How Infuriating Will the Emmy Nominations Be This Year?

There is more great television than ever right now, what with the streaming service boom escalating the number of scripted series that aired over the last year to well over 500. That makes it a thrilling time to wonder how annoying the Emmy Award nominations will be when they are revealed on Tuesday morning. 

It’s the plight of an astute TV fan. Your personal favorites are rarely recognized by these mainstream organizations. And the Emmy Awards are notorious for deciding on a handful of favorites and rewarding them ad nauseam, in every category, until they go off air.

Sure, sometimes they get it right. Last year there was Fleabag’s dominance, Billy Porter’s Pose victory, and Jharrell Jerome’s underdog win for When They See Us. And voters caught on to Merritt Wever’s brilliance before it was cool. But also it failed to nominate Rita Moreno’s work in One Day at a Time and continually snubs The Good Fight. (And how do you give Fleabag all that love, yet somehow omit Andrew Scott’s Hot Priest?)

The timing of this year’s Emmy nominations should make things more interesting than usual. With the launch of a million new streaming platforms and a pandemic-induced laser-focus on television at the moment, it’s worth noting that critical favorites like Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You and HBO Max standouts like Search Party and Expecting Amy premiered outside the eligibility window. 

Yet shows like Big Little Lies and The Handmaid’s Tale, which feel like they aired in an entirely different universe from the one we’re living in now, are. And the season of The Politician that premiered last month is in contention for next year’s awards, while the one that dropped last June contends this year. (How crowded are the fields? Reese Witherspoon gave excellent performances on three different prestige series, and may not be nominated for any.)

There are also two quirks that could excite the races a little bit. Out of respect for the *everything* going on the last few months, studios and networks dramatically cut back their Emmy campaigning. And the organization made new rules expanding some categories, in response to the sheer volume of series in contention. Best Comedy and Drama, as well as their supporting acting categories, will all have eight guaranteed nominees. 

Those two developments could combine for surprising, under-the-radar contenders to emerge alongside the usual, predicted favorites. Or it could just allow for voters to rubber-stamp every credited actor on shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Schitt’s Creek until they run out of room in the categories. 

We’ve consulted the crystal ball to predict the nominations when they’re announced Tuesday morning—and also included our own obviously flawless and indisputable list of the shows and performances that should actually be nominated instead. 

Best Drama Series

Will be: Better Call Saul, The Crown, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Morning Show, Ozark, Pose, Succession, This Is Us

Should be: Better Call Saul, The Crown, David Makes Man, The Good Fight, Killing Eve, Pose, Stranger Things, Succession

Best Comedy Series

Will be: Better Things, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dead to Me, The Good Place, The Kominsky Method, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ramy, Schitt’s Creek

Should be: Better Things, The Good Place, The Great, Insecure, One Day at a Time, Ramy, Schitt’s Creek, What We Do in the Shadows

Best Limited Series

Will be: Hollywood, Little Fires Everywhere, Mrs. America, Unbelievable, Watchmen

Should be: Mrs. America, Quiz, Unbelievable, Watchmen, Years and Years

Best TV Movie

Will be: American Son, Bad Education, El Camino, The Clark Sisters, Patsy and Loretta

Should be: American Son, Bad Education, The Clark Sisters, Patsy and Loretta, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Will be: Jennifer Aniston - The Morning Show, Olivia Colman - The Crown, Jodie Comer - Killing Eve, Nicole Kidman - Big Little Lies, Laura Linney - Ozark, Elisabeth Moss - The Handmaid’s Tale

Should be: Jennifer Aniston - The Morning Show, Christine Baranski - The Good Fight, Olivia Colman - The Crown, Jodie Comer - Killing Eve, Kirsten Dunst - On Becoming a God in Central Florida, Elisabeth Moss - The Handmaid’s Tale

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Will be: Jason Bateman - Ozark, Sterling K. Brown - This Is Us, Brian Cox - Succession, Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul, Billy Porter - Pose, Jeremy Strong - Succession

Should be: Sterling K. Brown - This Is Us, Brian Cox - Succession, Akili McDowell - David Makes Man, Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul, Billy Porter - Pose, Jeremy Strong - Succession

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Will be: Pamela Adlon - Better Things, Christina Applegate - Dead to Me, Rachel Brosnahan - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Linda Cardellini - Dead to Me, Catherine O’Hara - Schitt’s Creek, Merritt Wever - Run

Should be: Christina Applegate - Dead to Me, Kristen Bell - The Good Place, Rachel Brosnahan - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Elle Fanning - The Great, Catherine O’Hara - Schitt’s Creek, Issa Rae - Insecure

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Will be: Steve Carell - Space Force, Ted Danson - The Good Place, Larry David - Curb Your Enthusiasm, Michael Douglas - The Kominsky Method, Eugene Levy - Schitt’s Creek, Ramy Youssef - Ramy

Should be: Dave Burd - Dave, Jim Carrey - Kidding, Ted Danson - The Good Place, Eugene Levy - Schitt’s Creek, Julio Torres - Los Espookys, Ramy Youssef - Ramy

Best Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Will be: Cate Blanchett - Mrs. America, Kaitlyn Dever - Unbelievable, Regina King - Watchmen, Kerry Washington - Little Fires Everywhere, Merritt Wever - Unbelievable

Should be: Shira Haas - Unorthodox, Kathryn Hahn - Mrs. Fletcher, Regina King - Watchmen, Kerry Washington - American Son, Merritt Wever - Unbelievable

Best Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Will be: Russell Crowe - The Loudest Voice, Chris Evans - Defending Jacob, Hugh Jackman - Bad Education, Aaron Paul - El Camino, Mark Ruffalo - I Know This Much Is True

Should be: Hugh Jackman - Bad Education, Matthew Macfadyen - Quiz, Paul Mescal - Normal People, Mark Ruffalo - I Know This Much Is True, Russell Tovey - Years and Years

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Will be: Helena Bonham-Carter - The Crown, Laura Dern - Big Little Lies, Ann Dowd - The Handmaid’s Tale, Julia Garner - Ozark, Janet McTeer - Ozark, Thandie Newton - Westworld, Sarah Snook - Succession, Meryl Streep - Big Little Lies 

Should be: Danielle Brooks - Orange Is the New Black, Audra MacDonald - The Good Fight, Thandie Newton - Westworld, Angelica Ross - Pose, Rhea Seehorn - Better Call Saul, Sarah Snook - Succession, Yvonne Strahovski - The Handmaid’s Tale, Meryl Streep - Big Little Lies 

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Will be: Jonathan Banks - Better Call Saul, Billy Crudup - The Morning Show, Kieran Culkin - Succession, Giancarlo Esposito - Better Call Saul, David Harbour - Stranger Things, Matthew Macfadyen - Succession, Tom Pelphrey - Ozark, Bradley Whitford - The Handmaid’s Tale

Should be: Billy Crudup - The Morning Show, Kieran Culkin - Succession, David Harbour - Stranger Things, Delroy Lindo - The Good Fight, Matthew Macfadyen - Succession, Josh O’Connor - The Crown, Mandy Patinkin - Homeland, Théodore Pellerin - On Becoming a God in Central Florida

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Will be: Alex Borstein - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Betty Gilpin - GLOW, Emily Hampshire - Schitt’s Creek, Anne Hathaway - Modern Love, Marin Hinkle - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jane Lynch - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Kate McKinnon - Saturday Night Live, Annie Murphy - Schitt’s Creek

Should be: Hiam Abbass - Ramy, Alex Borstein - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, D’Arcy Carden - The Good Place, Betty Gilpin - GLOW, Regina Hall - Black Monday, Annie Murphy - Schitt’s Creek, Rita Moreno - One Day at a Time, Natasha Rothwell - Insecure

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Will be: Alan Arkin - The Kominsky Method, Sterling K. Brown - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Daniel Levy - Schitt’s Creek, John Malkovich - Space Force, Noah Reid - Schitt’s Creek, Tony Shalhoub - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Kenan Thompson - Saturday Night Live, Michael Zegen - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Should be: Ncuti Gatwa - Sex Education, Harvey Guillen - What We Do in the Shadows, Nicholas Hoult - The Great, Daniel Levy - Schitt’s Creek, Andrew Rannells - Black Monday, Alex Newell - Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Tony Shalhoub - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Zach Woods - Avenue 5

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Will be: Rose Byrne - Mrs. America, Toni Collette - Unbelievable, Allison Janney - Bad Education, Margo Martindale - Mrs. America, Sarah Paulson - Mrs. America, Jean Smart - Watchmen

Should be: Toni Collette - Unbelievable, Patti LuPone - Hollywood, Rosie O’Donnell - I Know This Much Is True, Sarah Paulson - Mrs. America, Jean Smart - Watchmen, Tracey Ullman - Mrs. America

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Will be: Darren Criss - Hollywood, Tim Blake Nelson - Watchmen, Jim Parsons - Hollywood, Jesse Plemons - El Camino, John Slattery - Mrs. America, John Turturro - The Plot Against America 

Should be: Yahya Abdul-Mateen - Watchmen, Maxim Baldry - Years and Years, Anthony Boyle - The Plot Against America, Tituss Burgess - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Joe Mantello - Hollywood, Jim Parsons - Hollywood