The Nominees Ranked By Which Should Win:
- Giancarlo Esposito for Disney+'s The Mandalorian - "Chapter 8: Redemption"
- Jason Bateman for HBO's The Outsider - "Fish in a Barrel"
- Ron Cephas Jones for NBC's This Is Us - "After the Fire"
- James Cromwell for HBO's Succession - "Dundee"
- Andrew Scott for Netflix's Black Mirror - "Smithereens"
- Martin Short for AppleTV+'s The Morning Show - "Chaos Is the New Cocaine"
This is actually a weird category to judge. All of these performers are fine. However, there isn't a clear frontrunner amongst them. The Mandalorian surprised with a number of nominations for its debut season. And yes, Giancarlo Esposito did a strong and commanding job as the antagonist in the season finale. Is that qualitatively better than the other nominees? Personally, maybe. It was more enjoyable in a genre that doesn't always get a ton of recognition. But Jason Bateman was also effectively creepy and disconcerting in the premiere of The Outsider. That show didn't have a big Emmy splash. It was embraced by viewers even though I couldn't get past the grim darkness with no real nuance. It was still a chilling performance meant to draw out a mystery of how a person could be in two different places at once. Elsewhere, Ron Cephas Jones and James Cromwell are always reliable whenever they appear in This Is Us and Succession, respectively. Martin Short clearly had a lot of fun on The Morning Show playing a monstrous character. It's just a brief monologue though. The episode submission is a little odd considering what he did later on in the season. So again, no real strong feelings are apparent in this race. I'm not personally invested. You may be. You may not be. It's only the Emmys. Awards shouldn't be taken too seriously. But it's still a worthy honor and distinction for the people in this industry.
The Nominees Ranked by Which Will Win:
- Andrew Scott for Netflix's Black Mirror - "Smithereens"
- Giancarlo Esposito for Disney+'s The Mandalorian - "Chapter 8: Redemption"
- Ron Cephas Jones for NBC's This Is Us - "After the Fire"
- Jason Bateman for HBO's The Outsider - "Fish in a Barrel"
- Martin Short for AppleTV+'s The Morning Show - "Chaos Is the New Cocaine"
- James Cromwell for HBO's Succession - "Dundee"
For some reason, I have a feeling that the Emmy voters are going to go for Andrew Scott. It may be nothing more than a consolation prize for missing out on recognizing him for Fleabag. This is also the only place where the voters can reward Black Mirror. It's no longer in the TV Movie race because none of the episodes met the time requirement. That could be a motivation here. But Esposito could make a compelling case as well. He is long overdue an award from these voters. He has been nominated several times for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He hasn't won. This could be a recognition for his entire career so far. Plus, it just happens to be on a show with a broad base of support. Of course, This Is Us and Succession can make similar arguments. Ron Cephas Jones is a former winner for his role. That may present him with less urgency. But voters could reward him again because they already know that he brings quality work. James Cromwell does have a presence in Succession. However, I would be shocked if he was one of the actors to prevail for this particular season. If the love is spread around that ensemble though, he could rise to the top too. And so, the voters could go in any particular direction with this category. That may not be all that exciting for analysis. However, it's the truth as I currently feel it.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments below!
