A guide to 67th Primetime Emmy Awards - in pictures

What to expect from the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Main categories and predictions

Outstanding Drama Series

Better Call Saul; Downton Abbey; Game of Thrones; Homeland; House Of Cards; Mad Men; Orange Is The New Black. The smart money is betting on Mad Men to go out on top with a fifth and final win.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Louie; Modern Family; Parks and Recreation; Silicon Valley; Transparent; Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; Veep. Modern Family could repeat its previous success to win its sixth Emmy but the buzz over Transparent is virtually unstoppable.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul); Kyle Chandler (Bloodline); Kevin Spacey (House of Cards); Jon Hamm (Mad Men); Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom); Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan). Victory is Jon Hamm's destiny. Should be a slam-dunk, despite seven previous losses.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Taraji P Henson (Empire); Claire Danes (Homeland); Robin Wright (House of Cards); Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder); Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men); Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black). Not only is diversity on healthy display here, but the two African-American actresses, Henson and Davis, lead the category and both deserve the win. Too close to call.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson (Black-ish); Matt LeBlanc (Episodes); Don Cheadle (House of Lies); Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth); Louis C K (Louie); William H Macy (Shameless); Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent). Forte did some hilarious post-apocalyptic work – but it's Golden Globe-winner Tambor who has the gravitas to triumph.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback); Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie); Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer); Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie); Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep). The mega-talented Poehler and Schumer both deserve our appreciation – and our sympathy, because there's no stopping Louis-Dreyfus, who has already won four times in this category before.

Also in contention

Other fan faves who have a shot at taking home the shiny include Breaking Bad veteran Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul), who deserves to win Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, if he can best Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), who previously won the Emmy for the category. And if Last Week Tonight with John Oliver doesn't ace the Outstanding Variety Talk Series category after his supernova performance this year, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will probably seize the talky crown.

Snubs and surprises

FX Networks CEO John Landgraf ruffled a few industry feathers last month when he declared – "There is simply too much television" – during his presentation at the summer Television Critics Association) press tour in Los Angeles. With 400 scripted series on the air in the United States, and more coming up, compared with 280 five years ago – Landgraf's observation that today's audiences are "overwhelmed by the sheer volume of TV shows" helps to explain all the great TV that failed to make Emmy's cruel cut this year. In a real shocker, for the first time in six years, The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons was not nominated for lead actor in a comedy series, despite four previous wins. Empire, the biggest broadcast show outside of sports, got nada in the best drama category, as did the highly regarded The Americans. Even Empire's Terrence Howard got no individual recognition.

The Peabody Award-winning romantic comedy Jane the Virgin and its star, Gina Rodriguez, came up empty-handed for the CW network.

Other notable snubs in the big categories include: The Affair, Sons of Anarchy, Ellie Kemper (star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt); Girls and its star Lena Dunham; breakout star Constance Wu (Fresh off the Boat); The Newsroom; and The Good Wife. Scariest of all, the most popular show on television, The Walking Dead, was overlooked for all the major awards for a sixth year running, despite the AMC network's campaign to get a fair shake for its stars Andrew Lincoln and Melissa McBride. Maybe it's time for her character, Carol, to take a few Emmy voters out into the woods to "look at the flowers."

Invincible Vince is breaking away

Lightning can indeed strike twice. Just ask the unsinkable Vince Gilligan. From his previous back-to-back wins for Breaking Bad as best drama series, including at last year's Emmys, Gilligan and his creative partner Peter Gould are back with Better Call Saul, the prequel to the landmark series about a high-school chemistry teacher turned drugs kingpin.

In only its first season, Better Call Saul racked up an impressive seven nominations for its Emmy debut, including best drama series, lead actor for Bob Odenkirk and supporting actor for Jonathan Banks, both Breaking Bad alums. Continuity is hugely important in the television industry – both on-set and in career trajectory – and it appears Gilligan has seamlessly made his Emmy transition to remain in the big leagues for years to come.

Orphan adopted at last

Will Tatiana Maslany, the acting chameleon of Orphan Black, win an Emmy for top actress in a drama? Seeing as how it took three seasons for the Emmys to even acknowledge her existence with a nomination, we're not going to get our hopes up. But, for the record, Maslany's facility to breathe life, distinct personalities and soul into her multiple characters – Alison, Cosima, Helena, Rachel, Krystal, Sarah and more – often in the same scene, is unprecedented in television history. If anything, Maslany deserves a statuette for each one. Make it so, Emmy!

The stars nominated for the very first time include:

Taraji P Henson (Empire)

Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder)

Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)

Frances McDormand (Olive Kitteridge)

Adrian Brody (Houdini)

Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)

Timothy Hutton (American Crime)

Michael Kelly (House of Cards)

Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall)

Richard Jenkins (Olive Kitteridge)

Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline)

Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black)

Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards)

Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)

Gaby Hoffman (Transparent)

Mo'nique (Bessie)

The food:

Don’t pity the losers, please. Envy them. Look at the three-course meal they still get to feast on at the official after-party, at the Governor’s Ball, courtesy of chef Joachim Splichal:

Starter: Wildflower honey poached forelle pear salad with lavender and fennel-scented Sonoma goat cheese, fresh fig, spiced walnuts and quince vinaigrette.

Main course: Filet of beef tenderloin with herb-scented potato terrine, king trumpet mushrooms, yucca chips, roasted cherry tomatoes, red wine jus and béarnaise espuma.

Dessert: A single origin ghana brownie with zephyr popcorn chantilly, cara crakine, and baby bourbon caramel.

“This year’s ball, with its unique theme of Reigning with Radiance, Swarovski Crystal-embellished decor and phenomenal food, beverage and entertainment, reflects the Academy’s passion for excellence and singular commitment to guest satisfaction,” says Cheryl Cecchetto, the event producer.

Hamm-ing it up!

In what borders on the criminal, Emmy voters have rejected Mad Men star Jon Hamm seven times in seven years for the title of best lead actor in a drama series. In fact, he holds the record for consecutive snubs in the category. Will his eighth time prove the charm?

With Mad Men favoured to win its fifth and final award for outstanding drama series, it looks like Hamm is at long last due for a mother lode of Emmy love – and redemption – for his portrayal of Don Draper, the unlikely sex symbol and mysterious advertising mastermind who led us, and let us live vicariously, through the shifts in American society during the 1960s.

In August, fans of 44-year-old Hamm – who had to audition seven times for his role – even launched a #Hammpaign Twitter campaign as members of the Television Academy cast their ballots.

Hamm’s laid-back, slow-burn performance style may have hurt his previous Emmy chances – especially when up against the showy “I am the one who knocks” bravado of Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad, a fierce competitor who has now moved on.

“Don Draper is not a showy role, because Mad Men is not a showy show. He is not killing anyone, there are no scenery-chewing performances that stand out,” says Mary McNamara, the Los Angeles Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic.

Debra Birnbaum, executive editor of television at Variety, adds: “Draper is a tough character – a womaniser, an alcoholic. It was very hard to say ‘I like this guy.’”

Perhaps only Susan Lucci, the daytime soap star of All My Children, can fathom Hamm's pain. It wasn't until her 19th nomination that she finally got her Emmy.