Emmy predictions: Who will reign in a year without 'Thrones'?

When the Emmy Awards show is presented Sunday, it'll be missing its most royal subject. "Game of Thrones," winner for best drama two years in a row, was ineligible this time around because its season began too late, triggering some intriguing battles for the throne:

Nominees: Louie Anderson, "Baskets"; Alec Baldwin, "Saturday Night Live"; Tituss Burgess, "Kimmy Schmidt"; Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"; Tony Hale and Matt Walsh, "Veep."

Should win: It's not just my Minnesota bias that has me rooting for Anderson to repeat. Of all the contenders, he had to dig the deepest.

Will win: Returning champs usually have an edge here, but liberal Hollywood will take the opportunity to stick it to President Donald Trump by voting for Baldwin's impersonation on "SNL."

Nominees: "Atlanta," "Black-ish," "Master of None," "Modern Family," "Silicon Valley," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Veep."

Should win: There's plenty of opportunity for the Academy to show its commitment to diversity, with a slight edge for "Atlanta" over "Master of None."

Will win: A three-peat from "Veep" wouldn't be that unusual. Previous champ "Modern Family" won five times in a row.

Should win: "The Crown" pulled off the near-impossible: making Queen Elizabeth seem human.

Will win: With "Thrones" on the sidelines, all bets are off. Netflix's "Stranger Things" is the favorite, but a streaming show has never taken the top prize in drama, or comedy, for that matter.

Nominees: "Big Little Lies," "Fargo," "Feud: Bette and Joan," "Genius," "The Night Of."

Should win: Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon were terrific in "Feud," but I'm still haunted by "Night."

Will win: TV folks still get a little ga-ga over movie stars. That bodes well for "Big Little Lies."

Should win: Four of six contenders are Oscar winners, but Lange has two of them. "Feud" reminds us why.

Will win: If there were an award for Newcomer of the Year, Coon would win in a landslide. There isn't. Kidman is the favorite, but look for Lange to pick up her fourth Emmy.

Nominees: Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia, "This Is Us"; Bob Odenkirk, "Better Call Saul"; Matthew Rhys, "The Americans"; Liev Schreiber, "Ray Donovan"; Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards."

Should win: Brown won last year for playing Christopher Darden in "The People vs. O.J. Simpson." Expect him to be rewarded for something completely different.