The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will be aired Monday, September 12, 2022. Who will the winners be? Here are our predictions for the ceremony.
The Emmy Awards air every September and recognize the best of the best in television programming. The awards are given by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS), and the categories are divided into three classes: the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards. Since 1995, the Emmys have rotated among networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, with each network taking turns every four years. This year, the Emmys will be airing on September 12, 2022, on NBC live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Academy announced their nominations for the Emmys at the beginning of July this year. However, they did not offer network tallies this year. Their reasoning? TV Academy president Maury McIntyre told Variety, “We don’t ultimately care. We’re here to honor the work… Our partners can slice and dice it however they want.”
However, for those curious, this year, HBO’s Succession takes the lead as the most nominated program with 25 nominations, including outstanding drama. Ted Lasso follows with 20 nominations, including best comedy, and The White Lotus has made the board as the most nominated limited series with 20 nominations. HBO/HBO Max leads this year as the network with the most nominations at 140 (108 for HBO, 32 for HBO Max), and Netflix follows with 105 nominations.
So, who will win Emmy gold? Here are our predictions!
This year, the nominations for drama series are Better Call Saul, Euphoria, Ozark, Severance, Squid Games, Stranger Things, Succession, and Yellowjackets. It’s clear that Succession is slated for a win, but Netflix’s Squid Game could outdo it. Many think that the Netflix show will pull a Parasite-like surprise win.
However, per the LA Times, Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly says, “That Roy family finale meltdown is going to be very tough to beat.”
The nominations for this year’s best comedy series are Abbott Elementary, Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso, and What We Do in the Shadows. Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary is a clear front-runner for the category as it surprised many this year with its wit and hilarity.
Related: Why Abbott Elementary Could Be the Next Great Sitcom
Tracy Brown of the LA Times said the show “brought new excitement and energy into the broadcast TV comedy space and deserves all the accolades.”
The nominations for limited series are Dopesick, The Dropout, Inventing Anna, Pam & Tommy, and The White Lotus. Most predictions for this category tie between Dopesick and The White Lotus. Dopesick has a powerful story and performances, but Lotus delivered with its incredible ensemble.
The category is stacked this year, with nominations for Jason Bateman (Ozark), Brian Cox (Succession), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Games), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Adam Scott (Severance), and Jeremy Strong (Succession). It once again could come down to a Squid Games/Succession face-off, with Jung-jae and Cox taking the lead in the category.
Nominations for this category include Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Laura Linney (Ozark), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show), and Zendaya (Euphoria). This prediction comes at a tie between actresses Zendaya and Melanie Lynskey.
Lynskey delivered a powerful performance in Showtime’s Yellowjackets, but the Emmys do love a rerun, so Zendaya could see another win.
This year the nominations for lead actor in a comedy series are Donald Glover (Atlanta), Bill Hader (Barry), Nicholas Hoult (The Great), Steve Martin and Martin Short of Only Murders in the Building, and Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso). The two leads of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building could snatch the title this year for the category.
Still, the category is incredibly stacked, and there could be a repeat of Sudeikis getting a win again or Bill Hader.
With yet another incredible list, the nominations for lead actress in a comedy series include Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant), Elle Fanning (The Great), Issa Rae (Insecure), and Jean Smart (Hacks).
Related: Squid Game Remains Most Popular Netflix Series as Stranger Things 4 Fails to Break Record
Smart previously won the title. However, Trey Mangum of Shadow & Act, as quoted in the LA Times, says, “Brunson and her show are the talk of the town and she’s the biggest threat to Jean Smart repeating in this category.”
Nominations for this category include Colin Firth (The Staircase), Andrew Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven), Oscar Isaac (Scenes From a Marriage), Michael Keaton (Dopesick), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven), and Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy). The clear front-runner for the category is Keaton.
Glenn Whipp of the LA Times sums it up wonderfully by saying that “this is the best thing he has ever done. Keaton picked up a SAG Awards honor earlier this year. An Emmy will soon sit next to it.”
Leading the category this year is actress Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout). Joining her are nominees Toni Colette (The Staircase), Julia Garner (Inventing Anna), Lily James (Pam & Tommy), Sarah Paulson (Impeachment: American Crime Story), and Margaret Qualley (Maid). While Seyfried is taking the lead in the category, many think Qualley could give the actress a run for her money. As Baldwin again comments, Qualley didn’t need “transformations, no indistinguishable accents or vocal fry, no wigs or prosthetic breasts- just incredibly powerful and authentic acting.”
So, who will win Emmy gold? Tune in next month to find out!
Grayson is a writer for MovieWeb as well a graduate from Savannah College of Art and Design, where she majored in Performing Arts. She is also a photographer and pursuing an acting career.