The nominees are: Episodes' David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik; Louie's Louis C.K.; Orange Is the New Black's Liz Friedman & Jenji Kohan; Silicon Valley's Alec Berg; and Veep's Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche.
1. LIZ FRIEDMAN & JENJI KOHAN - ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (NETFLIX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "I WASN'T READY"
Orange Is the New Black simply is the shiny new thing that Emmy voters want to embrace across the board. It helps immensely that it is a fantastic show. Kohan and Friedman's script for the first episode is wonderful - and premieres for new shows tend to do very well in the writing categories. It's got the awards buzz and critical support to be seen as the clear frontrunner.
2. LOUIS C.K. - LOUIE (FX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "SO DID THE FAT LADY"
C.K. usually has odd picks for his writing and directing nominations. However, "So Did the Fat Lady" was the peak of the season for audience buzz. Everyone seemed to be talking about it afterwards and how satisfied they were with C.K. for opening up this dialogue. It's a self-contained story that was wonderfully told. He's a previous winner two years ago and could easily add another trophy this year.
3. SIMON BLACKWELL, ARMANDO IANNUCCI & TONY ROCHE - VEEP (HBO)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP"
It's somewhat hard to believe that this is the first writing nomination for the Veep team. The show has had a strong track record at the Emmys for the first two seasons - earning wins for Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Tony Hale and has been up for the top comedy prize. But this year, it's in the race and has more nominations than ever. It could very well win this year in practically every single category it is nominated in. This one included.
4. ALEC BERG - SILICON VALLEY (HBO)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "OPTIMAL TIP-TO-TIP EFFICIENCY"
I may be counting Berg out of this race too easily - considering I haven't gotten caught up Silicon Valley yet. I've been told the season finale was quite good and with nominations elsewhere, Berg's script could be a contender in this race. The show has support amongst voters but it doesn't have as strong as support as the three nominated series I have ranked above it. That's why I'm not predicting a win.
5. DAVID CRANE & JEFFREY KLARIK - EPISODES (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "EPISODE FIVE"
Like I've stated elsewhere, I don't get the support for Episodes. I've seen one episode and that was enough for me. So, I have no clue what happens in this submission episode but I do know there's urgency to vote for the other four nominees before rewarding the Episodes team.
1. LIZ FRIEDMAN & JENJI KOHAN - ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (NETFLIX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "I WASN'T READY"
Orange Is the New Black simply is the shiny new thing that Emmy voters want to embrace across the board. It helps immensely that it is a fantastic show. Kohan and Friedman's script for the first episode is wonderful - and premieres for new shows tend to do very well in the writing categories. It's got the awards buzz and critical support to be seen as the clear frontrunner.
2. LOUIS C.K. - LOUIE (FX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "SO DID THE FAT LADY"
C.K. usually has odd picks for his writing and directing nominations. However, "So Did the Fat Lady" was the peak of the season for audience buzz. Everyone seemed to be talking about it afterwards and how satisfied they were with C.K. for opening up this dialogue. It's a self-contained story that was wonderfully told. He's a previous winner two years ago and could easily add another trophy this year.
3. SIMON BLACKWELL, ARMANDO IANNUCCI & TONY ROCHE - VEEP (HBO)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP"
It's somewhat hard to believe that this is the first writing nomination for the Veep team. The show has had a strong track record at the Emmys for the first two seasons - earning wins for Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Tony Hale and has been up for the top comedy prize. But this year, it's in the race and has more nominations than ever. It could very well win this year in practically every single category it is nominated in. This one included.
4. ALEC BERG - SILICON VALLEY (HBO)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "OPTIMAL TIP-TO-TIP EFFICIENCY"
I may be counting Berg out of this race too easily - considering I haven't gotten caught up Silicon Valley yet. I've been told the season finale was quite good and with nominations elsewhere, Berg's script could be a contender in this race. The show has support amongst voters but it doesn't have as strong as support as the three nominated series I have ranked above it. That's why I'm not predicting a win.
5. DAVID CRANE & JEFFREY KLARIK - EPISODES (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "EPISODE FIVE"
Like I've stated elsewhere, I don't get the support for Episodes. I've seen one episode and that was enough for me. So, I have no clue what happens in this submission episode but I do know there's urgency to vote for the other four nominees before rewarding the Episodes team.
