2015 Critics’ Choice TV Awards Predictions: Transparent and Empire Could Win Big

The 2015 Critics’ Choice Television Awards are this Sunday and I have your rock solid predictions right here! Going into the evening HBO leads all networks with a whopping 27 nominations, FX is a distant second with 16. HBO’s Olive Kitteridge and FX’s Justified lead individual totals with 5 apiece.

The awards, which are a creation of the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), began with the Broadcast Film Critics Association who established BTJA and the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in 2011 on behalf of television journalists working in electronic media to celebrate outstanding work in television. In addition to honoring the best shows and performers from the previous season, the CCTAs also spotlight the Most Exciting New Series premiering after May 31, 2015, judging from pilots and early episodes.

The awards are only in their fifth year but they’ve always been a good mix of traditional Emmy-ish picks and bold, new choices. For example, last year saw Allison Janney snag double wins (Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Mom, Guest Performer in a Drama Series for Masters of Sex) just as she did at the Emmys. But then the group also awarded huge critics fave Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black for Best Actress in a Drama Series (who isn’t even nominated this year). And remember the year Busy Phillips won for Cougar Town?

The top two categories, Best Drama Series and Best Comedy Series could go anywhere as the winners from last year are not eligible/nominated this year. Best Comedy Series winner Orange is the New Black is now in Drama Series and last year’s Drama Series winner, Breaking Bad, is off the air. This is all to say that these awards can be hard to predict. They’re the first real TV awards of the season because they’re right after the season ends, unlike the Emmys which are the end of summer.

So, here we go. My predictions for the 5th Critics’ Choice Television Awards (in bold), with possible spoilers in each category.

BEST COMEDY SERIES
“Broad City”
“Jane the Virgin”
“Mom”
“Silicon Valley”
“Transparent” 
“Veep” (spoiler)

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Anthony Anderson, “Blackish”
Will Forte, “The Last Man on Earth” (spoiler)
Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”
Chris Messina, “The Mindy Project”
Thomas Middleditch, “Silicon Valley”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Ilana Glazer, “Broad City”
Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin”
Amy Schumer, “Inside Amy Schumer” (spoiler)
Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat”

BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (spoiler)
Jaime Camil, “Jane the Virgin”
Adam Driver, “Girls”
Tony Hale, “Veep”
T.J. Miller, “Silicon Valley”
Cameron Monaghan, “Shameless”

BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory”
Carrie Brownstein, “Portlandia”
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Judith Light, “Transparent” (spoiler)
Melanie Lynskey, “Togetherness”
Eden Sher, “The Middle”

BEST COMEDY GUEST PERFORMER
Becky Ann Baker, “Girls”
Josh Charles, “Inside Amy Schumer”
Susie Essman, “Broad City”
Peter Gallagher, “Togetherness”
Laurie Metcalf, “The Big Bang Theory”
Bradley Whitford, “Transparent” (spoiler)

BEST DRAMA SERIES
“The Americans”
“Empire” (spoiler)
“Game of Thrones”
“The Good Wife”
“Homeland”
“Justified”
“Orange is the New Black”

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Freddie Highmore, “Bates Motel”
Charlie Hunnam, “Sons of Anarchy”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” (spoiler)
Timothy Olyphant, “Justified”
Matthew Rhys, “The Americans”
Aden Young, “Rectify”

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”
Vera Farmiga, “Bates Motel”
Eva Green, “Penny Dreadful”
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire” 
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
Keri Russell, “The Americans” (spoiler)

BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul”
Christopher Eccleston, “The Leftovers”
Walton Goggins, “Justified” (spoiler)
Ben Mendelsohn, “Bloodline”
Craig T. Nelson, “Parenthood”
Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland”

BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
Joelle Carter, “Justified” (spoiler)
Carrie Coon, “The Leftovers”
Lorraine Toussaint, “Orange is the New Black”
Mae Whitman, “Parenthood”
Katheryn Winnick, “Vikings”

BEST DRAMA GUEST PERFORMER
Sam Elliott, “Justified”
Walton Goggins, “Sons of Anarchy” (spoiler)
Linda Lavin, “The Good Wife”
Julianne Nicholson, “Masters of Sex”
Lois Smith, “The Americans”
Cicely Tyson, “How to Get Away with Murder”

BEST TV MOVIE
“Bessie”
“Killing Jesus”
“Nightingale” (spoiler)
“A Poet in New York”
“Stockholm, Pennsylvania”

BEST LIMITED SERIES
“American Crime”
“The Book of Negroes”
“The Honorable Woman” (spoiler)
“Olive Kitteridge”
“24: Live Another Day”
“Wolf Hall”

BEST MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES ACTOR
Michael Gambon, “The Casual Vacancy”
Richard Jenkins, “Olive Kitteridge” (spoiler)
James Nesbitt, “The Missing”
David Oyelowo, “Nightingale”
Mark Rylance, “Wolf Hall”
Kiefer Sutherland, “24: Live Another Day”

BEST MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES ACTRESS
Aunjanue Ellis, “The Book of Negroes”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honorable Woman”
Felicity Huffman, “American Crime”
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”
Queen Latifah, “Bessie” (spoiler)
Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge”

BEST MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jason Isaacs, “Stockholm, Pennsylvania”
Bill Murray, “Olive Kitteridge”
Elvis Nolasco, “American Crime”
Jonathan Pryce, “Wolf Hall” (spoiler)
Cory Michael Smith, “Olive Kitteridge”
Finn Wittrock, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”

BEST MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Khandi Alexander, “Bessie”
Claire Foy, “Wolf Hall”
Janet McTeer, “The Honorable Woman”
Mo’Nique, “Bessie”
Cynthia Nixon, “Stockholm, Pennsylvania”
Sarah Paulson, “American Horror Story: Freak Show” (spoiler)

BEST REALITY SERIES
“Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
“Deadliest Catch”
“Married at First Sight” (spoiler)
“MythBusters”
“Shark Tank”
“Undercover Boss”

BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES
“The Amazing Race”
“America’s Got Talent”
“Dancing with the Stars”
“Face Off”
“Master Chef Junior” (spoiler)
“The Voice”

BEST REALITY HOST
Tom Bergeron, “Dancing with the Stars”
Anthony Bourdain, “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”
Cat Deeley, “So You Think You Can Dance”
Phil Keoghan, “The Amazing Race”
James Lipton, “Inside the Actors Studio” (spoiler)
Betty White, “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers”

BEST ANIMATED SERIES
“Archer”
“Bob’s Burgers”
“Gravity Falls” (spoiler)
“The Simpsons”
“South Park”
“Star Wars Rebels”

BEST TALK SHOW
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”
“The Graham Norton Show”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“The Late Late Show with James Corden”
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (spoiler)

The awards will be handed out at the Beverly Hilton Hotel will be broadcast live on A&E on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm PT.