Tony Hale, "Veep"

Nomination Status: If "Veep" plays strong with Emmy voters, he's a candidates

In His Favor: This slide and the next one are predicated upon Emmy voters responding strongly to one or the other of HBO's well-received spring comedies. If "Veep" gets traction beyond just Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale's aggressively sycophantic Gary would be a good play to turn additional attention. Gary is many things, but he's not Buster Bluth, which is a triumph in and of itself for Hale, who had been playing various on Buster successfully for a few years. Gary is probably the most conventionally "funny" character in the "Veep" ensemble, which also helps.

Working Against Him: "Veep" is entirely unproven with awards groups and it's so completely dominated by Louis-Dreyfus' presence that it's easy to imagine voters figuring that recognition for the star is more than enough in Year One.