We’ll be updating this article throughout the season, along with all of our predictions, so be sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2023 Emmy race. Nomination voting will run June 15-26, with nominees official at the Emmys announced Wednesday, July 12. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be presented on two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10, with a curated presentation of the ceremonies airing on FXX at a later date. Finally, the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, September 18 and will air live on FOX at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
The state of the breed
Contenders for The Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology or Movie appear to have generated far more conversation than their male counterparts. Even a more niche project like “Swarm” had more of a cultural impact than HBO’s big-budget period piece “White House Plumbers.”
Though her viewership wasn’t something Showtime was quick to brag about in their press releases, Jessica Chastain campaigned hard to make “George and Tammy” first in this category, leading her first to a somewhat surprising victory at the This year’s SAG Awards (the show had only been out for a couple of months and she was up against last year’s Emmy winner Amanda Seyfried), and now probably her first Emmy nomination. Being one of this year’s top Tony contenders for her portrayal in “A Doll’s House” also helped her awards run, as she put her under EGOT scrutiny.
In terms of who Chastain is likely to be named against, the popular choice would be Ali Wong, who starred in the Netflix hit ‘Beef.’ However, there are still many others that have more name recognition or a deeper history with the TV Academy that could prove to be more formidable contenders.
For example, “Love and Death” star Elizabeth Olsen was nominated in this category just two years ago for “WandaVision,” where she played a character appearing in the second biggest film of all time. Emily Blunt was also nominated for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards for her role in Prime Video’s western “The English”.
Speaking of the Amazon-powered streaming service, Riley Keough (“Daisy Jones and the Six”), Dominique Fishback (“Swarm”) and Rachel Weisz (“Dead Ringers”) have all performed shows that put Prime Video on the map in this category like it has never been before. It’s likely that at least one of those actresses will be nominated. The same goes for Betty Gilpin’s performance in the Peacock series “Mrs. Davis” and Bel Powley’s performance in NatGeo’s “A Small Light,” to a lesser extent.
Current contenders (in alphabetical order):
Emily Blunt, “The English” (Prime Video)
Lizzy Caplan, “Fleishman is in trouble” (FX)
Jessica Chastain, “George and Tammy” (Entertainment)
Dominique Fishback, “Swarm” (Prime Video)
Jennifer Garner, “The Last Thing She Said To Me” (Apple TV+)
Betty Gilpin, “Mrs. Davis” (Peacock)
Kathryn Hahn, “Beautiful Little Things” (Hulu)
Riley Keough, “Daisy Jones and the Six” (Prime Video)
Amber Midthunder, “Prey” (Hulu)
Elizabeth Olsen, “Love and Death” (Max)
Bel Powley, “A Little Light” (National Geographic)
Zoe Saldaña, “From Scratch” (Netflix)
Sydney Sweeney, “Reality” (HBO)
Rachel Weisz, “Dead Ringers” (Prime Video)
Ali Wong, “Beef” (Netflix)
More predictions on the limited series and TV movie categories:
Outstanding Limited Series or Anthology
Outstanding TV Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
To see IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 75th Emmy Awards click here.
Last year’s winner: Amanda Seyfried, “Abandonment”
Still eligible: NO.
Hot Series: Last year was Hulu’s first win in the category. If an actress like Hahn or Midthunder wins, it would continue the streak and solidify the streaming service as a prime destination for limited series projects.
Notable ineligible series: Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus: Sicily” (billed as a drama series); Kate Mara, “Class of ’09” (season not airing in time to be eligible); Juno Temple, “Fargo” (Season 5 was ineligible).
