Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
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2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie
FX
FX
Weekly Commentary (Updated: June 21, 2023): Names like Evan Peters (“Dahmer”) and Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”) are among the top contenders for lead actor (limited) race which had a total of 97 submissions (vs. 64 last year). However, there is always room for some surprises. One could come from a stage musical that played on BroadwayHD.
Similar to the sprawling cast of “Hamilton” which nabbed Emmy noms for the majority of its cast including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr, legendary comedian Billy Crystal could show up for his work in the stage musical “Mr. Saturday Night: A New Musical Comedy.”
A stage musical adaptation of the film which earned David Paymer an Oscar nom for supporting actor, Crystal is a beloved industry veteran who won six Emmys over his tenure. His most recent win was as the host for the 1998 Academy Awards, and his recent nom was for writing his variety special, “Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays” in 2014. “Mr. Saturday Night” is currently on Prime Video.
Taron Egerton looks like a safe bet for Apple TV+’s “Black Bird,” while Michael Shannon should pair nicely with his front-running co-star in Showtime’s “George & Tammy.”
He’ll need to get around Steve Carell from FX’s “The Patient” and Steven Yeun from Netflix’s “Beef,” who seem more likely candidates with strong network backing.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories.
Emmy Nominations voting runs from June 15-26. The Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on July 12. Check back every Thursday for the latest updates. All information is preliminary and is subject to change.
And the Predicted Nominees Are:
- Billy Crystal — “Mr. Saturday Night: A New Musical Comedy” (BroadwayHD)
- Justin Theroux — “White House Plumbers” (HBO)
- Woody Harrelson — “White House Plumbers” (HBO)
- Ewan McGregor — “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (Disney+)
Other Top-Tier Possibilities
- Jesse Eisenberg — “Fleishman is in Trouble” (FX)
- Sam Claflin — “Daisy Jones and the Six” (Prime Video)
- Ben Whishaw — “This is Going to Hurt” (AMC)
- Damian Lewis — “A Spy Among Friends” (MGM+)
- Kumail Nanjiani — “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)
- Trevante Rhodes — “Mike” (Hulu)
- Joel Kim Booster — “Fire Island” (Hulu)
- Fionn Whitehead — “Great Expectations” (Hulu)
- Andy Garcia — “Father of the Bride” (HBO)
- Alexander Skarsgård — “Documentary Now!” (IFC)
All Eligible Titles (Alphabetized by Network)**
** This list or category submission is not yet complete or confirmed and is subject to change.
2022 category winner: Michael Keaton, “Dopesick” (Hulu)
Emmy Awards Predictions Categories
DRAMA SERIES | COMEDY SERIES | LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES | TV MOVIE | LEAD ACTOR (DRAMA) | LEAD ACTOR (COMEDY) | LEAD ACTOR (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | LEAD ACTRESS (DRAMA) | LEAD ACTRESS (COMEDY) | LEAD ACTRESS (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (DRAMA) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (COMEDY) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (DRAMA) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (COMEDY) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | TALK SERIES | SCRIPTED VARIETY | GAME SHOW | DIRECTING (DRAMA, COMEDY, LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | WRITING (DRAMA, COMEDY, LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | REALITY (COMPETITION, STRUCTURED, UNSTRUCTURED, HOST)
Creative Arts and Other Emmy Categories
GUEST ACTOR (DRAMA) | GUEST ACTRESS (DRAMA) | GUEST ACTOR (COMEDY) | GUEST ACTRESS (COMEDY) | VOICE-OVER | SHORT FORM | DOCUMENTARY | MUSIC | ANIMATED | OTHER CATEGORIES
About the Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known as the Emmys, are given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Since 1949, the awards have recognized excellence in American primetime television programming. They are divided into three classes – Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (honors artisan achievements), and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards (recognizes significant engineering and technological contributions). The typical eligibility period is between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. The Television Academy comprises over 25,000 members, representing 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans, and executives.