Emmys: The Hollywood Reporter’s TV Critics Pick Their Favorite Contenders

COMEDY

BEST SERIES

Where to even begin with this category? The past year has been a veritable trove of comedy riches, delivering gems like Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary, Somebody Somewhere, We Are Lady Parts and The Afterparty — and that’s not even getting into such returning shows as Atlanta, Barry, The Flight Attendant, Hacks or 2021’s champion, Ted Lasso. If there’s one new title I’d really love to see included in the pack, though, it’s Reservation Dogs.

Sterlin Harjo’s series burst out of the gate with confidence, creativity and a sly sense of humor, taking on all manner of Native teen life on a rural Oklahoma reservation. From episode to episode, we never knew if we’d be treated to a chip-truck heist, a run-in with the Deer Lady or a tender exploration of grief. Reservation Dogs could be hilarious, it could be heartbreaking, it could be both at once. Whatever else it was, it always felt like a breath of fresh air. — A.H.

BEST ACTOR

The gap between Barry mastermind Bill Hader and Ted Lasso frontman Jason Sudeikis at the top of the field and everybody else may be greater than in any other category. Steve Martin and Martin Short will be nominated for Only Murders in the Building because they’re Steve Martin and Martin Short, and I can’t argue with that, but from there, there’s a lot of arguing. Donald Glover is always great on Atlanta, but in this odd season was he really central to enough episodes? Are any of the What We Do in the Shadows guys truly leads or is it an ensemble of exceptional complementary supporting pieces? One could argue the same for The Afterparty, though I think Sam Richardson’s evolution from impeccable comic foil to compelling romantic lead is worthy of notice. Otherwise, I like Jake Johnson of Minx and Nicholas Hoult of The Great, even if I’d also argue that they’re both in support of their leading ladies. — D.F.

BEST ACTRESS

When I think of lead performances that make or break the entire series, my mind goes first to Kaley Cuoco as Cassie in The Flight Attendant. In the first season, she deployed a chaotic, wide-eyed sense of desperation that not only helped sell the tension but made us care about this trainwreck of a heroine in spite of ourselves. The second doubles down on Cuoco’s performance, asking her to play not just a new and improved Cassie (She’s sober now! And goes jogging!) but to play every version of Cassie still kicking around inside of her, from a sardonic party girl to a judgmental priss. Cuoco proves more than up to the challenge and with each installment finds new facets of the flaky, self-absorbed but nevertheless oddly endearing protagonist we’ve been rooting for since day one. — A.H.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

It’s challenging to justify coming up with six or eight lead actor in a comedy contenders, and it’s even harder to cut supporting actor in a comedy down to 25, especially when shows like Barry (Henry Winker, Anthony Carrigan and Stephen Root), Ted Lasso (Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed, Brendan Hunt), What We Do in the Shadows (anyone they choose to submit as “supporting”) and Atlanta (Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield) are in line for multiple nods. Let’s say we make an arbitrary one-per-show limit and nominate Winkler, Goldstein, Kayvan Novak and Henry, and then there’s room for Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary), Taika Waititi (Our Flag Means Death) and anybody — Zahn McClarnon, one of the kids, anybody — from Reservation Dogs. — D.F.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Sally may be a fairly shallow sort, but Sarah Goldberg’s performance has been anything but — and in Barry‘s third season, she took the character to her blackest depths yet, as both victim and perpetrator in the show’s cycles of abuse. Her trembling, blood-splattered face in the finale alone makes her deserving of a nomination.

But this is technically a comedy category, so I expect she’ll be up against some equally impressive yet much more lighthearted performances. Zoë Chao’s work on The Afterparty was the stuff rom-com queen dreams are made of. Zosia Mamet’s deadpan delivery was a highlight of The Flight Attendant‘s sophomore season. Janelle James had me in stitches practically every time she opened her mouth or mugged for the camera as cheerfully self-absorbed Ava on Abbott Elementary. And, I am just going to point out that this year marks the very last chance to reward Aidy Bryant for her tremendous decadelong tenure on SNL. — A.H.

DRAMA

BEST SERIES

Have I mentioned lately that Succession is actually a dark comedy that has been consistently miscategorized for Emmy purposes as a drama? Well, it’s true. It should still be nominated whenever it’s eligible. Apple TV+ should have a pair of new nominees here, with the propulsive, genre-bending strangeness of Severance and astonishing scope, production values and ensemble of Pachinko. I’m most fearful that Pachinko is going to get left out because Emmy voters may feel like it’s already revolutionary to nominate one Korean-language series, but why not Squid Game and Pachinko? And the first half of the final season of AMC’s Better Call Saul, complete with several shocking twists, should be right below Succession on any list, while fellow returnees Evil and The Good Fight — all hail the quirky, timely storytelling from Robert and Michelle King — aren’t in any realistic conversations, but ought to be. — D.F.

BEST ACTOR

Better Call Saul has been the perennial bridesmaid of the comedy categories, racking up not one single Primetime Emmy win out of 39 noms over the past five seasons. But with the series coming to a close this year, it’s now or never, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for “now.” Bob Odenkirk’s performance as Saul Goodman has been a standout since Breaking Bad, but it’s Saul that’s shown us what he’s really capable of, as the series painstakingly traces his journey from sweet (if sketchy) Jimmy McGill to the soulless, sleazy Saul. The man deserves recognition for the decade-plus he’s spent in the character’s shiny suits, and I can’t think of a better goodbye gift than the Emmy he so richly deserves. — A.H.

BEST ACTRESS

My fear is that voters are going to get complacent in this category and waste space on various Killing Eve and The Morning Show stars. It isn’t that I’m opposed to nominees from shows I don’t like. Ozark isn’t spectacular, but Laura Linney is. Euphoria is a questionably focused mess, but Zendaya’s ability to be astonishingly raw and wonderfully silly is unmatched. And I’m not even wholly opposed to complacency. No Handmaid’s Tale season this year? Nominate category regular Elisabeth Moss for Shining Girls instead! Missed Carrie Coon for three seasons of The Leftovers? The Gilded Age will have to do! I’m hoping voters will follow critical attention and nominate Melanie Lynskey for Yellowjackets, and I’m wishing that love for Severance will extend to Britt Lower, the show’s unsung anchor. — D.F.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Here’s a category that could be stuffed with deserving repeats. Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun each leveled up their already fantastic performances with the most recent season of Succession. Jonathan Banks and Giancarlo Esposito have more than earned a victory lap for their years of fine work on Better Call Saul — and if Emmy voters are feeling warmly toward the series, I’d be thrilled to see Michael Mando’s harrowing performance in the first half of the final season also score a nomination.

In a just world, though, all of them will find stiff competition in the men of Severance. John Turturro and Christopher Walken’s romance touched our hearts with its warmth and delicacy. Zach Cherry was knowingly obnoxious comic relief —until he wasn’t. And we’ll surely never forget Tramell Tillman as Mr. Milchick, who seemed to embody the very spirit of Lumon by combining bright, phony smiles with an unmistakable aura of menace. — A.H.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Rhea Seehorn should be submitted as lead for Better Call Saul, but whatever category she’s in, she gets my top vote. Better Call Saul needs Seehorn and Kim Wexler to be as good as it is. I could make the same argument that Sarah Snook borders on a Succession lead, but regardless she should be nominated. Julia Garner is a lock for a nomination, and deserves to be, because Ruth has always been the best part of Ozark and that was doubly true for the two-part final season. Jung Ho-yeon looks like a lock for Squid Game, and she deserves to be, but again I worry that voters will think one subtitled performance is enough, which would mean leaving Yuh-Jung Youn out for Pachinko. However many nominees there are, I would round out the field with Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets), Patricia Arquette (Severance) and Sydney Sweeney, who is so good in Euphoria, even when her material is tawdry and exploitative. — D.F.

LIMITED/ANTHOLOGY

BEST SERIES

I found presumptive frontrunner Dopesick to be well-meaning, unquestionably important and fairly dreadful, other than Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever, but it’s representative of a generally imperfect field that lacks an Underground Railroad/I May Destroy You-style critical juggernaut. Mike White’s scathing The White Lotus and the challenging tonal triumph of Netflix’s Maid were the year’s two best examinations of income inequality and would lead my list, along with HBO Max’s haunting and lyrical Station Eleven. In a spring of nonstop ripped-from-the-headlines (or podcast/documentary) limited series, Hulu’s The Dropout and HBO Max’s The Staircase boasted the best ensembles and felt the least exploitative. Among dark horses, HBO’s We Own This City is another substantive David Simon exploration of institutions for voters to snub, while I admired the provocative mixture of faith and horror at the heart of Netflix’s Midnight Mass. — D.F.

BEST ACTOR

Michael Keaton made me yearn for a better version of Dopesick, while Oscar Isaac made me yearn for a version of Scenes From a Marriage that actually had anything to say about the state of modern nuptials. Hamish Linklater’s Midnight Mass work tended toward scenery-chewing, but the reason the Mike Flanagan horror series works as well as it does is because Linklater elevated its operatic tone. Jon Bernthal is wildly overdue for some Emmy recognition, and We Own This City gives him opportunities for self-righteous monologues, wicked swagger and myriad facial hair variations. I’d probably round out the category with Ben Foster’s harrowing work in the made-for-TV movie The Survivor and the slithering moral ambiguity of Colin Firth’s work in The Staircase. — D.F.

BEST ACTRESS

The best of the many based-on-a-true-story performances in contention dig beyond surface-level mimicry to bring these fact-based characters to life from the inside out — like Amanda Seyfried’s unsettlingly hollow Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout, Julia Garner’s slippery Anna Delvey in Inventing Anna or Michelle Pfeiffer’s luminous but complicated Betty Ford in the otherwise uninspiring The First Lady, to name just a few.

My personal favorite, though, involves no celebrity imitation whatsoever. Maid hinges on Margaret Qualley’s ability to make us feel for her, and she delivers with an open book of a performance that allows us to read every thought and emotion running through the character’s mind — even, or maybe especially, when she’s trying to maintain her composure in the face of tremendous hardship. — A.H.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

What makes Wyatt Russell’s work in Under the Banner of Heaven so unsettlingly creepy is that it’s not obviously creepy at all, at least not at first. With his athletic good looks and easy smile, he’s the very picture of all-American wholesomeness, albeit one with the intensity dialed up just a smidge too high. And even as his character proceeds along the dark path toward murder, he never completely loses that innate charisma — it’s there with him to the end, even after his piety has hardened into violent zealotry.

It’s a dissonance echoed in another of my favorite turns this season. In The White Lotus, Jake Lacy subverts the nice-guy persona that’s defined much of his career by playing a character who only thinks he’s a nice guy, when in fact he’s the very picture of an entitled asshole. It’s what makes Shane so insufferable — and what makes Lacy’s performance as him so impressive. — A.H.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

In HBO’s The White Lotus, Jennifer Coolidge took everything we love about her normal flighty, boozy persona and said, “Here’s real anguish lurking under the surface.” It’s a career-redefining performance, and she should be nominated and win easily. You could fill out the rest of the category with Alexandra Daddario, Natasha Rothwell and Sydney Sweeney and just call it outstanding supporting actress in The White Lotus. I didn’t like Dopesick, The Offer or Gaslit, but each show was significantly better when Kaitlyn Dever, Juno Temple or Betty Gilpin was around. When it comes to scene-stealing, though, it’s hard to top Parker Posey and her cornpone Southern accent from The Staircase or Laurie Metcalf or LisaGay Hamilton from The Dropout. Among The Dropout, Hacks and The Conners, Metcalf had one of those years when she could deservedly get three nominations. — D.F.

This story first appeared in the June 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.