Our Emmys 2019 predictions: Who is going to win big at this year's awards?

'Game of Thrones' might have 32 nominations, but what chances does the fantasy show have of walking away with trophies on the night?

'Game of Thrones' has a huge amount of nominations for its final season at this year's Emmys. AP

On Sunday, the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards will celebrate the best shows that aired between June 1, 2018, and May 31, 2019, at Los Angeles’s Microsoft Theatre.

The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones reigned supreme when the nominations were announced, landing a total of 32 nods – the most the Emmys has ever given a single season of television. That should make the fantasy show the clear favourite in the major categories. There's just one problem, though: the closing season of Game of Thrones was widely derided.

But while Game of Thrones fans will probably never get over how poor its final few episodes were, at least it means that the races for the top prizes at the 2019 Emmys are still wide open. Especially since there were so many other incredible shows during this time, too.

Bill Hader's Barry and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag both mixed depth and pathos with their comedy, Veep and Schitt's Creek's final seasons were actually satisfying, while Succession, Killing Eve, Better Call Saul and Chernobyl have once again shown that the best drama is still on the small rather than big screen.

But what’s actually going to win big at the Emmys on Sunday night? You can take a gander at our predictions below.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer in political satire 'Veep'. AP

Barry
Fleabag
The Good Place
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Russian Doll
Schitt’s Creek
Veep 

This is undoubtedly the strongest field of the night, in which each of the comedies above would be a rightful winner. However, we can actually whittle down the most likely victor. Both The Good Place and Schitt's Creek are just happy to be nominated, while debuting all the way back in January will likely hinder Russian Doll. The Emmys love repeat winners, so The Marvelous Mrs Maisel has an outside chance of returning to the stage after last year's win. But the real tussle is between Barry, Fleabag and Veep. Barry and Fleabag were of much better quality and consistently incredible, but, even thought it was patchy until its final few episodes, the fact it was Veep's last season probably makes it the favourite.

Outstanding Drama Series

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in 'Game of Thrones'. Courtesy OSN

Better Call Saul
Bodyguard
Game of Thrones
Killing Eve
Ozark
Pose
Succession
This Is Us 

Listen, we all know just how underwhelming Game Of Thrones' final episodes were, especially its finale. But there were still some genuinely outstanding moments and scenes amidst its chaotic and rushed storytelling, while the fact that the past seven seasons of the show had exponentially raised the bar for the medium means the Emmys will want to celebrate it. The only shows that might pip Game of Thrones are Killing Eve, Pose or Succession. But as they're all in their second seasons, it still feels way too early for them, anyway.

Outstanding Limited Series

Asante Blackk as young Kevin Richardson in 'When They See Us'. AP

Chernobyl
Escape at Dannemora
Fosse/Verdon
Sharp Objects
When They See Us 

This is another field that's wide open and packed full of critically acclaimed shows, and each of the nominees have valid reasons to feel optimistic. Escape at Dannemora is probably the longest shot, but the fact it is directed by Ben Stiller and stars Oscar winners Benicio del Toro and Patricia Arquette gives it a prestige that could lead to a major upset. The Amy Adams-led, Gillian Flynn-written and Jean-Marc Valle-directed Sharp Objects is also an outsider that in any other year would be a leading contender, while Hollywood's love of an inside tale means that Fosse/Verdon, about the partnership between choreographer Bob Fosse and dancer Gwen Verdon, has an even better chance of pipping the front-runners. But the widespread acclaim for Chernobyl and When They See Us makes it a two-horse race. The timeliness of When They See Us, backed by Netflix's huge promotional campaign, puts it just ahead.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Bill Hader as the titular character in 'Barry'. AP

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader, Barry
Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek

Bill Hader is the clear favourite in this category. Not only did he win the same prize last year, but voters love that he is excelling both in front of and behind the camera on Barry. There's a chance that the surprise love and nominations for Schitt's Creek could extend far enough for Eugene Levy to rival Hader, or that Danson will be rewarded for always being hilarious on The Good Place. But it would be a huge surprise, especially since Hader's work on Barry, as a hitman who takes up acting, is fully deserving of all the recognition it's getting.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 'Fleabag'. AP

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag

As the recipient of eight Emmy Best Actress awards already, you'd have assumed that Emmy voters might have become a bit tired of repeatedly giving Julia Louis-Dreyfus the gong over and over again. The Veep star is almost certainly going to need to find some more room on her shelf, though, as the Emmys will look to commemorate the satire's departure from screens. After winning last year, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel's Rachel Brosnahan is Dreyfus's closest competitor, while no one should underestimate just how beloved Phoebe Waller-Bridge's work on Fleabag is, too. But the quieter reaction to Maisel's second season, and Bridge's likely victory in the writing category, means it would be a huge shock if they beat Dreyfus.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Bob Odenkirk in 'Better Call Saul'. AMC

Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Billy Porter, Pose
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us

Surely, there's no way that Kit Harington can actually win for his damp and flustered work on Game of Thrones … is there? If he does, then the always-compelling and dynamic Sterling K Brown and Billy Porter will have to eclipse their incredible work on This Is Us and Pose to hide their disappointment and frustration. Bob Odenkirk is just ahead of the pair, though, as he just gets better and better as the increasingly devious lawyer on Better Call Saul. Plus, as a four-time nominee that has never won, and with the show having just released its best-ever season, the time should be nigh for him to finally land the award.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Sandra Oh in 'Killing Eve'. AP

Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Laura Linney, Ozark
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Robin Wright, House of Cards

The common consensus is that Jodie Comer is the biggest threat to Sandra Oh winning the Best Dramatic Actress Emmy for a second year in a row. Still, Oh is likely to win again. But since Killing Eve's second season was such a disappointment, there's a chance the always-scintillating Viola Davis might shock them both and claim her second Best Actress Emmy for How To Get Away With Murder (she picked her first one up in 2015). The fight is just between this trio, though, as Linney, Wright and Moore have little to no momentum, while the dismay over the treatment of Daenerys Targaryen in the final episodes of Game of Thrones will surely scupper Emilia Clarke's hopes.