2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

Marcus Jones

4 May 2023 at 3:30 pm·4-min read

We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2023 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 15 to June 26, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 12. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be presented over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10, with an edited presentation of the ceremonies to be broadcast on FXX at a later date. Finally, the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards take place on Monday, September 18, and air live on FOX at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.

See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards here.

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The State of the Race

Last May, contenders for the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Emmy were premiering at a rate that was impossible to keep up with, leading to dozens of series that would have had a shot in a normal year being completely shut out of the above-the-line categories. When it came time to choose winners, “The White Lotus” only went empty-handed in the categories it did not even submit for.

This year should be very different, with networks seemingly learning from last year’s experience. The Television Academy quickly eliminating the hanging episode rule afterward, meaning the entire season of the limited or anthology series was now required to premiere by the May 31 deadline, helped as well. Even if one has not been watching new limited series as they have premiered throughout the past year, they could still catch up relatively quickly on most of the shows likely to be nominated across the Limited or Anthology Series categories.

Since March, when For Your Consideration events were already proceeding, the three main limited series that have made waves are “Beef” (Netflix), “Love and Death” (HBO Max), and “White House Plumbers” (HBO). While “Beef” is the biggest critical and commercial success of the trio, it has been slightly weighed down by controversy over a supporting actor’s past comments that the creator and lead actors Steven Yeun and Ali Wong have had to apologize for. Meanwhile, “Love and Death” and “White House Plumbers” have both had to deal with being compared to “Candy” (Hulu) and “Gaslit” (Starz), two Emmy-nominated series from last season based around the same two true crime stories, respectively.

But as they often say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. The Ryan Murphy-produced “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix) and Donald Glover-produced “Swarm” (Prime Video) both premiered to a polarized response, yet remain heavy contenders in the acting categories, if not the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category itself. Meanwhile, shows that premiered earlier in the TV season like “Five Days at Memorial” (Apple TV+) and “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu) have had a much quieter entrance into the Emmys race.

As more FYC events occur, even in wake of the writers strike, the shows most likely to have a second wind, based on how well they fared during the winter awards season, are “George and Tammy” (Showtime) and “Fleishman Is in Trouble” (FX). Prime Video is in great standing as well with “Daisy Jones and the Six,” a rare show to have its music hit the Billboard charts, and the Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated “The English.”

Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
“Beef” (Netflix)
“Black Bird” (Apple TV+)
“Daisy Jones and the Six” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Dead Ringers” (Amazon Prime Video)
“The English” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Five Days at Memorial” (Apple TV+)
“Fleishman Is in Trouble” (FX)
“George and Tammy” (Showtime)
“The Last Thing He Told Me” (Apple TV+)
“Love and Death” (HBO Max)
“Mrs. Davis” (Peacock)
“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix)
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” (Disney+)
“Swarm” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)
“White House Plumbers” (HBO)

More Limited Series and TV Movie Category Predictions:
Outstanding TV Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie

To see IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 75th Emmy Awards click here.

Last Year’s Winner: “The White Lotus”
Still Eligible: Kind of (it moved categories).
Hot Streak: The last five winners have been shows from other networks cutting into HBO’s streak attempts, but should “White House Plumbers” win, it would bring the cable network its second category win in a row.
Notable Ineligible Series: “The White Lotus: Sicily” (submitted as a Drama Series); “Class of ’09” (the season will not air in time to be eligible); “Fargo” (Season 5 was not eligible)

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