2015 Emmy Nomination Predictions: Best Limited Series

2015 Nomination Predictions
American Crime
American Horror Story: Freak Show
The Honourable Woman
Olive Kitteridge
Wolf Hall

Other Contenders - Texas Rising, The Missing, Houdini, The Book of Negroes, 24: Live Another Day, Gracepoint, Sons of Liberty, Dig, The Casual Vacancy, A.D.: The Bible Continues, The Red Tent, The Slap, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, Cucumber, Full Circle, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles

Commentary - Olive Kitteridge is a lock and a half, and is probably the front runner for the win by a mile. But the rest of the nominations are not as easy as that. Freak Show is bound to get a bunch of nominations, and yet a lot of folks think it is going to miss out in the program category. If it gets as many acting nods as I think it does, plus the butt-loads of technical nods it is bound to get, and the fact that in its third cycle, it finally got writing and directing nods, leads me to think it would be rather surprising if it suddenly got dropped. Wolf Hall seems like a safe bet, as PBS, and the British folks always do well with Emmy voters. Texas Rising could be this year's Hatfields & McCoys, but it has neither the reviews, nor the buzz of its predecessor. The Missing was a big hit for Starz, but its buzz has muted as the year has gone on. And titles like Live Another Day (24 was a huge hit in the Drama Series category), Houdini (historical series starring an Oscar winner), and The Book of Negroes (good reviews, some CCTA nods, did enough people see it?) should not be discounted. But I have two other options. First is American Crime. It got a renewal despite low ratings, most likely due to the rave reviews, and the talent behind and in front of the camera. I think Emmy voters will respond the same way. Finally, it has been a while since it debuted, but I think that the star power of Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Rea, and Janet McTeer, combined with great reviews, a Golden Globe win for its star, and the aforementioned British love will snag it a spot in this surprising competitive race.