Emmy Award 2023 predictions: Who will win and who should win?

Television’s biggest night is here, the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place early Tuesday morning (streaming on Lionsgate Play at 6.30 IST). The ceremony was originally supposed to take place in September 2023 but was postponed due to the twin Hollywood strikes.

The delayed timing is a little unfortunate, coming exactly a week after the Golden Globes which also celebrated the best in television. It doesn’t help that the Emmys have their own nomination window that runs from June to May each year, which means that some of the shows have had a whole new season since then. For example, The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White won a Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy last week for his work in the second season, but at the Emmys The Bear is nominated for its breakthrough first season, which will no doubt make it confusing for viewers.

Here are our predictions for the top awards of the night:

Best Drama Series

Andor

Better Call Saul

The Crown

House of the Dragon

The Last of Us

Succession

The White Lotus

Yellowjackets

Will Win: Succession’s final season was a perfect wrap on the Roy family saga; creator Jesse Armstrong and team delivered a non-stop season that kept viewers on the edge till the very last scene.

Should Win: Better Call Saul had 46 Emmy nominations and zero wins coming into this year; it’s the last chance for the Emmys to recognise this brilliant show about one man’s descent into the moral grey.

Best Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary

Barry

The Bear

Jury Duty

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Only Murders in the Building

Ted Lasso

Wednesday

Will Win: Ted Lasso, which won for each of its first two seasons, will take home the prize for a lackluster final season which veered more into drama (both with the length of its episodes, as well as its content).

Should Win: The Bear is arguably more of a drama than a comedy, but its electrifying first season deserves to be recognized.

Should have been nominated: The criminally underseen and underappreciated Reservation Dogs will go down in history as one of the great shows that got no love from Emmy voters.

Best Limited Series

Beef

Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Daisy Jones and the Six

Fleishman Is in Trouble

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Will Win: Beef explored the ways in which unhappy people could get consumed by anger, and held up a somber mirror to its audience.

Should Win: Beef

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Jeff Bridges, The Old Man

Brian Cox, Succession

Kieran Culkin, Succession

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us

Jeremy Strong, Succession

Will Win: Jeremy Strong’s Kendall pleading “But I’m the eldest boy!” was the encapsulation of the entire show in one line.

Should Win: Comedy legend Bob Odenkirk showed us his dramatic chops as Jimmy McGill, Saul Goodman, and Gene Takovic, for the better part of seven years. It’s a travesty that he hasn’t won yet.

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters

Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets

Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale

Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us

Keri Russell, The Diplomat

Sarah Snook, Succession

Will Win: Sarah Snook had an elevated role this year in an already crowded ensemble, and she was the beating heart of the final season of Succession.

Should Win: Bella Ramsey and Keri Russell were both fantastic in their respective shows, and would be solid choices in any other year.

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Bill Hader, Barry

Jason Segel, Shrinking

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Will Win: Jason Sudeikis has already won twice for playing Ted Lasso, and Emmy voters are likely to play it safe to send off this character.

Should Win: Bill Hader and Jeremy Allen White are both giving great dramatic performances that happen to be in the comedy format.

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary

Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face

Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Will Win: Quinta Brunson is fast becoming an Emmy favourite, having won in the previous year for writing Abbott Elementary.

Should Win: Natasha Lyonne deserves an award just for her raspy voice as she says ‘bulls**t’ when she hears a lie.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus

Nicholas Braun, Succession

Michael Imperioli, The White Lotus

Theo James, The White Lotus

Matthew Macfadyen, Succession

Alan Ruck, Succession

Will Sharpe, The White Lotus

Alexander Skarsgård, Succession

Who cares: The nominees in this category make the case for why the Emmys really need a Best Ensemble category. TV shows by their very nature will always have more deserving actors than awards.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

J. Smith-Cameron, Succession

Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus

Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown

Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus

Sabrina Impacciatore, The White Lotus

Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus

Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul

Simona Tabasco, The White Lotus

Will Win: See above. But also, everyone wants Jennifer Coolidge to win just so we get one more speech from the kooky person that she is.

Should Win: This is only Rhea Seehorn’s second nomination for her magnificent portrayal of Kim Wexler. That fact alone should stop anyone from taking the Emmys seriously.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan, Barry

Phil Dunster, Ted Lasso

Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso

James Marsden, Jury Duty

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear

Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary

Henry Winkler, Barry

Will Win: Tyler James Williams has finally come into his own as an adult actor, and his blend of skeptical and sincere should not work, but it does.

Should Win: The Fonz Henry Winkler is unlikely to get another showcase like acting teacher Gene Cousineau, the Emmys might just go for nostalgia on this one.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary

Juno Temple, Ted Lasso

Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso

Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Will Win: Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca was the only ‘straight man’ opposite a cast full of roles written to deliver punchlines. That’s not an easy task and she always held her own.

Should Win: Ayo Edebiri’s nervous but talented Sydney came into her own as the first season of The Bear allowed her to slowly but surely gain everyone’s respect.

Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Taron Egerton, Black Bird

Kumail Nanjiani, Welcome the Chippendales

Evan Peters, Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Daniel Radcliffe, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Michael Shannon, George & Tammy

Steven Yeun, Beef

Will Win: Steven Yuen’s performance was one for the ages, slowly descending into madness as the petty quest for revenge consumed him.

Should Win: Daniel Radcliffe gamely took on the cult icon Weird Al, and delivered an appropriately gonzo performance in an underseen movie.

Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Lizzy Caplan, Fleishman Is in Trouble

Jessica Chastain, George & Tammy

Dominique Fishback, Swarm

Kathryn Hahn, Tiny Beautiful Things

Riley Keough, Daisy Jones and the Six

Ali Wong, Beef

Will Win: Ali Wong channels her manic comedic energy to play a woman on the knife’s edge of sanity in Beef

Should Win: Lizzy Caplan’s narration of Fleishman’s life forms the backbone of the show, surpassing performances from the lead couple of Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes.