Emmy Watch: Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Friday, May 28, 2021 at 11:00AM Our team is breaking down the top contenders in all the major races and highlighting some of our favorites over the next few weeks.
This category is an interesting one because it includes only three past nominees who were all eligible last year, but only one of them was nominated. In a much more open field than ever before, it’s the right time for those who have missed out in crowded years to return again and for a few new faces to break through, especially since past winners like Claire Danes and Viola Davis can’t stage surprise returns because their shows are now over. We all know that last year’s nominee Olivia Colman (The Crown) will be back, and she’ll be joined by her season four costar Emma Corrin (Princess Diana). Beyond that, little is certain. Let’s take a look…
The past four years:
It was a big surprise last year that Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), a past winner whose show had taken a season off, got snubbed, and it’s unlikely that, even if the show isn’t as acclaimed as it has always been, she’ll be omitted again. I don’t know what to make of Mandy Moore’s chances, since the This Is Us star only got in for season three of her show after not making the cut for season two, which featured a very memorable performance. The show has largely fallen out of favor with Emmy voters, and it’s not clear that it can earn back the slots it’s lost in the past few years.
NEW CONTENDERS
There are a number of new series with formidable female lead performances, but it’s hard to know who’s out front. Sarah Paulson (Ratched) is an Emmy favorite with seven past nominations, and even if her show isn’t enthusiastically-received, she’s still a good bet. Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) is a tour de force on her show, but she missed out on an expected Golden Globe bid, which is disconcerting even if it doesn’t really mean all that much. Phoebe Dyvenor (Bridgerton) might be able to translate her show’s popularity into a nomination. A handful of other possibilities that don’t seem as likely include Billie Piper (I Hate Suzie), Brandee Evans (P-Valley), Jessie Mei Li (Shadow and Bone), and Jordan Kristine Seamón (We Are Who We Are).
FAMILIAR FACES
It’s usually helpful to look to shows or performers that have been noticed before by Emmy voters, even if not for the current roles they have. Pose, for instance, was a Best Drama Series nominee two years ago and Billy Porter has been nominated twice. I would be thrilled if Mj Rodriguez was nominated for the third and final season of the show, though she’s just one of the terrific cast members who hasn’t yet been singled out. Uzo Aduba is a three-time Emmy winner, selected from among two very crowded ensembles on Orange is the New Black and Mrs. America, and now she’s headlining a series, the return of HBO’s In Treatment, which gives her a clear leading role voters won’t likely ignore.
Among other shows that have already been on the air but not yet noticed, The Boys is a juggernaut from Amazon that’s being heavily promoted and is extremely popular. Aya Cash likely came close to an Emmy nomination for her role in You’re the Worst, and she could easily show up here for this new role, as could her costar Erin Moriarty.
I feel like there have to be other contenders here that may come from out of nowhere, but maybe this is actually pretty simple, assuming six nominees. One of our readers points out that, just as Master of None is still eligible for Best Comedy Series despite only airing five episodes this season (one short of the required six), Euphoria could technically be eligible in the drama series races too for its two special episodes. Last year’s winner Zendaya would have a terrific shot at returning if that’s the case, but for now we’ll assume it’s not going to happen.
PREDICTIONS
- Uzo Aduba (In Treatment)
- Olivia Colman (The Crown)
- Emma Corrin (The Crown)
- Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
- Sarah Paulson (Ratched)
- Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country)
What do you make of this field, and what actresses have we forgotten?
more on the upcoming Emmys
- COMEDY
- Actress Comedy
- Actor Comedy
- Supporting Actress, Comedy
- Supporting Actor, Comedy
- DRAMA
- Actress Drama
- Actor Drama
- Supporting Actress, Drama
- Supporting Actor, Drama
- MORE...
- Emmy Ballots
- FYC The Handmaid's Tale
- FYC Marielle Heller, Queen's Gambit
- FYC Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
- FYC I May Destroy You
- FYC For All Mankind
Reader Comments (18)
Bummer that the Good Fight isn't returning until summer. While I suspect Baranski shots are slim since she didn't make it in 2017 or 2018, the fact that she still shows up at the Critics Choice awards and gets rave reviews makes me think that this would have been a great year for her to break in.
I hope Elisabeth Moss makes it back in Juliana Marguilies style. She's giving a strong performance this year, and the writers have really pushed June into some new and interesting directions. She the flashes of Aunt Lydia in her are really powerful.
I don't know if This is Us will be more forgotten than ever this season or if it will get the advantage of not having a lot of competition and overperform.
There is so much TV nowadays, it's insane. I don't even know most of the actresses/shows mentioned as possibilities lol.
Loving these Emmy category-by-category articles! This shit is one of many reasons this is my favorite website. 🤘🏼
Actually, GoldDerby recently found out that Euphoria is *only* eligible in the Drama Series race, and that Zendaya will be submitted in this category. I still think it'll be hard to get in, but she's in there.
If Euphoria is indeed elegible, I'd watch out for both Zendaya and Hunter Schafer in this category. It might be weird to nominate them for one episode only, but those were acting showcases taylor made for them and they knocked it out of the park.
Zendaya was fantastic in the first season of Euphoria, but Colman Domingo kind of ate her up in their most recent episode. Wouldn’t be surprised if he got nominated (and won).
Why do the Emmys never recognize Angel Bassett or her show 911 It or its cast hve never been nominated.Great Acting on that show
Why do the Emmys never recognize Angel Bassett or her show 911 It or its cast hve never been nominated.Great Acting on that show
Kevin -- i dont follow what you're saying. How can a show only be eligible for one category and if so how could Zendaya also be up for this?
James -- it's probably a case of procedurals not being Emmy catnip anymore and also being on regular television (which they're also not much into anymore)
Can somebody list the winners for the last four years mentioned in the chart?
Euphoria as far as I know isn't eligible this year. Where did you hear that information?
Thanks again for this article. I also agree with your top 6 but maybe Phoebe Dyvenor will get in over Paulson?
I had to stop watching The Handmaid's Tale because it seemed to have turned into nothing but Elisabeth Moss being injured and straining to get somewhere. Kudos to Olivia Colman who was much easier to accept as QEII this season. And a big thumbs up to Uzo Aduba, who shows a great deal of promise with In Treatment. The previous iteration with Gabriel Byrne was wonderful, and this version already has some interesting characters.
I agree with Richard, these Emmy articles are great, only bested by Claudio.
regarding the criteria of elegibility for series and dramas i went to check out the official rules:
14b. Shortened seasons for series: Once a show is established as a series, if additional
shortened seasons are added (fewer than six episodes), it would still be considered a series,
unless it was limited to one or two episodes (which would categorize it as a movie and a
limited or anthology series respectively)
BUT the FYC site has this: ***Please note, Euphoria is not eligible in the Drama Series category; only in select individual achievement categories.*** (it doesn't clairfy whether these individual achievements are eligible in the Drama categories or in the Limited series ones)
https://www.hbofyc.com/title/euphoria-1
Emma Corrin has the heat at the moment in this category, but I wouldn’t be surprise to see it go to Colman.
@Clairee winners were: Moss, Foy, Comer, Zendaya
Much as I’d love to see Billie Piper nominated for giving one of the year’s most unexpected and thrilling performances in I Hate Suzie, isn’t that show a limited series?