2024 Emmy nomination predictions: All the main acting categories

Our picks for who will earn nods for best lead and supporting actor and actress in comedy, drama, and limited series.

Who needs a break from the Emmy race? (Don't answer that.) The 2023 ceremony (which aired in 2024) is barely behind us, but the 2024 Emmy season is already in full swing — and our prediction juices are flowing.

Here are our picks for which performers (in series and TV movies airing between June 1, 2023 and May 31, 2024) have a good shot at landing on the ballot when nominations are announced in July.

Lead Actress in a Drama

Barbara Nitke/HBO; David Lee/Prime Video; Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+

'The Gilded Age' star Carrie Coon; 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' star Maya Erskine; 'The Curse' star Emma Stone

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age (HBO)
Maya Erskine, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Anna Sawai, Shōgun (FX)
Imelda Staunton, The Crown (Netflix)
Emma Stone, The Curse (Showtime)

With The Crown and The Morning Show as the only repeat contenders, the acting race here and in all other drama categories will be refreshingly unpredictable. (For example, Shōgun's Anna Sawai just entered the chat.) Oh, and let’s hope Emma Stone took a nice long nap after Oscar season because she’s about to hit the circuit again as a frontrunner for Showtime’s inexplicable (and unforgettable) The Curse.

Also in the mix: Juliette Binoche,The New Look (Apple TV+); Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show; Rosario Dawson, Ahsoka, (Disney+)

Deserving dark horses: Carrie Preston, Elsbeth (CBS); Ella Purnell, Fallout (Prime Video). The two shows couldn’t be more different — one’s a broadcast TV spin-off-slash-whodunnit of the week; the other’s a big-budget, streaming adaptation of a blockbuster video game franchise. Both, however, draw us in through female characters who remain chipper and in control even when facing trying circumstances (murder investigations, nuclear apocalypse).

Lead Actor in a Drama

Everett (2); Gareth Gatrell/Marvel

Dominic West, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tom Hiddleston

Donald Glover, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Walton Goggins, Fallout
Tom Hiddleston, Loki (Disney+)
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun
Dominic West, The Crown

It may have taken three seasons, but word-of-mouth on Slow Horses finally reached U.S. awards voters this year. You can expect Gary Oldman to follow his Golden Globe nomination with a nod in this category. Like his costar Sawai, Shōgun's Hiroyuki Sanada will make a swift transition from frontrunner in the Limited Series acting category to Drama. Even more exciting: This could (will!) be the year Walton Goggins gets his long overdue second Emmy nomination — and maybe even a third (see below).

Also in the mix: Idris Elba, Hijack (Apple TV+); Colin Farrell, Sugar (Apple TV+); Nathan Fielder,The Curse; Ben Mendelsohn, The New Look; Morgan Spector, The Gilded Age; Timothy Olyphant, Justified: City Primeval (FX); Adrien Brody, Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO)

Deserving dark horse: Zahn McClarnon, Dark Winds (AMC). If the world were a just place, the always-excellent McClarnon would be top of mind in this category and as a supporting actor in a comedy for Reservation Dogs.

Supporting Actress in a Drama

Keith Bernstein/Netflix; Apple TV+; Barbara Nitke/HBO

'The Crown' star Elizabeth Debicki; 'The Morning Show' star Greta Lee; 'The Gilded Age' star Christine Baranski

Christine Baranski, The Gilded Age
Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Moeka Hoshi, Shōgun
Greta Lee, The Morning Show
Lesley Manville, The Crown
Cynthia Nixon, The Gilded Age
Holland Taylor, The Morning Show
Kristin Scott Thomas, Slow Horses

Attention, sprawling ensembles of The Morning Show and The Gilded Age: The White Lotus is on Emmy hiatus, which means your time has come.

Also in the mix: Nicole Beharie, The Morning Show; Audra McDonald, The Gilded Age; Celia Rose Gooding, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

Deserving dark horse: Amy Ryan, Sugar. Hey voters, remember how you never nominated Ryan for her impeccable work in The Wire, or The Office, or In Treatment? Welp, she’s about to kill it again as a missing woman’s alcoholic stepmom in Sugar — so it’s not too late to right those past wrongs.

Supporting Actor in a Drama

Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME; Gareth Gatrell/Disney+/Marvel; Apple TV+

'The Curse' star Benny Safdie; 'Loki' star Ke Huy Quan; 'The Morning Show' star Jon Hamm

Khalid Abdalla, The Crown
Tadanobu Asano, Shōgun
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Jon Hamm, The Morning Show
Nathan Lane, The Gilded Age
Jonathan Pryce, The Crown
Benny Safdie, The Curse
Ke Huy Quan, Loki

Another wide-open category, thanks to the absence of The White Lotus (for now) and Succession (for good). Nearly a decade after his (only) Emmy win for Mad Men, Jon Hamm has a real shot at two nominations this season, both here and in the Limited Series category.

Also in the mix: Mark Duplass, The Morning Show; Jack Lowden, Slow Horses; Ken Watanabe, Tokyo Vice (Max)

Deserving dark horse: Chris Bauer, Heels (Starz). Truly just screaming into the void here, but boy, did Chris Bauer do Emmy-worthy work as Wild Bill Hancock, an abrasive and (mostly) reformed sleazeball wrestler turned scout in this underrated (and now-canceled) drama.  

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Patrick Harbron/Hulu; Courtesy of Max; Disney/Gilles Mingasson

'Only Murders in the Building' star Selena Gomez; 'Hacks' star Jean Smart; 'Abbott Elementary' star Quinta Brunson

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Devery Jacobs, Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)
Jean Smart, Hacks (Max)

The Bear’s Edebiri just won a few months ago in the Supporting Actress category, but for season 2, she’s graduating to Lead Actress — where she’ll likely join the Perennial Nominees Club with Brunson and Smart.

Also in the mix: Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale (Apple TV+); Maya Rudolph, Loot (Apple TV+); Sarah Lancashire, Julia (Max)

Deserving dark horse: Natasia Demetriou, What We Do in the Shadows (FX). Though the vampire mockumentary has been nominated before in 2020 and 2022, the players in its excellently eccentric ensemble have yet to break through in the acting categories. And there’s no better place to start than with Demetriou’s batty brilliance as Nadja of Antipaxos.

Lead Actor in a Comedy

Patrick Harbron/Hulu; Pete Lee/Prime Video; Chuck Hodes/FX

'Only Murders in the Building' star Martin Short; 'I'm a Virgo' star Jharrel Jerome; 'The Bear' star Jeremy Allen White

Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Jharrel Jerome, I’m a Virgo (Prime Video)
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Compared to other races this Emmy season, the comedy actor category almost feels stagnant. But Jharrel Jerome, adorably naive and dorky as I’m a Virgo’s 13-foot-tall teenager, will be a welcome infusion of fresh blood.

Also in the mix: Kelsey Grammer, Frasier (Paramount+); D’Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai, Reservation Dogs;Theo James, The Gentlemen (Netflix)

Deserving dark horses: Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak (What We Do in the Shadows). Nominate all the vampires, dang it!

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Patrick Harbron/Hulu; Disney/Gilles Mingasson; Chuck Hodes/FX

'Only Murders in the Building' star Meryl Streep; 'Abbott Elementary' star Janelle James; 'The Bear' star Abby Elliott

Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Abby Elliott, The Bear
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building
Lisa Ann Walter, Abbott Elementary

There are a few open spaces on the ballot this time around, given the end of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (which earned Alex Borstein five nominations in this category) and Ted Lasso (co-starring three-time nominees Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham). That will be good news for Abbott’s Lisa Ann Walter (no eating her feelings this year) and The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas.

Also in the mix: Carol Burnett, Palm Royale; Paulina Alexis, Reservation Dogs; Molly Gordon,The Bear

Deserving dark horse: Megan Stalter, Hacks. Our sole wish for season 3: More of Stalter’s chaotic energy as Hollywood’s best (at being the worst) assistant, Kayla.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Chuck Hodes/FX; Disney/Gilles Mingasson; Lauren Clements/NBC via Getty

'The Bear' star Ebon Moss-Bachrach; 'Abbott Elementary' star Tyler James Williams; 'SNL' star Kenan Thompson

Lionel Boyce, The Bear
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Oliver Platt, The Bear
Paul Rudd, Only Murders in the Building
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

The Bear is the new Ted Lasso — and we’re not mad about it. If Matty Matheson edges his way onto the ballot, we’ll be okay with that, too.

Also in the mix: Matty Matheson,The Bear; Harvey Guillen, What We Do in the Shadows; Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Hacks; Paul W. Downs, Hacks; Chris Perfetti, Abbott Elementary; Marcello Hernandez, SNL

Deserving dark horse: Walton Goggins, I’m a Virgo. In Fallout, he plays a gunslinging abomination called The Ghoul. In Virgo, he’s something even scarier: A domineering billionaire who takes it upon himself to police the streets.  

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

FX; Apple TV+; Michele K. Short/HBO

'Feud' star Naomi Watts; 'Lessons in Chemistry' star Brie Larson; 'True Detective' star Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
Juno Temple, Fargo (FX)
Sofia Vergara, Griselda (Netflix)
Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans (FX)
Kate Winslet, The Regime (HBO)

Pay no attention to The Regime’s negative reviews! Voters love Kate Winslet. (And to be fair, she’s not the reason the series doesn’t work.)

Also in the mix: Awkwafina, Quiz Lady (Hulu); Aria Mia Loberti, All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix); Sinclair Daniel, The Other Black Girl (Hulu)

Deserving dark horse: Joey King, We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu). Allow myself to quote myself: “As the feisty and quick-witted Halina, King is the emotional engine of the series,” about a Polish family forced to scatter during World War II.

Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

FX; Peter Stranks/PEACOCK; NETFLIX

Tom Hollander, Tony Shalhoub, and Andrew Scott

Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
Jon Hamm, Fargo
Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans (FX)
Andrew Scott, Ripley (Netflix)
Tony Shalhoub, Mr. Monk’s Last Case (Peacock)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is gone, but at least Tony Shalhoub will still be on the Emmy ballot. And with Sanada out of this race, Baby Reindeer writer-star Richard Gadd should have no problem securing a spot.

Also in the mix: Michael Douglas, Franklin (Apple TV+); David Oyelowo, Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount+); Tobias Menzies, Manhunt (Apple TV+); Hoa Xuande, The Sympathizer (HBO); Benedict Cumberbatch, Eric

Deserving dark horse: Logan Lerman, We Were the Lucky Ones. The former child actor brings an endearing warmth to his role as a Polish composer fighting to reunite with his family during World War II.

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Hopper Stone/HBO; Ed Miller/Netflix; Michelle Faye/FX

Sandra Oh, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer
Aja Naomi King, Lessons in Chemistry
Diane Lane, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fargo
Sandra Oh, The Sympathizer
Kali Reis, True Detective: Night Country
Chloë Sevigny, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans

The first season of Feud earned 19 Emmy nominations back in 2017, and the starry sophomore season will likely do just as well.

Also in the mix: Calista Flockhart, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans; Andrea Riseborough, The Regime; Dakota Fanning, Ripley; Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge (Hulu)

Deserving dark horse: Sarayu Blue, Expats (Prime Video). Known for her comedic roles, the actress gives a standout dramatic performance in the adaptation of Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel.

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

FX; Michelle Faye/FX; Hopper Stone/HBO

Treat Williams, Joe Keery, Robert Downey Jr.

Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers
Robert Downey Jr., The Sympathizer
Hugh Grant, The Regime
John Hawkes, True Detective: Night Country
Joe Keery, Fargo
Lewis Pullman, Lessons in Chemistry
Treat Williams, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans

The late Treat Williams was only nominated once before, for his turn as superagent Michael Ovitz in the 1996 TV movie The Late Shift.

Also in the mix: Barry Keoghan, Masters of the Air (Apple TV+); Christopher Eccelston, Finn Bennett True Detective: Night Country; Lamorne Morris, Fargo

Deserving dark horse: Dave Foley, Fargo. The comedian and character actor brought just the right amount of unflappable pomposity to his eyepatch-wearing lawyer/fixer, Danish Graves.

Nominations for the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on Wednesday, July 17. The ceremony will air live on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ABC.

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