If there is any Emmy field that is utterly wide open it’s Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Despite the decline of Peak TV, there should be enough submissions for six nominees as was the case the past four years. That being said, the only contenders that even appear to be locks for a nomination are Carrie Coon (“The Gilded Age”), Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”), and Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”).
READ MORE: Drama Series Emmys 2024 Predictions and Contenders
If Television Academy voters made sense, we’d assume Maya Erskine would make the cut for the hit Prime Video series “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and recent Oscar-winner Emma Stone would join her for “The Curse.” But did enough voters actually watch the quirky Showtime series? Can Stone make it just on her reputation alone? Then there is Reese Witherspoon who made the field over her “Morning Show” co-star Aniston in 2022. Could she return to the fold? Maybe!
Waiting in the wings is a long list of contenders with major questions, such as: Did enough voters watch your show? Do they remember watching it if they did? And is it Emmy enough? Those actresses include Rebecca Ferguson (“Silo”), Jess Hong (“3 Body Problem”), Carrie Preston (“Elsbeth”), Rosario Dawson (“Ahsoka”), and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“Justified: City Primeval”), among others. In fact, it’s so wide open that it’s not unfathomable for eight-time nominee and 2006 winner Mariska Hargitay to return to the fold for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Seriously. Let that sink in. [Posted May 1]
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LIKELY
Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age”
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Imelda Staunton, “The Crown”
ALMOST THERE
Emma Stone, “The Curse”
Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”
Maya Erskine, “Mr and Mrs. Smith”
WHO KNOWS
Rebecca Ferguson, “Silo”
Jess Hong, “3 Body Problem”
Carrie Preston, “Elsbeth”
Rosario Dawson, “Ahsoka”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, “Justified: City Primeval”
Mariska Hargitay, “Law and Order: SVU”
Juliette Binoche, “The New Look”
Ella Purnell, “Fallout”
Rosamund Pike, “The Wheel of Time”
Dana Gurira, “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live”
Jennifer Connelly, “Dark Matter”