Dan recently celebrated the 21st anniversary of the founding of his web site, Soap Central. He is also the host of the weekly live Internet radio show, Kroll Call. He became hooked on soaps because of All My Children and quickly fell in love with the genre. His work on Soap Central over the past two decades has given him an appreciation for all of the soaps and talented men and women in front of and behind the camera. Dan is also a renowned snacker and supporter of all things Philly, and he takes strange pride in never having been nominated for anything.

As has been the case for the past few years, Dan will share how he would have voted if he were an Emmy voter and also offer his thoughts on who the pool of Emmy voters will select. Sometimes the two choices are the same -- and sometimes they are wildly different. And somehow, they are usually both still wrong.

▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Drama Series
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Lead and Actress
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Supporting Actor and Actress
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Younger Actor and Actress
▸ Skip ahead to Dan's picks for Guest Performer

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Previous Predictions
See Dan's predictions from past years

2015: 2 for 8 2014: 1 for 8 2013: 6 for 8 2012: 3 for 8 2011: 3 for 8

2010: 2 for 8 2009: 3 for 8 2008: 5 for 8 2007: 2 for 8 2006: 5 for 8

2005: 3 for 8 2004: 0 for 8 2003: 2 for 8 2002: 2 for 8 2001: 1 for 8

Bryan Craig
Morgan Corinthos
 
  I've always felt that the "Younger" categories are slightly unfair because of the age limit imposed on wannabe nominees. Can a ten-year-old actor really compete when the depth of material given to a 25-year-old seems to be so much more? This year, that question will seemingly be answered in both the Younger Actor and Younger Actress categories.

It's always fascinating to me to watch social media buzz when viewers perceive an actor's work in a particular episode to be "Emmy worthy." We haven't handed the Emmys for last year and people are already talking about next year. That's been the case with Bryan Craig. I picked him to win last year (he didn't), and he is my pick again this year. His portrayal of a young man battling bipolar disorder has been incredibly powerful. The first reel is somewhat understated and even tender as Morgan talks with his dad, played by Maurice Benard. Sure, it has a bit of drunkenness, which is always an iffy area at Emmy time. The second reel shows Morgan coming completely undone. Bryan is great opposite on-screen mom Laura Wright.

Seven months of the year were already gone when Pierson Fodé made his first appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful, but the stage was quickly set for a classic soap showdown between father and son. Pierson had a strong scene partner in his on-screen dad, Thorsten Kaye. My only question is whether or not the episode comes off as "soapy."

Max Ehrich is a perennial top performer. His on-screen time at The Young and the Restless was probably less than a lot of fans would have liked due to his work on outside projects. His reel is interesting in that he commands just a small portion of the dialogue in the scene. After an emotionally charged start to the reel, the next chunk of material in the first episode has Max showing emotion without words. I don't know how voters will respond to a nominee being so removed from the scene. The second episode goes right back to Max's strengths -- and features also-nominated Tracey Bregman and Christian LeBlanc. The three together are magic (something I said during last year's predictions). It also features a good ol' father-son face-off.

Over the years, many, many pundits have commented on the ability of soap opera actresses to cry. When it comes to the guys, I tend to think of Jason Thompson -- but in watching this year's reels, I am adding another name to the list: Tequan Richmond. Tequan was my pick to take home this award last year. Due to his outside projects, Tequan didn't get a lot of air time in 2015 -- and when I saw he was nominated, I scratched my head and asked myself, "For what?" Then I watched the clip, and it all came back to me.

The youngest of the Younger Actor nominees is 11-year-old Nicolas Bechtel. His reel shows perhaps the early moments of what could be a long career. It also shows what divided many General Hospital fans: children who were not necessarily acting as children typically would. I fall onto the side that was amused by seeing adultish situations like love triangles played out by pint-sized actors. I think Nicolas is a fine actor and provided much-needed levity on GH -- but I am not sure that it can fairly compete against a young adult reeling from a possible bipolar diagnosis and another young adult railing against an absentee father.

Who voters will pick: Bryan Craig
My final rankings: Bryan Craig, Max Ehrich, Tequan Richmond, Pierson Fodé, Nicholas Bechtel

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Hunter King
Summer Newman
 
  I've always felt that the "Younger" categories are slightly unfair because of the age limit imposed on wannabe nominees... sound familiar? Yeah, I know. I just asked that in the last category. But it sort of bears repeating. Can we just do a five-way tie and call it a day? No? Okay, then let me try to get through this. The "Younger" categories love to find a nominee and then reward them year after year after year. That would bode well for Hunter King, who has won trophies in each of the last two consecutive years. And that is to take nothing away from her performance this year. Who doesn't love an angry confrontation at a wedding/funeral/gathering? This year's reel also gave a little more of a look at Hunter's depth as an actress. Ashlyn Pearce's on-screen meltdown as Aly Forrester was so much fun to watch. I am sure you're tired of me saying it by now, but I love my over-the-top crazy soap opera characters. What makes this reel so powerful is that it ended with the stunning death of Pearce's character. It came out of nowhere, and to be honest, some fans are still saying that Aly didn't need to be killed off. Now, as much as I loved every ounce of Ashlyn's performance, it does again raise the question of "Is it too soapy?" Reign Edwards is another of the first-time nominees this year. Her work on B&B has been really solid over the past year. In fact, as time has gone by, you've been able to see her getting stronger and stronger as an actress. I wish there had been an allowance in the rules to allow Reign to submit more than just two episodes. I'd have loved to see the setup of how Nicole revealed that Maya had once been her brother, Myron. I think there is a narrative missing in the reel that non-watchers won't be able to pick up on. Still, Reign had powerful scene partners in Anna Maria Horsford and Obba Babatundé (who are both in the running for the Guest Performer category that I will try to predict further down this page) and it is a very relatable scenario. A young adult standing their ground and declaring their independence from a parent or parents. True O'Brien falls into another Emmy favorite category: an actress who has left the show and now is nominated for an award. Paige's reels were well thought out. Much of the DAYS cast appears at some point during the two-episode submission,c and there is a continuity to the story that carries from episode to episode. I don't know if I feel that this is the strongest performance of this year's nominees, but that says more about the strength of this year's nominees than it does about any sort of deficit in True's reel.

I am so happy that Brooklyn Rae Silzer earned an Emmy nomination. It's nice to see the youngest of the younger actors and actresses get recognition. And I think this year being so young might work in Brooklyn's favor. So many of the folks voting in the Emmy balloting are parents -- and the idea of their child being kidnapped would be devastating. The general rule for me (at least in my mind) in submitting Emmy material is to leave the voters wanting more. Brooklyn's reel did that. And can we talk about the ending? Emma's crying broke my heart into a squillion pieces.

Who voters will pick: Hunter King
My final rankings: Brooklyn Rae Silzer, Hunter King, Ashlyn Pearce, Reign Edwards, True O'Brien

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Obba Babatundé
Julius Avant
 
  Last year, three people were named the winner in this category. I felt bad for the two who were not. To be honest, I can see the same thing happening again this year. It seems wrong to have a three-way tie, but that's just my take. Would I decline an award if I were one of three winners? I could be one of 800, and I'd still get right up on the stage and give a weeping acceptance speech.

For the first time in a long time -- and I am trying to wrack my brain to remember when this did happen last -- two performers submitted the same episode in the same category.

Since Hunter King selected a funeral confrontation for her Younger Actress reel, The Bold and the Beautiful's Anna Maria Horsford and Obba Babatundé selected a wedding confrontation. It balances out the universe. What is interesting is that while the episode selected by both actors is the same episode, the reels are not exactly the same. The reason for that is that Anna Maria and Obba could only submit the scenes in which they were present as part of their reel. So does having two people pick the same episode dilute the impact of the episode and performances? Ordinarily, it might. This year, though, the feeling and tone put forth by both performers is completely different. From an emotional stance, Anna Maria Horsford swooping in as Maya's mama hit all the marks. Right or wrong, many of us see mothers as fiercely loyal and protective of their kids. Anna Maria Horsford as mama lion is perfect in every way. However, from the nitty, gritty, something-with-bite side of my voting finger, Obba has the perfect material. He gets to say things that are not politically correct -- but that many people might understand: A father who is, in his own way, grieving the loss of his son.

Adam Leadbeater offered a performance that reminded me in many ways of the bad guys in Taken. His character wasn't necessarily one that people tuned in every day to watch, but in many ways, the character has become one that will have a lasting impact in the history of DAYS. Dr. Malcolm was the character that made Hope snap. The cinematography of the scene was well done (which may or many not really have any impact) and the menacing way in which Adam delivered in these scenes was better than the cartoon villains soap fans have gotten accustomed to seeing.

Dee Wallace is a beloved actress whose appearance as a much-talked-about-but-never-seen character on General Hospital was a really big deal. Dee had the unenviable task of being the pivotal character that helped to sum up why Luke Spencer was the way he was. Dee is an actress who is out of this world -- I mean she bought the Reese's Pieces that Ell-ee-utt fed to E.T. What I think doesn't work in this reel, though, is that Dee was not present in any of the newly created flashbacks that were so powerful in the Luke "revelation." The scenes were sort of exposition. Though it was a great monologue, I am not sure that there is the emotional oomph that some of the other reels had.

Frank Runyeon's appearance in an It's A Wonderful Life type of episode on The Young and the Restless is the stuff that Emmys are all about. Well, almost. The submitted episode was seemingly a vehicle to get Melody Thomas Scott a long overdue second Emmy nomination. And yet, somehow, Melody didn't get a nomination. So Runyeon's appearance on the ballot is something of a consolation prize in that regard. The episode as a whole was quite good, but the reel comes off as being somewhat disjointed and choppy because of the need to edit out scenes in which the actor did not appear. And I do feel that the reel seems more like Melody Thomas Scott's reel than it does Frank Runyeon's.

Who voters will pick: Obba Babatundé
My rankings: Obba Babatundé, Anna Maria Horsford, Adam Leadbeater, Dee Wallace, Frank Runyeon

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