Critics’ Choice TV Awards 2015: Charlie Hunnam, Freddie Highmore, or Bob Odenkirk win Drama Actor prize?

We’re back with another entry in our Critics’ Choice TV Awards spotlight series, and this time around, we’re talking a little bit about a category that is completely up in the air: Actor in a Drama Series. We feel like Taraji P. Henson is close to a lock for her role in “Empire,” but when it comes to the men, a variety of different men could win. This is a category that has egregiously snubbed Jon Hamm, and with “Breaking Bad” over there is not a clear favorite among the rest of the group.

What we’re going to do in this article, in the event that you have not read some of our other pieces, is give you a sense of who we think are the current favorites among the field … and also who we’d like to see win. At the end of the article, that is where you can share your thoughts!

The nominees

Aden Young, “Rectify” (Sundance)

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” (AMC)

Charlie Hunnam, “Sons of Anarchy” (FX)

Freddie Highmore, “Bates Motel” (A&E)

Matthew Rhys, “The Americans” (FX)

Timothy Olyphant, “Justified” (FX)

Who should win – This is a tough one, since these are all good actors, and there is no concrete favorite. Personally, we find ourselves leaning towards someone like Hunnam or Highmore, who have both given fantastic performances as of late and never have received the recognition they deserve. Charlie is most likely our preference here, mostly because of the sole fact that he is never going to be eligible to win this award again and is deserving of this trophy now.

Who will win – This is not an easy choice. Young is so far out of left field that he is probably unlikely to win. We also think that Olyphant and Hunnam will get some nostalgia love, and Odenkirk will get some love just because everyone loves the world of Vince Gilligan. However, we think that the favorite on this show could be Rhys, mostly because of the fact that critics love “The Americans,” and we’re not sure that enough Emmy voters have seen it to ever get the same sort of love there.

Photo: AMC