6 Emmy predictions ahead of Thursday’s nominations announcement

HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 07: (L-R) Actors Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, and Reese Witherspoon attend the premiere of HBO’s ‘Big Little Lies’ at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 7, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Nominations for the 2017 Emmy awards will be announced on Thursday morning. Here’s who we’d like to see recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences this year.

We know you’re sick of hearing about The Golden Age of Television, but the fact of the matter is this epic TV era is showing no signs of slowing down. Which is good news for us TV junkies, especially when our Christmas, a.k.a. the Emmys roll around. The actual award show won’t air until September, but nominations for the honors will be announced on Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. ET. (Find out how to watch a livestream of the event here.)

Before Anna Chlumsky and Shemar Moore tell the world who’s in contention this year, along with Television Academy Chairman and CEO Hayma Washington, we took a look back at the programs and performances that stuck with us over the past year. Of course, a few fan favorites aren’t even in the running. Because of the Emmys’ particular rules about when a show airs, powerhouses like Game of Thrones, which nabbed 23 nominations last year, won’t be eligible to compete.

Here’s hoping these shows and actors are:

Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies

If the dramatic goddess that is Nicole Kidman isn’t recognized for her conflicted, heart-breaking portrayal of abused wife and mother Celeste in HBO’s hit limited series, I’m confident I wouldn’t be alone in my shock. When the addictive show was airing earlier this year, a lot was said in the “wow, since when is Nicole Kidman a good actress?” vein online. The answer, in case you were wondering, is since always.

She was a stellar choice to play Celeste, perhaps the series’ most challenging role in a project that’s full of them. Kidman has said she was drawn to the show, based on Liane Moriarty’s 2014 novel of the same name, because it offered her and her costars nuanced parts that largely haven’t been available to women.

Celeste’s nuance is a balance of determination and vulnerability, of passion and fear. Talking about tackling the emotional role, Kidman told W in August:

"“I felt very exposed and vulnerable and deeply humiliated at times. […] But at times I would have flashes of images of women that have gone through this and I’m like, ‘This is authentic, this is the truth and this is what I have to do.'”"

While nearly every performance on Big Little Lies was epic (if Reese Witherspoon or Zoe Kravitz or Laura Dern or Shailene Woodley earn a nod, it will also be well-deserved), Kidman’s truth reached out from the screen, grabbed its viewers, and didn’t let go.