Daytime Emmy Awards: Michael Logan’s Fearless Predictions

Michael Logan April 30, 2016, 10:00 am

Comments

Paul Drinkwater/NBC/GettyImages

Emmy-Statue

What a drag. The 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards—to be held Sunday, May 1 in Los Angeles—will not be televised this year. But we soap fans can still make our foolish predictions, right?

Outstanding Lead Actress
Tracey Bregman (Lauren), The Young and the Restless
Kassie DePaiva (Eve), Days of Our Lives
Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), Days of Our Lives
Finola Hughes (Anna), GH Maura West (Ava), General Hospital

We gotta say this up front: The fact that B&B‘s Karla Mosley (Maya) and Y&R’s Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) aren’t nominated this year is a shame and a crime and the gal who takes home the gold will not have done it in a fair fight. That said, Hughes, DePaiva and West are all super fabulous in their reels and hugely deserving of a win, though the latter is really pushing it by tacking on scenes with Ava’s faux persona Denise DiMuccio, a character way too shticky for awards. I’m going with Hughes, who brings unparalleled insight and nuance to her performance as Anna week in, week out, but never more than in the aftermath of Duke’s death. She is daytime’s finest.
Winner: Finola Hughes
Likeliest Upset: Kassie DePaiva

Outstanding Lead Actor
Tyler Christopher (Nikolas), General Hospital
Anthony Geary (Luke), General Hospital
Justin Hartley (Adam), The Young and the Restless
Christian LeBlanc (Michael), The Young and the Restless
Kristoff St. John (Neil), The Young and the Restless

There are really only two horses in this race—and they’re both on GH. Should the controversial Geary take home his ninth trophy in this category, he’ll tie the great Cloris Leachman for the most wins by an actor in Emmy history. And he’s damn fine in the episode he submitted, in which he plays both Luke Spencer and, in black-and-white flashbacks, Luke’s abusive drunk of a father. Alas, Geary is hampered by an annoyingly melodramatic director and a script that’s a tad too simplistic, so this is not the out-and-out triumph it should have been. Just as likely to win is Geary’s costar Tyler Christopher, heartbreakingly sublime as Nikolas, a father freaking out in the hospital as his little boy is being treated for severe facial burns. Christopher is one of those wonderfully dependable warhorses who never gets the attention and applause he deserves. It’s time to fix that.
Winner: Tyler Christopher
Likeliest Upset: Anthony Geary

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Lauralee Bell (Christine), The Young and the Restless
Jessica Collins (Avery), The Young and the Restless
Linsey Godfrey (Caroline), The Bold and the Beautiful
Peggy McCay (Caroline), Days of Our Lives
Melissa Reeves (Jennifer), Days of Our Lives

There’s nothing embarrassing about these riches! Bell, Godfrey, McCay and Reeves are all in top form—magnetic, intensely moving and in any other year they could easily be winners. But I think the award must go to Collins. I wasn’t all that jazzed by her overall performance last year but her reel—in which her character, Avery, sexually taunts her ex-husband, Joe, and then reports a rape—is dynamite. Plus, Collins already has like a million Emmy nominations and no win. The streak is over.
Winner: Jessica Collins
Likeliest Upset: Linsey Godfrey

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Steve Burton (Dylan), The Young and the Restless
Bryton James (Devon), General Hospital
Sean Blakemore (Shawn), General Hospital
Dominic Zamprogna (Dante), General Hospital
Jacob Young (Rick), The Bold and the Beautiful

All of these actors have done excellent, memorable work but none of their submissions is a real grabber. I mean, I don’t even have thoughts here. Anything can happen.
Winner: Sean Blakemore
Likeliest Upset: Jacob Young

Outstanding Younger Actress
Ashlyn Pearce (Aly), The Bold and the Beautiful
Reign Edwards (Nicole), The Bold and the Beautiful
Hunter King (Summer), The Young and the Restless
True O’Brien (Paige), Days of Our Lives
Brooklyn Rae Silzer (Emma), General Hospital

These younger categories drive me batty because the talent is usually just so-so, with only one, maybe two, of the nominees truly deserving of an Emmy. Not this time. The winner could be any of the five young ladies. I’m partial to Edwards, an absolute marvel of subtlety, honesty and old-soul depth, but I suspect the judges will be dazzled by the emotional fireworks of King, already a two-time winner, and the pint-sized Silzer, whose character, Emma, is so gut-wrenchingly tortured by the loss of her mother that it’s almost too painful to watch. If the judges aren’t turned off by that—or busy calling Child Protective Services—they’ll be casting their votes for the little one.
Winner: Brooklyn Rae Silzer
Likeliest Upset: Hunter King

Outstanding Younger Actor
Nicolas Bechtel (Spencer), General Hospital
Bryan Craig (Morgan), General Hospital
Max Ehrich (Fen), The Young and the Restless
Pierson Fode (Thomas), The Bold and the Beautiful
Tequan Richmond (TJ), General Hospital

No head scratching here. This needs to be Craig’s year and if it isn’t I’ll lead a riot. His work as bipolar Morgan, who goes off his meds, hits the bottle and frightens the holy crap out of his parents, is nothing less than titanic. The guy has been robbed in this category two years running and none of this year’s other contenders—as gifted as they are—comes close. Let’s do this thing!
Winner: Bryan Craig
Likeliest Upset: Tequan Richmond

Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series
Obba Babatundé (Julius), The Bold and the Beautiful
Anna Maria Horsford (Vivienne), The Bold and the Beautiful
Adam Leadbeater (Dr. Malcolm), Days of Our Lives
Frank Runyeon (Angel), The Young and the Restless
Dee Wallace (Patricia), General Hospital

Last year’s absurd three-way tie in this category (which resulted in at least one highly undeserving win) won’t happen this time due to NATAS rule changes. And, in a way, that’s too bad because I’d have no problem seeing Babatundé, Leadbeater and Wallace get up on that stage and share that golden girl. But I’m betting on Babatundé, whose uptight, trans-phobic character, Julius, is both maddening and hilarious, a true master class in the art of acting.
Winner: Obba Babatundé
Likeliest Upset: Dee Wallace

Outstanding Drama Series
The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)
Days of our Lives (NBC)
General Hospital (ABC)
The Young and the Restless (CBS)

This award rarely goes the way it should, and I doubt this year will be an exception. B&B’s extraordinary transgender saga deserves the top prize hands down, but I just don’t sense it’ll happen. Exec producer-head writer Brad Bell may just have to settle for being prescient, ballsy and culturally significant. Days chose one of its 50th anniversary episodes, loaded with totally awesome flashbacks (which is technically a cheat). Y&R went for the “Adam is alive!” reveal, once again trying to milk Emmys out of that poor little dead Delia. And GH chose its Geary-centric anniversary episode and, weirdly, one of the Toys for Tots Christmas charity episodes with musical guest India Arie. It pains me to say it, but that just may do the trick.
Winner: General Hospital
Likeliest Upset: The Bold and the Beautiful