Emmy Predictions 2018 - Who Will Likely Be Nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series?

From June 11 to June 25, 2018, voting is taking place for The 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. To add to the excitement of the past year in television, I'm providing analysis on which shows and performers are likely to get nominated this year. Next up is Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

2017 Nominees:

        Viola Davis for ABC's How to Get Away With Murder
        Claire Foy for Netflix's The Crown
        Elisabeth Moss for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale (WINNER)
        Keri Russell for FX's The Americans
        Evan Rachel Wood for HBO's Westworld
        Robin Wright for Netflix's House of Cards

Elisabeth Moss, Tatiana Maslany and Viola Davis are the three most recent winners in this category. And now, they are all once again eligible to be nominated and have some serious odds of getting into the field. Moss is a foregone conclusion because The Handmaid's Tale is still so immensely popular. But one simply can't discount Maslany or Davis from returning - or Claire Danes who has also won for her role on Homeland. Moreover, Claire Foy and Keri Russell should sail through to nominations and may even win because this is the last opportunity for voters to reward them for their current roles. And then, Evan Rachel Wood is still eligible here and has once again had a strong performance on Westworld. This is going to be a tough field to get into this year. The returning nominees are all once again strong. But there are also some fantastic women giving some incredible performances on shows like Killing Eve, The Good Fight, The Deuce, Stranger Things and Outlander.

So now, here's my thoughts on the actors most likely to be nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

1. Elisabeth Moss for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale
2. Claire Foy for Netflix's The Crown
3. Keri Russell for FX's The Americans
4. Evan Rachel Wood for HBO's Westworld
5. Mandy Moore for NBC's This Is Us
6. Emilia Clarke for HBO's Game of Thrones

And now, for some serious threats that could break into the list:

1. Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer for BBC America's Killing Eve
2. Viola Davis for ABC's How to Get Away With Murder
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal for HBO's The Deuce
4. Tatiana Maslany for BBC America's Orphan Black
5. Laura Linney for Netflix's Ozark
6. Claire Danes for Showtime's Homeland
7. Christine Baranski for CBS All Access' The Good Fight
8. Winona Ryder for Netflix's Stranger Things
9. Kerry Washington for ABC's Scandal
10. Caitriona Balfe for Starz's Outlander
11. Taylor Schilling for Netflix's Orange Is the New Black
12. Taraji P. Henson for FOX's Empire
13. Olivia Williams for Starz's Counterpart
14. Katherine Langford for Netflix's 13 Reasons Why

Some considerable long-shots:

1. Kerry Bishé and Mackenzie Davis for AMC's Halt and Catch Fire
2. Krysten Ritter for Netflix's Jessica Jones
3. Sonequa Martin-Green for CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery
4. Gillian Anderson for FOX's The X-Files
5. Michelle Monaghan for Hulu's The Path
6. Angela Bassett and Connie Britton for FOX's 9-1-1
7. Rachel Keller for FX's Legion
8. Queen Latifah for FOX's Star
9. Shiri Appleby for Lifetime's UnREAL
10. Jaina Lee Ortiz for ABC's Station 19
11. Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman for NBC's Good Girls
12. Melissa Leo for Showtime's I'm Dying Up Here

And now, just some colorful oddities who still have an outside chance:

1. Niecy Nash for TNT's Claws
2. Caroline Dhavernas for Lifetime's Mary Kills People
3. Dawn-Lyen Gardner and Rutina Wesley for OWN's Queen Sugar
4. Jenna Coleman for PBS' Victoria
5. Merle Dandridge for OWN's Greenleaf
6. Martha Higareda for Netflix's Altered Carbon
7. Molly Parker for Netflix's Lost in Space
8. Agyness Deyn for Hulu's Hard Sun

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Let me know in the comments below!