The Pop Culture Pundit

Awards season is officially upon us. The Emmy Awards, which celebrate outstanding achievements in television, will air September 14 on NBC. And while that might seem like a long time until winners are declared, nominations for who’s on the ballot will be announced July 8. With these nominations just days away, I have predicted what I think will be nominated for this year’s awards. Here are my predictions in the categories of Best Drama, Comedy and Limited Series for the 78th Emmy Awards. 

Drama

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Paradise, Slow Horses, The Diplomat, Stranger Things and The Pitt have seen Emmy success before, with all five being nominated for Best Drama before and the latter winning the category last year. That leaves three other slots that could go to new shows: The Testaments, Task, and Pluribus, all of which have a prior connection to past awards. The Testaments is a spinoff of The Handmaid’s Tale, which won Best Drama in 2017. Task was created by Brad Ingelsby, who created Mare of Easttown, which won Best Actress in a Limited Series for Kate Winslet. Pluribus, meanwhile, was created by Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad fame, which won two Emmys for Best Drama. Furthermore, Pluribus’ lead actress, Rhea Seahorn, won a Golden Globe for the show earlier this year, much like Noah Wyle did for Best Actor in The Pitt. 

Best Drama

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Paradise (Hulu)

The Pitt (HBO Max)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

Slow Horses (Apple TV)

Stranger Things (Netflix)

Task (HBO) 

The Testaments (Hulu)

Best Actor in a Drama

Sterling K. Brown, Paradise

Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager 

Gary Oldman, Slow Horses

Mark Ruffalo, Task 

Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Best Actress in a Drama

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show

Chase Infiniti, The Testaments

Keri Russell, The Diplomat

Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

Zendaya, Euphoria 

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama

Patrick Ball, The Pitt

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt

Gerran Howell, The Pitt

Jack Lowden, Slow Horses

Tom Pelphrey, Task

Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama

Isa Briones, The Pitt

Taylor Dearden, The Pitt

Allison Janney, The Diplomat

Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt

Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt

Julianne Nicholson, Paradise 

Karolina Wydra, Pluribus

Comedy

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There are a lot of great comedies that deserve to be nominated. New comedies including Margot’s Got Money Troubles, Rooster and Widow’s Bay were some of the best new shows of the year. Abbott Elementary, Hacks, Shrinking, and Only Murders in the Building were reliable staples that came back for new seasons. That leaves The Bear, which just dropped a new season that has been well-received, but the show has been accused of category fraud as many people (including myself) do not think it is truly a laugh-out-loud comedy. As a result, freshman-season underdogs such as I Love LA or Big Mistakes could have a chance to sneak in; but considering The Bear is ending this year, I think voters will still want to celebrate it while they can. 

Best Comedy 

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

The Bear (Hulu)

Hacks (HBO Max)

Margot’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Rooster (HBO)

Shrinking (Apple TV)

Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Steve Carell, Rooster

Steven Martin, Only Murders in the Building

Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay

Jason Segal, Shrinking

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary

Elle Fanning, Margot’s Got Money Troubles

Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback

Keke Palmer, The ‘Burbs

Jean Smart, Hacks

Best Supporting Actor

Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons

Paul W. Downs, Hacks

Harrison Ford, Shrinking

Marcello Hernández, Saturday Night Live

Nick Offerman, Margot’s Got Money Troubles

Michael Urie, Shrinking

Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Danielle Deadwyler, Rooster

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks

Ashley Padilla, Saturday Night Live

Michelle Pfeiffer, Margot’s Got Money Troubles

Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary

Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Limited or Anthology Series 

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Unlike Adolescence last year, there wasn’t a big breakout hit amongst limited series. Love Story was a hit for viewers, but critics were less receptive to the Ryan Murphy-produced show. Beef came back for a second season, but fanfare seemed more subdued compared to its stellar freshman run. DTF St. Louis and Lord of the Flies were two series that seemed to break through some of the onslaught of releases this past year (the star of DTF, Jason Bateman, seems to be on a hot streak as he could be nominated for his work in Black Rabbit as well). The last slot could go to the Richard Gadd-starring Half Man or another Ryan Murphy-produced show with Monster: The Ed Gein Story, but I’m thinking Matthew Rhys will ride the wave of critical success seen with Widow’s Bay to score The Beast in Me (which he also starred in) a nomination. 

Best Limited or Anthology Series 

The Beast in Me (Netflix)

Beef (Netflix)

DTF St. Louis (HBO)

Lord of the Flies (Netflix)

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (FX) 

Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Jamie Bell, Half Man

Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Oscar Isaac, Beef

Paul Anthony Kelly, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me

Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Claire Danes, The Beast in Me

Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures 

Carey Mulligan, Beef

Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis

Richard Gadd, Half Man

David Harbour, DTF St. Louis

Jake Lacy, All Her Fault

Charles Melton, Beef

Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning 

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis

Grace Gummer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Cailee Spaeny, Beef

Naomi Watts, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Youn Yuh-jung, Beef