The Discourse will be mighty interesting when the 2019 Emmy Awards are all said and done. Like the best twisty TV, we're looking at a night that could go down several different roads, depending on whether voters are feeling nostalgic or revolutionary. On one hand, you've got two HBO titans, Game of Thrones and Veep, repping their respective categories in their final seasons. Veep's swan song was relatively critically acclaimed, but—and I don't know if you heard about this—Game of Thrones season 8 was kind've divisive. A few people had qualms. Some qualms were most definitely had. But the Emmys love a goodbye story, and both longtime award magnets are primed for a big night, whether they told the best story or not.

However, this year is also chock-full of wonderful fresh faces and possible upsets. Could masterpieces like Fleabag, Barry, and Russian Doll upset the comedy balance? Is Billy Porter Pose'd for a big Drama win? Will your parents ever stop telling you to watch The Kominsky Method? Some of these questions—and so many more!—will be answered when the 71st Emmy Awards air on Sunday, September 22. Below, we run down every major category with predictions for who will win, who should win, and who might pull off the major upset.

Outstanding Comedy Series

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Image via Netflix

Barry (HBO)

Fleabag (Amazon)

The Good Place (NBC)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Russian Doll (Netflix)

Schitt's Creek (Pop)

Veep (HBO)

Who Should Win: Fleabag

Who Will Win: Veep

Possible Upset: The Good Place 

Excuse me, is this category a Fox sitcom starring Pamela Anderson that ran for two seasons between 2005-2006 because Outstanding Comedy is straight-up Stacked. (Timely references are my passion.) There's truly not an outright wrong choice in the bunch here, it really comes down to what Emmy voters want to highlight. Fleabag season 2 is about as close as you can get to flawless storytelling, a perfect divide between gut-busting comedy, stomach-churning drama, and feeling oddly horny about religion. Barry is a force, jumping between crying from laughter, crying from heartbreak, and crying because of that possibly demonic girl climbing up a tree. Russian Doll broke time, The Good Place—which really has a strong chance as the only major network entry—is the most consistently surprising comedy on TV, Schitt's Creek and its imitable cast has never been anything other than delightful, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is...not my thing, but I certainly see the appeal! But no, the Emmys love a good swan song more than anything, and Veep will take home the trophy for its fantastic seventh and final season.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

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Image via NBC

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish (CBS)

Don Cheadle, Black Monday (Showtime)

Ted Danson, The Good Place (NBC)

Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method (Netflix)

Bill Hader, Barry (HBO)

Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek (Pop)

Who Should Win: Bill Hader

Who Will Win: Bill Hader

Possible Upset: Michael Douglas

Fun fact: If you walked out of the Hollywood Arclight theater last month you'd glimpse an IT: Chapter Two billboard and the "For Your Consideration" poster for Barry across Sunset Boulevard from each other, proof-positive that Bill Hader has taken over Hollywood. It's about damn time. For his multi-layered whirlwind of a performance in Barry season 2, this will be Hader's night; especially considered he's also nominated for Outstanding Writing and Directing. However, Netflix's The Kominsky Method remains undisputed as the show your dad will definitely recommend every time you're home, which is low-key how you know it can't ever be counted out on Emmy night.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

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Image via Amazon

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)

Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll (Netflix)

Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek (Pop)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag (Amazon)

Who Should Win: Natasha Lyonne

Who Will Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Possible Upset: Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Once again, not a single bad option here. I do think Phoebe Waller-Bridge has a solid chance of snagging an Outstanding Writing win—and Natasha Lyonne deserves the nod for quite literally throwing everything she had into Russian DollJulia Louis-Dreyfus is going to an insane seven-for-seven for the role of Selina Meyer on Veep. And honestly? Can't even be a little bit mad about it. A legend.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

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Image via HBO

Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method (Netflix)

Anthony Carrigan, Barry (HBO)

Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)

Stephen Root, Barry (HBO)

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Henry Winkler, Barry (HBO)

Who Should Win: Anthony Carrigan

Who Will Win: Alan Arkin

Possible Upset: Henry Winkler

In a just, fair world, there wouldn't be any award show in which Anthony Carrigan's portrayal of jovial hitman NoHo Hank on Barry wasn't honored in some way. Alas, that doesn't seem too likely here, and there are definitely worse alternatives than Henry Winkler winning for the second year in a row. (After going winless for 42 years, no less!) But I just really, really think The Kominsky Method is going to win big at some point in the night, and Alan Arkin as the quippy agent to Michael Douglas' acting coach is the exact type of role that earns that honor.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

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Image via Netflix

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)

Sian Clifford, Fleabag (Amazon)

Olivia Colman, Fleabag (Amazon)

Betty Gilpin, GLOW (Netflix)

Sarah Goldberg, Barry (HBO)

Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Who Should Win: Betty Gilpin

Who Will Win: Anna Chlumsky

Possible Upset: Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman is fresh off a freaking Oscar win for The Favourite and that might be enough to scoot her across the finish line. (The fact she's incredible in Fleabag would also help.) I do wish Netflix's underrated wrestling dramedy GLOW could get some Emmy love, especially considering Betty Gilpin's dynamic, ever-changing performance throughout. But in the end, Anna Chlumsky deserves this win arguably more than any Veep castmember. As Amy Brookheimer, Chlumsky's been the most wickedly funny part of HBO's razor-sharp comedy for seven straight seasons—"I'm in a room with three people and a fuckload of quiche" should be engraved somewhere in the White House—with six nominations and zero (0) wins.

Outstanding Drama Series

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Image via HBO

Better Call Saul (AMC)

Bodyguard (Netflix)

Game of Thrones (HBO)

Killing Eve (BBC America)

Ozark (Netflix)

Pose (FX)

Succession (HBO)

This Is Us (NBC)

Who Should Win: Succession

Who Will Win: Game of Thrones 

Possible Upset: Pose

Dread it. Run from it.* Game of Thrones is flying away with the top prize come Emmy night no matter how low season 8's Rotten Tomatoes score may be. (Never forget this show won a Writing Emmy for the "bad pussy" episode. Never. Forget.)  It's the biggest show of all time in its final season and it's going to absolutely clean up this year. I'd love if this went to HBO's other trash-family drama, Succession, which is basically Game of Thrones with less (fewer) dragons and more cocaine, and it'd be a thrill if the far more timely Pose pulled off the upset. But, nope. Ring the bells. This city is already taken.

*Sorry, just quoting another monster who completely failed during the endgame.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

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Image via FX

Jason Bateman, Ozark (Netflix)

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us (NBC)

Kit Harington, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)

Billy Porter, Pose (FX)

Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us (NBC)

Who Should Win: Billy Porter

Who Will Win: Billy Porter

Possible Upset: Kit Harrington and/or last-minute entry Bran Stark. Why do you think he came all this way?

I mean...it could be Kit Harington. The man is a great actor with the right material—put him in more comedies, Hollywood!—but Jon Snow spent the entirety of Game of Thrones season 8 finding increasingly monotone ways to say "I dunt wahnt et" toward the Iron Throne. Doesn't matter. It could be Kit Harington. But it should, and much more likely will be Billy Porter for Pose's fiery, open-book ballroom emcee, Pray Tell, a role written specifically for the Tony-winner turned TV star. Look for Porter's acceptance speech at the top of every "Best Moments" list in the morning, too.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

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Image via BBC America

Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (BBC America)

Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)

Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)

Mandy Moore, This Is Us (NBC)

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve (BBC America)

Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

Who Should Win: Jodie Comer

Who Will Win: Sandra Oh

Possible Upset: Emilia Clarke

Jodie Comer's wild, unpredictable performance as the assassin Villanelle was the glue holding an uneven season 2 of Killing Eve together, and it's time she gets some kind of formal recognition. Comer is a gift. If she isn't cast as Catwoman at some point I'm not sure why we're even still making movies. Unfortunately, I can't see here nabbing the Emmy, not yet. This is a strange category; these are all top tier actresses nominated for unbuzzy seasons. Except, of course, Emilia Clarke, and I don't really want to predict a clean sweep for Thrones. (Emilia Clarke could win...Emilia Clarke is probably going to win.) Here, it might simply come down to industry goodwill, and that's Viola Davis—never gonna' complain about Viola Davis winning an award—and the equally deserving Sandra Oh, who is just a smidge more likely.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

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Image via HBO

Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Julie Garner, Ozark (Netflix)

Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve (BBC America)

Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Who Should Win: Gwendoline Christie

Who Will Win: Maisie Williams

Possible Upset: Lena Headey

Lena Headey's inclusion here is so blatantly out of place that I genuinely have to respect it. Make no mistake, Lena Headey has earned a damn Emmy. For seven straight seasons, she brought pathos, rage, and empathy to Cersei Lannister, imbuing an already dynamic character with guaranteed scene-stealing energy every time she was on screen. In season 8 she...mostly stood at a window. Drank some wine. Got crushed by some rocks. She was great at it, of course, but still.

Somebody from Game of Thrones is going to win here. It should be Gwendoline Christie for Brienne of Tarth's knighting scene in episode 2 alone, a legitimately all-time great Game of Thrones moment and performance. It really comes down to a sister-off between Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, and it was Williams with the splashier, attention-grabbing moments throughout season 8.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

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Image via AMC

Alfie Allen, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)

Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul (AMC)

Michael Kelly, House of Cards (Netflix)

Chris Sullivan, This Is Us (NBC)

Who Should Win: Jonathan Banks

Who Will Win: Peter Dinklage

Possible Upset: Alfie Allen

Better Call Saul quietly had one of the best seasons on TV with its fourth outing, and either Giancarlo Esposito and Jonathan Banks would deserve a win here. But—and it sure is hard not to sound like a broken record this year!—them Game of Thrones boiz are probably going to swoop in with the steal. Don't count out Alfie Allen, who I believe did the most crying in season 8, but Peter Dinklage is a three-time winner with a high-profile, fan-favorite role.

Outstanding Limited Series

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Image via HBO

Chernobyl (HBO)

Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)

Fosse/Verdon (FX)

Sharp Objects (FX)

When They See Us (Netflix)

Who Should Win: When They See Us 

Who Will Win: Chernobyl

Possible Upset: Fosse/Verdon 

This is such a heavy category that I really wouldn't be shocked if the comparatively upbeat Fosse/Verdon won just for not including severely ingrained racial injustice or radiation poison vomiting. When They See Us is on a whole different level than anything else for sheer impact and emotion but in the end, Chernobyl is the buzziest project in a pretty stacked category.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

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Image via Netflix

Mahershala Ali, True Detective (HBO)

Benicio del Toro, Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)

Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal (Amazon)

Jared Harris, Chernobyl (HBO)

Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us (Netflix)

Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon (FX)

Who Should Win: Jharrel Jerome

Who Will Win: Jharrel Jerome

Possible Upset: Sam Rockwell

Despite the fact that I believe there should be a separate category just for the way Benicio del Toro delivered this line like an asthmatic haunted house ghoul, this is Jharrel Jerome's award to win. In Ava Duvernay's searing four-part biopic When They See Us, the 21-year-old actor portrays Korey Wise—both as a child and an adult—a member of the wrongly-accused Central Park Five who spent more than 13 years in jail. It's the type of heart-wrenching performance where something truly wrong would have to happen for it not to win. And by that, I mean the Emmy voters would have to remember, once again, how much they love a story about showbiz more than literally anything and give this one to Sam Rockwell.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

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Image via FX

Amy Adams, Sharp Objects (HBO)

Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)

Aunjanue Ellis, When They See Us (Netflix)

Joey King, The Act (Hulu)

Niecy Nash, When They See Us (Netflix)

Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon (FX)

Who Should Win: Michelle Williams

Who Will Win: Michelle Williams

Possible Upset: Amy Adams

Michelle Williams has been the most magnetic part of everything she's in for years now and probably deserves a trophy every time she walks in a room for saying "Hey, sorry about Venom" in the movie Venom. I'm pretty sure at least one half of Fosse/Verdon's title duo is walking away with a win, and Williams was by far the better of the two. Amy Adams might have been a lock if awards-voters didn't have notoriously short memories and Sharp Objects didn't feel like it premiered ten years ago.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

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Image via Showtime

Asante Blackk, When They See Us (Netflix)

Paul Dano, Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)

John Leguizamo, When They See Us (Netflix)

Stellen Skarsgard, Chernobyl (HBO)

Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal (Amazon)

Michael K. Williams, When They See Us (Netflix)

Who Should Win: Michael K. Williams

Who Will Win: Michael K. Williams

Possible Upset: Ben Whishaw

Across The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, The Night Of, and Hap and Leonard, Michael K. Williams is still acting his ass off Emmy-less after three nominations, and that, my friends, is quite frankly insane. Luckily, his powerhouse performance as Antron McCray's father, Bobby McCray, is enough to finally get him on the stage. Unless, of course, Ben Whishaw repeats his Golden Globe win for A Very English Scandalwhich is a very English possibility.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

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Image via Hulu

Patricia Arquette, The Act (Hulu)

Marsha Stephanie Blake, When They See Us (Netflix)

Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects (HBO)

Vera Farmiga, When They See Us (Netflix)

Margaret Qualley, Fosse/Verdon (FX)

Emily Watson, Chernobyl (HBO)

Who Should Win: Patricia Clarkson

Who Will Win: Patricia Arquette

Possible Upset: Vera Farmiga

The battle of the Patricias! This is a close one indeed—these are two great performances—but again, I think recency bias hurts Sharp Objects here. Arquette wins for her chilling, oddly sympathetic role as mother-from-hell Dee Dee Blanchard in role in Hulu's stranger-than-fiction biopic, The Act.

Final Predictions

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Outstanding Drama Series: Game of Thrones

Outstanding Comedy Series: Veep

Outstanding Limited Series: Chernobyl

Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama: Billy Porter

Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama: Sandra Oh

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama: Peter Dinklage

Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy: Bill Hader

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy: Anna Chlumsky

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy: Alan Arkin

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama: Maisie Williams

Outstanding Lead Actor, Limited Series: Jharrel Jerome

Outstanding Lead Actress, Limited Series: Michelle Williams

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Limited Series: Michael K. Williams

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Limited Series: Patricia Arquette

Outstanding Directing, Comedy: Bill Hader, Barry ("ronny/lily")

Outstanding Directing, Drama: Miguel Sapochnik, Game of Thrones ("The Long Night")

Outstanding Directing, Limited: Ava DuVernay, When They See Us

Outstanding Writing, Comedy: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag ("Episode 1")

Outstanding Writing, Drama: Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz, Better Call Saul ("Winner")

Outstanding Writing, Limited: Russell T. Davies, A Very English Scandal