The limited series/TV movie race has changed drastically over the course of the Emmy window. With “The Penguin” once the main frontrunner, “Adolescence” changed the game — much like “Baby Reindeer” did last year.
In a new episode of Variety’s Award Circuit, presented by Paramount+, TV editors Michael Schneider and Emily Longeretta discuss the top contending lead and supporting actors in both limited series and TV movies at this year’s Emmy Awards.
In the lead actress race, contenders include Cristin Milioti (“The Penguin”), Cate Blanchett (“Disclaimer”), Rashida Jones (“Black Mirror”), Amanda Seyfried (“Long Bright River”), Michelle Williams (“Dying for Sex”) and Ellen Pompeo (“Good American Family”).
“She’s been in our homes for years,” Schneider notes about the positive reaction to Pompeo in the Hulu series.
And then there’s the TV movie race, which brings in Renée Zellweger for her role in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” to the forefront. “She has personified that character for years, and that’s a beloved piece of IP,” Schneider adds. “In the rest of the world, it was a movie movie, it was in theaters… but here in America, it was on Peacock.”
In the lead actor race, the TV movie contender is a big one: Steve Carell is up for his role in Jesse Armstrong’s follow-up to “Succession,” “Mountainhead.” But it won’t be an easy race: he’ll be up against frontrunner Colin Farrell for “The Penguin” and breakthrough star Stephen Graham for “Adolescence.”
“It’s hard to hard to beat out Colin Farrell,” says Longeretta. “But the new ‘Baby Reindeer,’ [we have] Stephen Graham for ‘Adolescence.’ He’s the co-creator of the show and the star. He co-wrote every episode.”
Other contenders include Paul Giamatti (“Black Mirror”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Dope Thief”), Cooper Koch and/or Nicholas Alexander Chavez (“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”) and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Presumed Innocent”).
Listen to the full breakdown, which includes the supporting actor/actress category leaders, in the video above.
Read the full article here
