Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
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2024 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Commentary: In June 2020, the Television Academy expanded the drama and comedy series categories to eight nominees, regardless of the number of submissions. It’s high time the same expansion applied to the limited or anthology series race. Consider the potential impact during that time period: series like Hulu’s “Normal People” (2020), HBO/Max’s “Scenes from a Marriage” and “Station Eleven” (2022), and “Black Bird” from Apple TV+ last year, might have received the recognition they deserved.
This year, while the drama and comedy categories seem to lack strong contenders, the limited series category is brimming with quality entries. Consequently, the limited slots will inevitably leave out some exceptional narrative works on Emmy nomination morning, leaving this race even more competitive (and unpredictable).
Leading the charge are two FX network entries: the historical adaptation of “Shōgun” and the fifth season of “Fargo.” Both have received critical acclaim and are contenders for multiple acting nominations. FX also boasts projects from Ryan Murphy, including “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” and “A Murder at the End of the World” starring Emma Corrin.
Under Disney’s umbrella, Hulu showcases “Under the Bridge” with Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone, while Disney+ pushes forward with “Echo.”
Apple TV+ has the already awards darling “Lessons in Chemistry” and the historical drama “Masters of the Air.” Plus the Michael Douglas-led “Franklin,” arriving just before the eligibility deadline, will give them something else to offer.
Max (formerly HBO) is in the race with “True Detective: Night Country” and “The Regime” featuring Kate Winslet, alongside “The Sympathizer” with Robert Downey Jr.
Netflix, fresh from “Beef’s” success, presents “Ripley” with Andrew Scott and “Eric,” a psychological thriller with Benedict Cumberbatch and Gaby Hoffmann, plus other titles like “All the Light We Cannot See” and “Black Mirror.”
Prime Video highlights “Expats,” directed by Lulu Wang, while Paramount+ promotes “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” with David Oyelowo. Showtime backs “Fellow Travelers” featuring Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey, and Peacock introduces “Dr. Death” with Edgar Ramirez and “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” with Melanie Lynskey.
With such a plethora of potential contenders and only a few slots, the selection process for TV Academy members will be challenging. Given the abundance of quality television, expanding the nomination slots seems not only reasonable but necessary.
Read: All Primetime Emmy predictions in every category on Variety’s Awards Circuit.