Emmy Category Analysis: Lead Actor in a Limited Series (2023)
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 at 9:00AM By Christopher James
Will serial killers or Weird Al Yankovic take home an Emmy this year?
The Lead Actor in a Limited Series race has only gotten more competitive throughout the year. Evan Peters performance as the titular character in Netflix's Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was pegged as the early frontrunner in this race. He now faces off against recent Oscar nominee Steven Yeun for the critically acclaimed Netflix show Beef. Other challengers are also very much in the hunt. Who is going to take home the win? Let's examine the field...
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
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Taron Egerton - Black Bird (Apple TV+)
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Kumail Nanjiani - Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu)
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Evan Peters - Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix)
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Daniel Radcliffe - Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku Channel)
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Michael Shannon - George and Tammy (Showtime)
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Steven Yeun - Beef (Netflix)
At the Golden Globes and SAG awards, Evan Peters and Taron Egerton faced off against one another. While both lost to Sam Elliott at SAG, Peters triumphed at the Golden Globes. They compete against each other yet again at the Emmys.
Based on nomination tallies for their shows alone, Peters has a better chance of pulling ahead for the win. Dahmer has thirteen nominations, including nominations for Limited Series, while Black Bird only contends in acting categories and cinematography. The role of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is certainly a juicy proposition and Evan Peters does a fantastic job bringing him to life. There’s certainly problematic elements to how the show Dahmer concentrates its time on explaining Dahmer’s reasoning for killing people. That issue pertains more towards the writing of the show and not the performer, as it’s Peters’ job to enter the mind of the character and take us on his journey. He certainly does so, nailing the mannerisms of the serial killer but also communicating the sick desires that shaped his heinous actions.
On the other side of the spectrum is Egerton’s James Keene, a business hotshot arrested for illegal drug and firearm possession. The FBI recruits him to befriend a serial killer in a maximum security prison and unearth a confession from him, as well as ascertain the location of the bodies of the victims. Keene possesses a cool kid gift of gab and it’s always interesting to see Egerton dramatize how that would play against a difficult serial killer. It’s a nimble and dexterous performance, where the character has to conceal his true identity from all those around him. Egerton certainly deserves to be more in the conversation for the win, but will likely lose out to some of the flashier performances in the category.
The unknown quantity in this lineup is Steven Yeun, as Beef premiered after the other precursors were held. Netflix’s show tied Dahmer’s nomination haul, with 13 apiece. If Beef is going to triumph over Dahmer in Limited Series, this is one category that could be an early bellwether. It also helps that Yeun is terrific in Beef. He could’ve so easily made Danny’s rage one note or self-righteous. In Yeun’s hands, Danny comes off as a more sensitive soul, a man looking and hoping for a win. Some of the more interesting moments are when Danny tries to “make good” as he gets involved with a local church. This strong, beating heart makes him a more interesting character and makes his bouts of rage more surprising.
Perhaps we’re underestimating Critics Choice Awards winner Daniel Radcliffe. As the title character in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Radcliffe excels because he plays Yankovic as the star of his own self-serious biopic. His undying quest to stake out a career in polka is both heartening and hilarious thanks in large part to Radcliffe’s commitment to the part. The film and Radcliffe’s performance kick into high gear at a midpoint, once Al writes the song “Eat It,” his attempt at an original piece. Radcliffe commits to the lunacy of the back half of the film, while never losing the emotional core of the character. The film itself did very well in terms of nominations, earning eight in total (the most of any TV movie since Bessie in 2015). This could make Radcliffe a dark horse for the win, but comedy performers rarely ever win in the Limited Series category.
Both Michael Shannon and Kumail Nanjiani have missed nominations at all of the major precursors. Shannon is always a live wire actor, bringing something unexpected to his eclectic collection of characters. As George Jones, Shannon definitely swings for the fences as the singer goes through his alcoholic benders. Yet, that level of surprise that Shannon usually has is not really present. His co-star Jessica Chastain has walked away with the bulk of the acclaim in part because Tammy Wynette is the more dynamic role, but also because Chastain brings to life an internal conflict of “standing by your man” and knowing you need to leave. Shannon never finds that internal conflict within George Jones that leads to interesting and compelling work.
Similarly, Nanjiani plays Chippendales founder Somen Banerjee as a one-note megalomaniac. It’s a challenging role, as our lead goes from aspiring entrepreneur to murderer. Nanjiani shows his hand right away, leaning into the tempestuous nature of the character from the get go, priming the audience to assume the worst of the character. This is core to why the show was a bit of a slog, despite being the melding of true crime and male strippers. The audience was always ahead of the show. Specifically, Nanjiani’s lack of nuance made it harder to empathize with Somen in the moments we’re asked to care for him and easier to jeer at him as he careens towards murder.
Prediction
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Evan Peters - Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix)
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Steven Yeun - Beef (Netflix)
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Daniel Radcliffe - Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (Roku Channel)
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Taron Egerton - Black Bird (Apple TV+)
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Michael Shannon - George and Tammy (Showtime)
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Kumail Nanjiani - Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu)
Who do you want to win the Lead Actor in a Limited Series category at the Emmys? Let us know in the comments below.
Other Emmys Coverage:
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Emmy Category Analysis
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Lead Actor in a Drama Series, by Christopher James
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Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, by Abe Friedtanzer
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Limited Series Supporting Categories, by Christopher James
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Drama Supporting Categories by Abe Friedtanzer
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Comedy Supporting Categories by Abe Friedtanzer
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Drama Guest Categories by Abe Friedtanzer
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“A History of the Oscars at the Emmys (Can They Win Variety Special, Live, for the First Time?)” by Chris James
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“The Strange History of Iconic TV Characters That Never Won Emmys,” by Eric Blume
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“Emmy Spotlight: "The Other Two" and the tradition of the 'lone writing nomination’,” by Chris James
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“Emmy Nominations - Who's Up and Who's Down?,” by Chris James
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“Four shows entirely dominated the Emmy nominations. Worthy or excessive?” by Abe Friedtanzer
Reader Comments (6)
Yeah, spring 2022 contenders ended up being much stronger than spring 2023 contenders (Sam Claflin and Woody Harrelson were really the only other spring 2023 possibilities) in this category, leaving last winter's awards full and slim pickings to predict this coming winter's options. I personally thought that Ben Whishaw would make it in for his BAFTA-winning role in AMC+'s This Is Going to Hurt, along with FX on Hulu's Steve Carell in The Patient, with its Jesse Eisenberg for Fleishman is in Trouble an outside possibility. Welcome to Chippendales really overperformed, but I agree that Nanjiani is likely in last place. Radcliffe won CCA for a comedic film in the absence of any of the competition here and Black Bird's underperformance does drag down Egerton's chances, so this does appear to be between Peters and Yeun in the longform nomination leaders. Peters looks to have the edge, but, like in other categories, a Beef sweep bringing Yeun along wouldn't be terribly surprising.
I am rooting strongly for Yeun, who has become one of our most consistently dependable actors. I haven't watched and won't watch Dahmer - the whole idea of that whole project is repulsive to me.
The absence of Ben Whishaw. God give me strength.
Evan Peters' portrayal of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is undeniably compelling, and he masterfully brings the character to life. While there are certain problematic elements in how the show delves into Dahmer's motivations for his crimes, this is more a matter of the show's writing than Peters' performance. His role requires him to delve into the psyche of the character and guide us through his disturbing journey, a task he accomplishes with finesse. Peters not only captures the nuances of the serial killer's mannerisms but also effectively conveys the twisted desires that drove his heinous actions.
The Beef/Dahmer competition reminds me of the Queen's Gambit/Mare of Easton race. I think we'll see some splits between the acting categories and the top award.
I think it's between Yeun and Peters, with Radcliffe having an outside chance. While I'd love to see Radcliffe win, he doesn't really seem to fit the profile of recent winners.
Yeun, however does. He's in the camp of being an Oscar-caliber actor who has yet to win awards, but that voters really like (e.g., McGregor, Ruffalo, Keaton). Evan Peters is great in his role, and he feels primed to win, but I think Yeun will best here. Voters just gave him an emmy, and while that's never stopped them before, given the way voting works now - where voters don't need to watch what they vote for - we'll see voters pleased to vote for the show and Nicey Nash. I can see them spreading some of the wealth.
I do wonder, however, what Netflix's campaign for these two shows looked like.
Go Daniel Radcliffe!!!!! He was awesome as Weird Al.