On Sept. 15, the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air across the nation and settle yearlong debates about the best programs and performances on television. Former winners and famed father-son duo Dan and Eugene Levy will host the 2024 awards show. The two modern pillars of comedy will intersperse their banter and bits among award presentations in three primary categories: drama series, comedy series and limited or anthology series.
Despite competing against long-running shows like “The Crown” and “The Morning Show,” the 2024 show “Shōgun” is likely to win the award for Best Drama Series. The show's 99% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as the show’s historic sweep of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards Sept. 8, led to this prediction of a record-setting night for the historical drama. Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai are anticipated to bring the show two more wins in the Best Actor and Actress categories respectively.
“The Bear” is likely to continue a streak that began with numerous wins at the 75th Emmy Awards by winning the award for Best Comedy Series. After victories for guest stars Jaime Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal at the 76th Creative Arts Emmys, the drama-comedy fusion show also stands a fighting chance of bringing victory to Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach for Best Actor, Actress and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, respectively. Jon Bernthal and Jamie Lee Curtis already scored victories for the series
“The Bear” has the opportunity to finally bring victory to Bob Odenkirk after years of thwarted nominations for “Better Call Saul.” However, the actor is competing against big names like Will Poulter, Matthew Broderick, Ryan Gosling and Christopher Lloyd in the Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category. Jamie Lee Curtis is expected to win in the Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category for her appearance in “The Bear” after her victory at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Those nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series face a challenge many in Hollywood dread: winning against Meryl Streep, nominated for her role in “Only Murders in the Building” The category also includes comedy titan Carol Burnett, as well as nominees from “The Bear,” “Abbott Elementary” and “Hacks,” the latter of which is anticipated to do well at the awards show.
The third category is expected to be dominated by “Baby Reindeer," the deeply disturbing psychological thriller that took over mainstream media during the summer. The creator of the series, Richard Gadd, is nominated for Best Actor in a Limited Series, but will likely lose to Andrew Scott for his performance in “Ripley.” The counterpart to this award could go to Jodie Foster, Naomi Watts, Juno Temple, Sofia Vergara or Brie Larson, a star-studded list of names which could feasibly go in any direction.
The two categories that fall outside the main three of the awards show are Best Talk Series and Best Reality Competition Series. The big names attached to the nominees in the former category are Trevor Noah, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert. All are giants in the talk show industry and have an equal chance of winning.
Perhaps a more contested category for younger generations is that of reality television. This year’s nominees include “The Amazing Race,” “RuPaul's Drag Race,” “Top Chef,” “The Traitors” and “The Voice.” Alan Cumming received his first Emmy award at the Creative Arts ceremony for his role as host of “The Traitors,” indicating a possible further victory for the reality TV show.
Awards for directing and writing often fall in line with winners of overall categories, but there is always room for exceptions. Part of the drama of awards shows occurs in these unpredictable categories which can shock audiences and give dues to those deserving.
As with any awards show, it is nearly impossible to accurately predict Emmy winners from such an extensive list of prolific names, including Donald Glover, Paul Dano, Greta Lee, Olivia Coleman, Larry David, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph and Hamm (nominated twice for separate programs). The world will not know the answers until Sunday night, which will be full of laughs, heartwarming moments and some inevitable surprises.
