2021 Emmy Nomination Predictions - Best Actor and Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Best Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Jeff Daniels "The Comey Rule"

Hugh Grant "The Undoing" 

Ethan Hawke "The Good Lord Bird" 

Lin-Manuel Miranda "Hamilton" 

Leslie Odom Jr. "Hamilton"

Other Contenders - Paul Bettany "WandaVision", Lin-Manuel Miranda "Hamilton", Ewan McGregor "Halston", Bryan Cranston "Your Honor", Joel Edgerton "The Underground Railroad", Chris Rock "Fargo", Olly Alexander "It's a Sin", Andrew Scott "Oslo"

Commentary - This race is really tight. I feel confident about Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke. The Emmy could come down to one of those two. The other three slots I have absolutely no confidence in predicting. I am going with Jeff Daniels, because he is a previous Emmy winner and a favorite among voters. Finally, despite my concern about Hamilton, in this category, the popularity and buzz for both Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. could be enough to push them over the edge. But these five are vulnerable. Ewan McGregor is popular (the show is not great which hurts him), Bryan Cranston is great in Your Honor and a huge Emmy favorite (not a lot of buzz for the series), Joel Edgerton could benefit from the rising stock of The Underground Railroad, Olly Alexander is fantastic, Paul Bettany is in a hugely popular series, Chris Rock is a favorite, and Andrew Scott has gotten a lot of nominations recently. This race will be an interesting one to watch. 

Best Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie

Michaela Coel "I May Destroy You" 

Cynthia Erivo "Genius: Aretha" 

Thuso Mbedu "The Underground Railroad" 

Anya Taylor-Joy "The Queen's Gambit" 

Kate Winslet "Mare of Easttown"

Other Contenders - Elizabeth Olsen "WandaVision", Nicole Kidman "The Undoing", Danielle Brooks "Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia", Ruth Wilson "Oslo", Tessa Thompson "Sylvie's Love", Kate Mara "A Teacher"

Commentary - Another tight race between so many big contenders. I feel good about Anya Taylor-Joy, who won every major winter precursor, Michaela Coel who is set to have a huge Emmy breakthrough, and Kate Winslet, always a favorite among these voters. But those last two slots are tough. Conventional wisdom says that Nicole Kidman is a lock. But this category is stronger than Best Actor, and The Undoing doesn't have the buzz I thought it would heading into nominations. Conventional wisdom also says that the pure popularity of WandaVision would easily give Elizabeth Olsen a slot, and Disney is pushing that series hard. But I feel like there are going to be two surprises. Cynthia Erivo is not really a surprise considering her great performance and awards pedigree, but she is not a lock. In the final slot, I am going out on a limb for Thuso Mbedu. The Underground Railroad is building buzz (which might make me add in more cast members in my final list), and I think she could benefit with a surprise, and deserving first Emmy nomination. I would also watch out for Danielle Brooks, Ruth Wilson, Tessa Thompson, and Kate Mara, all of whom could easily take a slot.