2024 Emmys Lead Actress Limited Series Predictions
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
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2024 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie
Weekly Commentary (Updated: July 11, 2024): Jodie Foster has landed two Emmy nominations, as a producer for the television movie “The Baby Dance” in 1999 and as a director for “Orange is the New Black” in 2014. That looks to change as she finds herself the frontrunner for her outstanding turn in “True Detective: Night Country.”
We could end up with actress (limited) lineup of all previous Oscar winners.
The merge of limited series and television movie performances was expected to create more opportunities for nominees, but that hasn’t panned out, especially in the leading races. This year, the lead actress category features 62 contenders, down from 96 in 2023 and 92 in 2022. The competition is fierce, with Academy Award winners Foster, Nicole Kidman (“Expats”), Brie Larson (“Lessons in Chemistry”), Kate Winslet (“The Regime”), Jessica Lange (“The Great Lillian Hall”) and Julianne Moore (“Mary & George”) in the mix. And now, with the shocking surprise of only five slots available, predicting the lineup feels nearly impossible.
Outside of the beloved performers are famous figures in the Emmys space. One standout contender is Colombian star Sofia Vergara, who plays the infamous drug lord Griselda Blanco in Netflix’s hit miniseries “Griselda.” If nominated, she would be only the second Latina to receive a nod in this category, following Anya Taylor-Joy (of Argentinian descent) for “The Queen’s Gambit” in 2021. As an executive producer on “Griselda,” Vergara could also become the second Latina producer nominated in this category, after Celia D. Costas for “Angels in America” in 2004. Costas remains the only Latina to win as a producer in any top series category.
To date, only one Latina has won an Emmy in a major acting category: America Ferrera, who took home the award for lead comedy actress in 2007 for “Ugly Betty.” With four previous Emmy nominations for her role as Gloria Delgado in “Modern Family,” Vergara has yet to win. Could this finally be her year?
Only one Latin woman won an Emmy across all major acting categories —America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”) as lead comedy actress in 2007. Vergara has four previous Emmy bids for her iconic role as Gloria Delgado in ABC’s “Modern Family,” but she’s yet to win a statuette. Could it finally be her time? It’ll be tough for her, as she faces presumed frontrunner Jodie Foster for her work in “True Detective: Night Country” and many other former nominees and winners such as Juno Temple (“Fargo”) and Kate Winslet (“The Regime”).
There are also former Emmy nominees and winners in the mix, including Juno Temple from FX’s “Fargo,” who is the season’s shining star but could be vulnerable for recognition. The same goes for her network counterparts Naomi Watts, who leads the charge for Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” and Emma Corrin, who captivates in “A Murder at the End of the World.”
Combing through the Emmy ballots will reveal surprising names you weren’t aware were up for consideration. I’d put Candace Cameron Bure (“My Christmas Hero”), Melissa Joan Hart (“The Bad Guardian”) and Jamie Lynn Spears (“Zoey 102”) under that labeling. In addition to Kara Young, who was submitted in the lead race for the recording of her Broadway show “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch,” which co-stars Leslie Odom Jr. However, Young won a Tony Award as a featured actress in a play recently. Sign of good things to come?
Nominations-round voting is open from June 13 and closes on June 24 at 10:00 p.m. PT. Voting for peer group-specific top ten round panels (if applicable) takes place between June 28 and July 8. The Emmy nominations will be announced on July 17. The Creative Arts and Governors Gala ceremonies will occur over two nights on Sept. 7-8. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Primetime Emmy predictions in the major categories.
And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank | Performer and Series |
|---|---|
1 | Jodie Foster — “True Detective: Night Country” (Max) |
2 | Brie Larson — “Lessons in Chemistry” (Apple TV+) |
3 | Juno Temple — “Fargo” (FX) |
4 | Sofia Vergara — “Griselda” (Netflix) |
5 | Nicole Kidman — “Expats” (Prime Video) |
Next in Line
Rank | Performer and Series |
|---|---|
6 | Kate Winslet — “The Regime” (Max) |
7 | Naomi Watts — “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” (FX) |
8 | Julianne Moore — “Mary & George” (Starz) |
9 | Sandra Oh — “Quiz Lady” (Hulu) |
10 | Uzo Aduba — “Painkiller” (Netflix) |
11 | Joey King — “We Were the Lucky Ones” (Hulu) |
12 | Emma Corrin — “A Murder at the End of the World” (FX) |
13 | Aria Mia Lobereti — “All the Light We Cannot See” (Netflix) |
14 | Annette Bening — “Apples Never Fall” (Peacock) |
15 | Jessica Lange — “The Great Lillian Hall” (Max) |
Also in Contention
Rank | Performer and Series |
|---|---|
16 | Annie Murphy — “Black Mirror” (Netflix) |
17 | Kara Young — “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch (Great Performances)” (PBS) |
18 | Lily-Rose Depp — “The Idol” (Max) |
19 | Ji-young Yoo — “Expats” (Prime Video) |
20 | Elisabeth Moss — “The Veil” (Hulu) |
21 | Carla Gugino — “The Fall of the House of Usher” (Netflix) |
22 | Awkwafina — “Quiz Lady” (Hulu) |
23 | Zazie Beetz — “Black Mirror” (Netflix) |
24 | Ambika Mod — “One Day” (Netflix) |
25 | Andrea Riseborough — “Alice & Jack (Masterpiece)” (PBS) |
Eligible Performers (Lead Actress, Limited/TV Movie)
**Officially submitted and on the Emmy nominations ballot.
Uzo Aduba — “Painkiller” (Netflix)
Ajiona Alexus — “Mary J. Blige’s Real Love” (Lifetime)
Awkwafina — “Quiz Lady” (Hulu)
Deborah Ayorinde — “Them: The Scare” (Prime Video)
Zazie Beetz — “Black Mirror” (Netflix)
Annette Bening — “Apples Never Fall” (Peacock)
Helena Bonham Carter — “Nolly (Masterpiece)” (PBS)
Majo Cabrera — “Nada”
Candace Cameron Bure — “My Christmas Hero” (Hallmark)
Nesta Cooper — “Kemba”
Emma Corrin — “A Murder at the End of the World” (FX)
Alaqua Cox — “Echo” (Disney+)
Kaley Cuoco — “Role Play” (Prime Video)
Claire Danes — “Full Circle” (Max)
Sinclair Daniel — “The Other Black Girl” (Hulu)
Lily-Rose Depp — “The Idol” (Max)
Kaitlyn Dever — “No One Will Save You” (Hulu)
Sarah Drew — “Guiding Emily”
Morgan Fairchild — “Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas”
Jodie Foster — “True Detective: Night Country” (Max)
Linda Gray — “Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas”
Thomasina Gross — “The Block Trilogies Vol. 1: The Tally”
Carla Gugino — “The Fall of the House of Usher” (Netflix)
Melissa Joan Hart — “The Bad Guardian”
Nicole Kidman — “Expats” (Prime Video)
Joey King — “We Were the Lucky Ones” (Hulu)
Jessica Lange — “The Great Lillian Hall” (Max)
Brie Larson — “Lessons in Chemistry” (Apple TV+)
Ashley Liao — “Love in Taipei”
Jen Lilley — “A Paris Christmas Waltz”
Aria Mia Lobereti — “All the Light We Cannot See” (Netflix)
Kate Mara — “Class of ’09”
Melissa McCarthy — “Genie” (Peacock)
Wendi McLendon-Covey — “Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story”
Camila Mendes — “Musica”
Camila Mendes — “Upgraded”
Isabela Merced — “Turtles All the Way Down” (Max)
Donna Mills — “Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas”
Ambika Mod — “One Day” (Netflix)
Julianne Moore — “Mary & George” (Starz)
Mandy Moore — “Dr. Death” (Peacock)
Elisabeth Moss — “The Veil” (Hulu)
Annie Murphy — “Black Mirror” (Netflix)
Ashleigh Murray — “The Other Black Girl” (Hulu)
Sandra Oh — “Quiz Lady” (Hulu)
Chelsea Peretti — “First Time Female Director”
Billie Piper — “Scoop” (Netflix)
Brooklynn Prince — “Little Wing”
Anna Próchniak — “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” (Peacock)
Andrea Riseborough — “Alice & Jack (Masterpiece)” (PBS)
Emma Roberts — “American Horror Story: Delicate” (FX)
Nicollette Sheridan — “Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas”
Kiernan Shipka — “Totally Killer” (Prime Video)
Shaquita R Smith — “My Valentine Wedding”
Jamie Lynn Spears — “Zoey 102”
Juno Temple — “Fargo” (FX)
Sofia Vergara — “Griselda” (Netflix)
Naomi Watts — “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” (FX)
Sigourney Weaver — “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” (Prime Video)
Kate Winslet — “The Regime” (Max)
Ji-young Yoo — “Expats” (Prime Video)
Kara Young — “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch (Great Performances)” (PBS)
More Information (Lead Actress, Limited/TV Movie)
2023 category winner: Ali Wong — “Beef” (Netflix)
2024 Emmy Awards Calendar and Timeline (all dates are subject to change)
Eligibility period: June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024
Feb. 29: Submissions open
May 9: Deadline for programs identifying as Primetime programming to upload all entry materials.
June 13: Nominations-round voting begins
June 24: Nominations-round voting ends at 10:00 p.m. PT
June 28 – July 8: Voting for peer group-specific top ten rounds panels (if applicable)
July 17: Primetime Emmy nominations are announced.
July 24: Deadline for errors and omissions to the nominations.
August 5: Find-round videos available for viewing.
August 15: Final-round voting begins.
August 26: Final-round voting ends at 10:00 p.m. PST.
Sept. 7-8: Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Governors Gala
Sunday, Sept. 15: 76th Primetime Emmy Awards to air on ABC.
Emmy Prediction Categories
Drama | Comedy | Limited/Movie |
|---|---|---|
Documentary (Series, Special, Hosted Nonfiction, Exceptional Merit) |
About the Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, commonly known as the Emmys, are awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Established in 1949, these celebrate outstanding achievements in American primetime television. The Emmys are categorized into three divisions: the Primetime Emmy Awards for performance and production excellence; the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, recognizing achievements in artistry and craftsmanship; and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards, which honor significant engineering and technological advancements. The eligibility period typically extends from June 1 to May 31 each year. The Television Academy hosts the Emmys and has over 20,000 members across 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans and executives.
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