2024 Emmy nomination predictions: Who will be our guest actor/actress nominees?
Spoiler: A lot of them appeared in one episode of "The Bear."
Look, we all know Emmy night is long. But it might be time to add the Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress categories to the main broadcast. (No offense, Creative Arts Emmys.)
The potential star power this year is even brighter than usual: Glenn Close! Ryan Gosling! Jamie Lee Curtis! Olivia Colman! Sure, adding these four categories would likely lengthen the broadcast by 30 minutes or so — but it just might be worth it.
Here are our predictions for which special guest stars will be nominated in Comedy and Drama come July 17.
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Glenn Close, The New Look (Apple TV+)
Michaela Coel, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Lindsay Duncan, The Morning Show
Claire Foy, The Crown
Parker Posey, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Sarah Paulson, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Breaking news: Though both Claire Foy and Olivia Colman reprised their role as Queen Elizabeth in the final season of The Crown, only the former had enough screen time to qualify as a guest performer. As Variety reports, an actor must appear in at least 5 percent of the episode's total running time to be considered more than a mere cameo. But don't feel bad for Ms. Colman. (See comedy, below.) Meanwhile, one of the many pleasures of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is its guest stars, several of whom are in serious contention for a spot in this category. Last year, the category was dominated by The Last of Us and Succession, neither of which are eligible this time around. Paulson, meanwhile, also has a good shot in the guest category for comedy.
Also in the mix: Anna Gunn, Sugar (Apple TV+); Natalie Morales, Marcia Gay Harden, The Morning Show (Apple TV+); Sharon Horgan, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Deserving dark horse: Linda Lavin, Elsbeth (CBS). What's that, Emmy voters? You've only nominated this beloved, Tony-winning actress/singer one time...back in 1979? Please watch her brash and funny performance as a tyrannical co-op board president in Elsbeth and report back. Thanks.
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama
Ron Perlman, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
John Turturro, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Walton Goggins, Justified: City Primeval
Kyle MacLachlan, Fallout (Prime Video)
Michael Emerson, Fallout
Once again, expect Mr. & Mrs. Smith to take up the spots filled by Succession and The Last of Us at the 2023 Emmys. And if there is any justice in this world, Walton Goggins will add this nomination to his nods in comedy and drama for I'm a Virgo and Fallout, respectively.
Also in the mix: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Elsbeth; Paul Dano, Wagner Moura, Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Matt Berry, Fallout; James Cromwell, Sugar; Nestor Carbonell, Shōgun (FX)
Deserving dark horse: Gary Farmer, The Curse (Showtime). Already Emmy-worthy for his riotous performance as Uncle Brownie on Reservation Dogs, here, Farmer plays it straight as the dignified governor of the San Pedro Pueblo in New Mexico.
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Sarah Paulson, The Bear
Olivia Colman, The Bear
J. Smith-Cameron, Hacks (Max)
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
One episode of television will dominate the guest categories for comedy: The Bear’s star-studded, hour-long family dinner fiasco, “Fishes.” And SNL usually snaps up at least two slots in the guest categories for its notable hosts. Wiig has earned three nominations for past hosting gigs, and 10-time nominee McKinnon hosted for the first time in December.
Also in the mix: Gillian Jacobs, The Bear; Lily Gladstone, Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu); Kaitlin Olson, Helen Hunt, Hacks; Sienna Miller, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO); Ayo Edebiri, SNL; Vanessa Bayer, What We Do in the Shadows (FX); Bebe Neuwirth, Frasier (Paramount+); Peri Gilpin, Frasier
Deserving dark horse: Kaniehtiio Horn (Reservation Dogs). The mesmerizing Native actress returned as Deer Lady, a spirit who enacts vengeance on amoral men, in a heart-wrenching, origin-story episode that explored the shameful history of government-run Indian "boarding schools."
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy
John Mulaney, The Bear
Jon Bernthal, The Bear
Bob Odenkirk, The Bear
Andrew Lopez, The Bear
Ryan Gosling, SNL
Timothée Chalamet, SNL
No, Lopez wasn't in "Fishes." As Garrett, the GM who clashed with and then won over Richie in "Forks," the actor delivered the single best line reading of the year.
Also in the mix: Nate Bargatze, Adam Driver, SNL; Matthew Broderick, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu); Will Poulter, Robert Townsend,The Bear; Christopher Lloyd, Hacks
Deserving dark horses: Elijah Wood, I’m a Virgo (Prime Video); Ethan Hawke, Reservation Dogs. Wood's chipper monologue about the intricacies of prison execution by lethal injection must be seen to be believed. And Hawke embodied a wealth of complicated backstory with his turn as Elora's long-lost father, Rick.
Nominations for the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on Wednesday, July 17. The ceremony will air live on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ABC.
Listen to nomination predictions and contender interviews on The Awardist podcast, below.
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