12 Actors I'd Like to See Nominated for 2021 Emmy Awards

by Julian Spivey
The Primetime Emmy Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 13. Instead of just doing a top-10 list of actors I’d like to see nominated this year I’m going to pick one for each of the major acting categories I would like to see nominated. Some of these actors are certain to be locks to be nominated, while others are probably long shots and in at least one category a “never going to happen.”
 
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Photo: AppleTV+

Jason Sudeikis is not only a lock to be nominated for his wholesome and hilarious performance in AppleTV+’s “Ted Lasso,” but also the favorite to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. “Ted Lasso” was truly the surprising critical hit of 2020 and while I’m not sure how many have gotten a chance to see it on one of the lesser-used streaming services, but every one I know who has has fallen in love with it and a lot of that has to do with Sudeikis’s charm as the titular character, an American small school college football coach who’s hired to coach a Premier League soccer team in England.
 
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart (Hacks) 

Photo: HBO Max

I think Jean Smart will likely be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as aging stand-up comedian Deborah Vance in the HBO Max original series “Hacks,” but it’s a show that debuted right before the end of the Emmy eligibility deadline, so might not be a show many folks had gotten around to by voting time. However, the Emmys love Smart, and this performance was made for her.
 
Lead Actor in a Drama Series: David Boreanaz (SEAL Team) 

Photo: CBS

​This is the pick I was referencing at the top as a “never going to happen” selection. “SEAL Team” on CBS just isn’t the type of show that receives Emmy nominations these days as it’s not considered “prestige” television. But David Boreanaz has been doing terrific work as Navy SEAL team leader Jason Hayes on the show for four seasons, and his best work was arguably the most recent season that saw him conflicted between being a leader or men and a friend to his brothers in arms.
 
Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Mandy Moore (This Is Us) 

Photo: NBC

​Mandy Moore has been nominated once before for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Rebecca Pearson in NBC’s “This Is Us,” but it seems some of the love for the show has waned in recent years. There’s a thought that fewer shows airing during the COVID-19 pandemic could throw some more love the show’s way this year. According to golderby.com though Moore is probably on the outside looking in when it comes to being nominated for her essentially dual role as younger and older Rebecca on the show.
 
 
Lead in a Limited/Anthology/Movie: Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen's Gambit) 

Photo: Netflix

Had the nominations come out a few months ago Anya Taylor-Joy would’ve been the runaway favorite for this award for her performance as chess champion Beth Harmon in Netflix’s excellent limited series “The Queen’s Gambit.” She’s certainly a lock for the nomination – and I’d say probably still the favorite to win – but she’ll have some heavy competition from Kate Winslet in HBO’s recent limited series “Mare of Easttown.” Taylor-Joy was just mesmerizing in the role of Harmon, truly one of the greatest character studies I’ve ever seen from a television production.
 
Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) 

Photo: AppleTV+

 
There are a handful of great supporting actor roles on AppleTV+’s “Ted Lasso,” there’s Brendan Hunt as the rarely talks, but each time he does it’s a belly laugh Coach Beard, Nick Mohammed as the charming kitman (basically water boy) Nate and Jeremy Swift as the “yes man” to the team’s owner Rebecca. But of all the supporting acting roles it’s the curmudgeonly veteran Roy Kent, played by Brett Goldstein, that’s my favorite. Goldstein is also the most likely of the four actors mentioned to receive a nomination, according to goldderby.com, but don’t be shocked to see a couple of performances from this series nominated in this category.
 
Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) 

Photo: AppleTV+

Hannah Waddingham plays a character you should hate the entire time you’re watching the first season of “Ted Lasso,” but you just never do, and that has a lot to do with the excellent writing of the show, but also Waddingham’s performance that allows you to understand her reasonings for wanting to ruin her ex-husband’s soccer club and, unfortunately, Ted Lasso with it. She’s probably a lock to be nominated and may even be the favorite at this point, with her biggest competition likely being multiple-time winner Kate McKinnon from “Saturday Night Live.”
 
Supporting Actor in a Drama: Justin Hartley (This Is Us)

Photo: NBC

Let me get this out of the way first … why is Justin Hartley considered a supporting actor on “This Is Us,” but co-stars Sterling K. Brown and Milo Ventimiglia considered leads? Hartley is the only member of the Pearson family core five to not yet receive a nomination for an Emmy Award, so hopefully this will be his year. I felt like Hartley’s performance as Kevin Pearson was the best overall on the NBC drama during the show’s fifth season that saw him struggling between his career and his family. He’s probably a long shot to be nominated though. Hartley is only the 13th most likely to be nominated in this category, according to goldderby.com, and is even ranked behind his co-star Chris Sullivan, which is kind of a head-scratcher as Sullivan didn’t have the meatiest of roles on the most recent “This Is Us” season.
 
Supporting Actress in a Drama: Gillian Anderson (The Crown) 

Photo: Netflix

Gillian Anderson is a lock to be nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of Netflix’s “The Crown,” which is expected to be the most nominated drama series overall at the Emmys this year. She’s also likely the favorite to win the award. Anderson simply inhabited Thatcher for the role, that saw her often butting heads with the hoity-toity Royals.
 
Lead in a Limited/Anthology/Movie: Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton)

Supporting in a Limited/Anthology/Movie: Daveed Diggs (Hamilton)

Supporting in a Limited/Anthology/Movie: Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) 

Photo: Disney+

I’m going to throw all my “Hamilton” love together. It’s up in the air right now as to how much love “Hamilton” will receive from the Emmy Awards. Even though it was a filmed production of a Broadway musical that was done more than half a decade ago now, it’s eligible for Emmys because it premiered on Disney+, but that was even more than a year ago at this point. Basically, will Emmy voters consider it worthy – basically will they view it as a television program – and will it still be in their memory after more than a year. Gold Derby seems to believe Lin-Manuel Miranda has a better shot at being nominated for Lead Actor than Leslie Odom Jr., even though Odom had the Tony-winning performance, because people just love Miranda. The website also has Goldsberry on the outside looking in for Supporting Actress. The most likely of this trio to be nominated is Daveed Diggs for his dual role as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.