LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES
Fargo (FX)
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Small Axe (Prime)
The Underground Railroad (Prime)
Potential surprises:
The Comey Rule (Showtime)
The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)
I May Destroy You (HBO)
It’s a Sin (HBO Max)
The Undoing (HBO)
WandaVision (Disney+)
In my dreams: N/A
The skinny: It’s well past time for the Emmys to change their rules and expand this category. Five nominees simply isn’t enough when there are this many quality shows with short runs. This is gonna be an absolute bloodbath, with all but Fargo having a significant shot at taking home the prize.
TV MOVIE
Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (Netflix)
Mahalia (Lifetime)
Oslo (HBO)
Sylvie’s Love (Prime)
Uncle Frank (Prime)
Potential surprise:
Coastal Elites (HBO)
In my dreams: N/A
The skinny: Meanwhile, you could probably retire this category, especially since Amazon picked up Sylvie’s Love and Uncle Frank at festivals, then slotted them here. There’s really no difference between these films and, say, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which competed for Oscars.
ACTOR IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Bryan Cranston, Your Honor
Jeff Daniels, The Comey Rule
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird
Ewan McGregor, Halston
Potential surprises:
Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Joel Edgerton, The Underground Railroad
Hugh Laurie, Roadkill
Lin Manuel-Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr, Hamilton
Chris Rock, Fargo
Andrew Scott, Oslo
In my dreams: Paul Bettany, Uncle Frank
The skinny: I remain unconvinced Hamilton will be a major factor in the acting races, but I could definitely be wrong. Besides, there are plenty of other actors who are worthy. Cranston and Grant seem like sure bets, but if Hawke makes it in and the leads of Hamilton don’t, he’s the frontrunner.
ACTRESS IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha
Nicole Kidman, The Undoing
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown
Potential surprises:
Christine Baranski, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
Danielle Brooks, Mahalia
Kate Mara, A Teacher
Thosu Mbedu, The Underground Railroad
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square
Tessa Thompson, Sylvie’s Love
In my dreams: Haley Lu Richardson, Unpregnant
The skinny: Congrats to all the other ladies here. Kate Winslet is taking this home, so start practicing your not-surprised-but-happy-for-her faces.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
John Boyega, Small Axe
Daveed Diggs, The Good Lord Bird
William Jackson Harper, The Underground Railroad
Guy Pearce, Mare of Easttown
Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
Donald Sutherland, The Undoing
Potential surprises:
Jovan Adepo, The Stand
Kingsley Ben-Adir, The Comey Rule
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Queen’s Gambit
Bill Camp, The Queen’s Gambit
David Denman, Mare of Easttown
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Chase W. Dillon, The Underground Railroad
Brendan Gleeson, The Comey Rule
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Neil Patrick Harris, It’s a Sin
Christopher Jackson, Hamilton
Dan Levy, Coastal Elites
Harry Melling, The Queen’s Gambit
Shaun Parkes, Small Axe
Glynn Turman, Fargo
Courtney B. Vance, Genius: Aretha
Ben Whishaw, Fargo
In my dreams: John Douglas Thompson, Mare of Easttown
The skinny: A notoriously tricky category to predict, this one feels like it’s Evan Peters’ to lose, but this could be where voters choose to honor a series that will miss out on the top award.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Jessie Buckley, Fargo
Marielle Heller, The Queen’s Gambit
Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown
Angourie Rice, Mare of Easttown
Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown
Letitia Wright, Small Axe
Potential surprises:
Whoopi Goldberg, The Stand
Renée Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision
Keeley Hawes, It’s a Sin
Jasmine Cephas Jones, Hamilton
Weruche Opia, I May Destroy You
Teyonah Parris, WandaVision
Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
In my dreams: Sosie Bacon, Mare of Easttown
The skinny: All hail Jean Smart, who is likely to pick up two awards in the same night.
WRITING FOR A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
I May Destroy You
Mare of Easttown
The Queen’s Gambit
Small Axe
The Underground Railroad
Potential surprises:
Fargo
It’s a Sin
Oslo
In my dreams: N/A
The skinny: Given its critical acclaim, a lot of people are predicting a big night for Mikaela Coel. But nothing in the Emmys’ history suggests they’re going all in on a thorny, modern series that touches on themes of sexual assault and online identity. But I still think it could be honored here, especially if there’s a lot of vote-splitting.
DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
I May Destroy You
Mare of Easttown
The Queen’s Gambit
Small Axe
The Underground Railroad
Potential surprises:
Fargo
It’s a Sin
WandaVision
In my dreams: N/A
The skinny: The Underground Railroad is likely to pick up a slew of technical awards, but little else. But I think Barry Jenkins has to be the frontrunner here, given the scope of his historical fiction series.