Emmys: Who Might Earn More Than One Acting Nomination This Year?

by Christopher James

Just this past year, Julia Garner won an Emmy for one of her two nominations that year.

When the Emmys fall for you, they fall hard. Many actors find that success in one role helps them pop up in other categories, namely guest acting. Some examples include Laurie Metcalf (Horace & Pete, Getting On), Bill Hader (Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Sterling K. Brown (This is Us, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). Receiving multiple nominations can also be a positive sign towards a potential win, as was the case for Julia Garner last year when she won for Ozark and was also nominated for Inventing Anna. As Sally Field once said “you like me, you really like me.”

Many famous and emerging faces have submitted themselves in multiple categories. Some will definitely get the double-dip treatment, likely on their way to a big win. Which actors have the best shot at double-dipping this year when the nominations are announced...?

Pedro Pascal hopes he can earn an SNL nomination in addition to a Lead Actor in a Drama Series nomination for The Last of Us.

Best Shot

The following actors are favored to receive multiple nominations in acting this year, either because they have done it before or they possess the necessary amount of heat to generate coattail nominations.

The most likely nomination will be listed first, with the coattail nomination(s) listed afterwards. Everyone is listed alphabetically.

• Murray Bartlett

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - The Last of Us

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Welcome to Chippendales

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Extrapolations

  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy - Physical

• Quinta Brunson 

  • Lead Actress in a Comedy - Abbott Elementary

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live

• Jennifer Coolidge

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - The White Lotus

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - The Watcher

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Shotgun Wedding

• Ayo Edebiri

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - The Bear

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Abbott Elementary

• Giancarlo Esposito

  • Supporting Actor in a Drama - Better Call Saul

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - The Mandalorian

• Harrison Ford

  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy - Shrinking

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - 1923

• Cherry Jones

  • Guest Actress in a Drama - Succession

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Poker Face

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Five Days at Memorial

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Extrapolations

• Melanie Lynskey

  • Lead Actress in a Drama - Yellowjackets

  • Guest Actress in a Drama - The Last of Us

• Steve Martin

  • Lead Actor in a Comedy - Only Murders in the Building

  • Guest Actor in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live, submitted with Martin Short

• Jenna Ortega

  • Lead Actress in a Comedy - Wednesday

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live

• Pedro Pascal

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - The Last of Us

  • Guest Actor in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - The Mandalorian

• Aubrey Plaza

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - The White Lotus

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live

• Martin Short

  • Lead Actor in a Comedy - Only Murders in the Building

  • Guest Actor in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live, submitted with Steve Martin

  • Guest Actor in a Comedy - Schmigadoon!

• Harriet Walter

  • Guest Actress in a Drama - Succession

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Ted Lasso

  • Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Documentary Now!

• Bowen Yang

  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Fire Island

One of the easiest paths to a coattails nomination is to host Saturday Night Live. Whether you are in drama or comedy, a buzzy hosting gig can be an easy place for Emmy voters to double down on supporting a key star. This year, six stars are hoping an SNL hosting Emmy nomination boosts their chances in other categories. Steve Martin and Martin Short are submitting together, a move that worked wonders for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in 2016. Elsewhere, Quinta Brunson and Pedro Pascal are both likely to receive nominations for their hosting jobs, which would be a boon to their lead acting campaigns. This might block other actors looking to employ a similar tactic, like Aubrey Plaza and Jenna Ortega.

A few members of this crew have double dipped in nominations before. Just last year, Harriet Walter achieved that feat with both series winners - Succession and Ted Lasso. Meanwhile, Giancarlo Esposito managed the same feat in 2020 with both series he is currently submitted for. Though she has not received dual nominations in a single year, Cherry Jones has won Guest Acting Emmys for both Succession and The Handmaid’s Tale. Add in a strong turn in Five Days in Memorial and we have a potential triple threat.

Overall, getting multiple nominations is a sign of career heat. This could be an easy way to crown new, exciting talent, such as Ayo Edebiri and Bowen Yang. Recent winners can build on momentum from the previous year, as is the case for White Lotus Emmy winners Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge. Sometimes, there are just actors who the Emmys are going crazy for that have felt omnipresent. People were still raving about the last season of Yellowjackets when Melanie Lynksey appeared for a short stint on the HBO hit The Last of Us. Once the second season of Yellowjackets started, Lynskey felt like she was reaching a new level of awards momentum. Speaking of omnipresent, Harrison Ford has been everywhere this year. Both 1923 and Shrinking were big television hits for the movie star. With Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny currently in theaters, the Emmys may want to reward the star for his prolific work this year.

My Picks: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Quinta Brunson, Pedro Pascal, Giancarlo Esposito, Cherry Jones, Melanie Lynskey

Christina Ricci will likely be nominated for Yellowjackets. Can she also get nominated for Wednesday on the comedy side?

Likely to Secure One Nomination

In order to get coattail nominations, one must be favored in at least one category. Voters know they need to pay attention to an actor in one show. If they like them in that performance and see them pop up in another show, they are often tempted to vote for them in that category. Unfortunately in these cases, the second submission they have are for roles a good bit out of normal Emmy scope. These actors are almost certainly getting one nomination. The question is, can they get a second?

The most likely nomination will be listed first, with the coattail nomination(s) listed afterwards. Everyone is listed alphabetically.

• Hiam Abbass 

  • Guest Actress in a Drama - Succession

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - Ramy

• F. Murray Abraham

  • Supporting Actor in a Drama - The White Lotus

  • Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Cabinet of Curiosities

• Nicholas Braun

  • Supporting Actor in a Drama - Succession

  • Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Documentary Now

• Lizzy Caplan

  • Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Fleishman is in Trouble

  • Lead Actress in a Drama - Fatal Attraction

• Bryan Cranston

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - Better Call Saul

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - Your Honor

  • Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Jerry and Marge Go Large

• Hope Davis

  • Guest Actress in a Drama - Succession

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - Your Honor

• Domhnall Gleeson

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - The Patient

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - White House Plumbers

• Paul Walter Hauser

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Black Bird

  • Guest Actor in a Comedy - Cobra Kai

• Riley Keogh

  • Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Daisy Jones and the Six

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - The Terminal List

• Juliette Lewis

  • Lead Actress in a Drama - Yellowjackets

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Welcome to Chippendales

• Niecy Nash-Betts

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

  • Lead Actress in a Drama - The Rookie: Feds

• Bob Odenkirk

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - Better Call Saul

  • Lead Actor in a Comedy - Lucky Hank

• Nick Offerman

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - The Last of Us

  • Guest Actor in a Comedy - A League of Their Own

• Aaron Paul 

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - Better Call Saul

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - Westworld

• Christina Ricci 

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - Yellowjackets

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - Wednesday

• Michael Shannon

  • Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - George and Tammy

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - Waco: The Aftermath

• Alexander Skarsgard

  • Supporting Actor in a Drama - Succession

  • Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Documentary Now

• Hannah Waddingham

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - Ted Lasso

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Tom Jones

Will her recent Oscar nomination put Stephanie Hsu on the track for Emmy gold?

There's a Chance

These actors are definitely in the hunt for a nomination, but far from secured. In the case of Hong Chau and Stephanie Hsu, they’re included in this list due to recent Oscar nominations, which have helped catapult some stars to afterglow Emmy nominations (think Melissa McCarthy). Movie work also helps raise your television profile, and Ashley Park’s recent great work in Joy Ride could make people take more notice of her fun work in Beef. Some buzzy prospects include Alan Cumming’s delicious hosting job for The Traitors and James Marsden’s genre-defying work in Jury Duty. Both of these turns are far from guaranteed nominations, but could they amass enough support to surprise us? Finally, when the Emmys love a show, they really love it. That may change with the new voting system. Yet, new Crown cast members Jonathan Pryce and Lesley Manville hope to receive nominations for their work in the Netflix Royal juggernaut.

The most likely nomination will be listed first, with the coattail nomination(s) listed afterwards. Everyone is listed alphabetically.

• Hong Chau

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - The Night Agent

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Poker Face

• Alan Cumming

  • Reality Host - The Traitors

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - The Good Fight

  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy - Schmigadoon!

• Stephanie Hsu

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Poker Face

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - American Born Chinese

• Lesley Manville

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - The Crown

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - The Citadel

  • Supporting Actress in a Drama - Dangerous Liaisons

• James Marsden

  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy - Jury Duty

  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy - Dead to Me

• Ashley Park

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Beef

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - Emily in Paris

• Jonathan Pryce

  • Supporting Actor in a Drama - The Crown

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - Slow Horses

Toheeb Jimoh was a great nominee last year for Ted Lasso. After a lackluster season three, does he have enough heat to earn a second nomination?

Turn Down The Heat

The Emmys are like bratty kids. Once they stop playing with a toy, they rarely come back to it. These actors have been nominees in the past and are definitely known by the Emmys. However, there does not seem to be the passion to get them one nomination, much less two or more. Either the show has fallen off the Emmys radar (like Westworld) or the actor was given less to do in more recent seasons (Toheeb Jimoh on Ted Lasso).

The most likely nomination will be listed first, with the coattail nomination(s) listed afterwards. Everyone is listed alphabetically.

• Zazie Beetz

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - Atlanta

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - History of the World: Part II

• McKenna Grace

  • Guest Actress in a Drama - The Handmaid’s Tale

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - A Friend of the Family

• Toheeb Jimoh

  • Supporting Actor in a Comedy - Ted Lasso

  • Supporting Actor in a Drama - The Power

• Jane Lynch

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Only Murders in the Building

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - Party Down

• Michael McKean

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - Better Call Saul

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - The Diplomat

• Matthew Rhys

  • Lead Actor in a Drama - Perry Mason

  • Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Extrapolations

• Amy Schumer

  • Lead Actress in a Comedy - Inside Amy Schumer

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live

  • Guest Actress in a Comedy - Only Murders in the Building

• Cecily Strong

  • Supporting Actress in a Comedy - Saturday Night Live

  • Lead Actress in a Comedy - Schmigadoon!

• Bradley Whitford

  • Supporting Actor in a Drama - The Handmaid’s Tale

  • Guest Actor in a Drama - Law & Order: SVU

• Evan Rachel Wood

  • Lead Actress in a Drama - Westworld

  • Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie - Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

There are many other longshots in play that were submitted multiple times this year. In the interest of time and space, we don’t have them listed. Still, it’s always fun to look through Emmy ballots and assess the scope of the field each year.

Which actors will the Emmys fall in love with this season?

Comments

[Pam]

Is anything from Extrapolations actually in contention?. I am in the exact demographic that show was made for and I found it excruciating and mostly unwatchable. Love Mathew Rhys but what the hell were those teeth about?

Didn't see Justin Kirk on the list; it was fun to toggle between Succession and Perry Mason for his two very different characters.

Stephanie Hsu is great, but she was in only one episode of Maisel this season, right? Looking forward to seeing her again, as well as Ashley Parks in Joy Ride soon.

Harriet Walter is also great in Silo, which would be eligible next year. Between her and Fiona Shaw, they have the lock on older lady parts calling for slim build and chiseled cheeks.

[jules]

If Alan Cumming isn't nominated for Best Reality Host, what is that category even for? He was easily the reason to watch The Traitors.