Get ready to see some familiar faces on the podium. The 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, airing at 8 p.m. ET Monday on NBC, may have invited some newcomers to the party, but viewers can expect lots of repeat winners.
Host Kenan Thompson will do his best to keep audiences entertained but viewership has decreased steadily in recent years. The reason the Television Academy moved the event to Monday is so it doesn't have to compete with Sunday football.
However, an Emmy is still TV's most coveted award, especially now that the Golden Globes' image has been tarnished. And wins can still provide a boost to a show like "Abbott Elementary." one of the few network shows to get any attention. Still, the odds aren't in the freshman's favor.
Here's a breakdown of the major races:
Best Comedy
Nominees: "Abbott Elementary," "Barry," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Hacks," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Only Murders in the Building," "Ted Lasso," "What We Do in the Shadows."
Will and should win: Lots of heavyweights on this list, including two former champs. When it's close, the odds are with last year's winner, which happens to be "Lasso."
Best Actor, Comedy
Nominees: Donald Glover ("Atlanta"), Bill Hader ("Barry"), Nicholas Hoult ("The Great"), Steve Martin ("Murders"), Martin Short ("Murders"), Jason Sudeikis ("Lasso")
Will win: It's the battle of the "SNL" stars. Expect Hader to win a third for his role as a conflicted assassin.
Should win: Short more than held his own trading insults with Martin, but he also shined in scenes where he comes to terms with being a personal and professional flop.
Best Actress, Comedy
Nominees: Rachel Brosnahan ("Maisel"), Quinta Brunson ("Abbott"), Kaley Cuoco ("The Flight Attendant"), Elle Fanning ("Great"), Issa Rae ("Insecure"), Jean Smart ("Hacks")
Will win: Smart turns 71 on Tuesday; expect her to get an early birthday gift. If Brunson or Rae beat the odds, it'll be only the second time a Black performer has won in this category.
Should win: If Julia-Louis Dreyfus can amass Emmys for delivering breathless zingers, then so should Fanning.
Best Drama
Nominees: "Better Call Saul," "Euphoria," "Ozark," "Severance," "Squid Game," "Stranger Things," "Succession," "Yellowjackets"
Will win: "Succession" has only won once before; a second seems inevitable.
Should win: "Stranger" is too goofy for stodgy voters but it deserves love for its wide-range appeal and consistency.
Best Actor, Drama
Nominees: Jason Bateman ("Ozark"), Brian Cox ("Succession"), Lee Jung-jae ("Squid Game"), Bob Odenkirk ("Saul"), Adam Scott ("Severance"), Jeremy Strong ("Succession")
Will win: After five noms for playing Saul Goodman, things could finally break Odenkirk's way.
Should win: Jung-jae could become the first person of Asian descent to take this category, a great way to honor this international hit.
Best Actress, Drama
Nominees: Jodie Comer ("Killing Eve"), Laura Linney ("Ozark"), Melanie Lynskey ("Yellowjackets"), Sandra Oh ("Eve"), Reese Witherspoon ("The Morning Show"), Zendaya ("Euphoria")
Will win: Zendaya is poised to repeat but don't be shocked if Linney or Lynskey pulls an upset.
Should win: Oh has been nominated 13 times without a win; it's time.
Limited Series
Nominees: "Dopesick," "The Dropout," "Inventing Anna," "Pam & Tommy," "The White Lotus"
Will and should win: "Dopesick" creator Danny Strong previously won in this category for "Game Change." He'll do it again.
Best Actor, Limited Series
Nominees: Colin Firth ("The Staircase"), Andrew Garfield ("Under the Banner of Heaven"), Oscar Isaac ("Scenes From a Marriage"), Michael Keaton ("Dopesick"), Himesh Patel ("Station Eleven"), Sebastian Stan ("Pam & Tommy")
Will and should win: Keaton has never won an Emmy or an Oscar. That's about to change.
Best Actress, Limited Series
Nominees: Toni Collette ("Staircase"), Julia Garner ("Anna"), Lily James ("Pam"), Sarah Paulson ("Impeachment: American Crime Story"), Margaret Qualley ("Maid"), Amanda Seyfried ("Dropout")
Will win: Emmy loves a reigning movie star. The closest thing to it this year is Seyfried.
Should win: James went beyond doing a Pamela Anderson impression, giving us one of the most heartbreaking performances of the year.
Competition Program
Nominees: "The Amazing Race," "Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls," "Nailed It," "RuPaul's Drag Race," "Top Chef," "The Voice"
Will win: Ever since this award was created in 2003, four of these nominees have won them every time with "RuPaul" taking it the past four times. Don't feel like it's being greedy when it triumphs again. "Race" has 10 of these.
Should win: It's always nice to see a newcomer break through. Even though "Lizzo" taped part of her series in Minnesota, I'm partial to "Nailed."
Variety Talk Show
Nominees: "Daily Show With Trevor Noah," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver," "Late Night With Seth Meyers," "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert"
Will win: This could be Oliver's category until he decides to retire. He's won the past six times.
Should win: Meyers' team deserves recognition. The amount of comedy material they churn out on a nightly basis is extraordinary.
———
