it’s Culkin who deserves the honors more.

Pick: Kieran Culkin (Succession) (+125)

2020 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) -700
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) +500
Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek) +800
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) +1200
Betty Gilpin (Glow) +2000
D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place) +2000
Yvonne Orji (Insecure) +2500
Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live) +3300

Can Alex Borsein really win three years in a row? Sure. But Kate McKinnon deserves the award a lot more. While Borstein is clever and fun on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, McKinnon has brought nearly a decade of laughs to television audiences for her work on Saturday Night Live.

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That said, SNL performers are rarely appreciated by Emmy voters, sadly. Borstein’s odds make sense aligning with actual voter taste even if they’re not the most deserved.

Pick: Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) – (-700)

2020 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Odds

Nominee Odds
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown) -600
Julia Garner (Ozark) +400
Laura Dern (Big Little Lies) +800
Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies) +1000
Sarah Snook (Succession) +1200
Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale) +3300
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve) +4000
Thandie Newton (Westworld) +4000

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You don’t have to watch The Crown to know Helena Bonham Carter is the talk of the town with this performance. Her role has been talked about nonstop since she joined the series. She’s beloved and she’s going to win for this role.

Pick: Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown) – (-600)

JJ De La Torre
JJ De La Torre

Entertainment Writer

As an active entertainment aficionado, the former Editor-in-Chief for the Capilano Courier, JJ also co-founded Lords of Dogwood, a Vancouver-based entertainment site in 2013. His writing has been found in ION Magazine, the North Shore News, and The Strand.

Entertainment

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