Emmys 2023: Top 16 contenders for Lead Actor nominations
The stars of Succession, The Bear, Ted Lasso, and Better Call Saul are all in the mix for top acting prizes
TV Features Emmys
With the 2023 Primetime Emmy nominations just around the corner—they’ll be announced on July 12, and the show takes place on September 18—The A.V Club is breaking down this year’s contenders in some key races. After tackling dramas and comedies, we turn our attention to two more big categories: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
These races are more competitive this year, with six nominees in the drama category and only five in the comedy field, thanks to the Emmys sliding scale rules. On the drama side, three Succession stars are in the hunt, while it’s Bob Odenkirk’s final chance for a Better Call Saul win. As for Comedy, Jason Sudeikis could take home the award for a third consecutive time for Ted Lasso—that is, unless The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White steals it. To help narrow all the contenders down for both categories, The A.V. Club has picked out the strong possibilities, wild cards, and actors who should (but sadly won’t) be nominated. And be sure to check back in next week, when we’ll dissect potential Outstanding Lead Actress nods.
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Brian Cox should win, even if he wasn’t the best, which he is, just out of fear for how mean he might be to everyone if he loses. Martin Short was really great in the most recent season of Only Murders in the Building, I might lean toward him in the comedy category. He had good material & elevated it
For Lead Actor in a Drama, Kieran Culkin hands down! He was amazing in Succession season 3. As good as Jeremy Strong was in earlier seasons. I love Brian Cox but he should not be in the lead category for season 3.For Lead Actor in a Comedy, Jeremy Allen White should win for season 2 of The Bear. He is just outstanding. As much as I love Jason Sudekelis, his work in season 3 of Ted Lasso doesn’t hold a candle to Jeremy Allen White in season 2 of The Bear. Side note: The Bear is not a comedy but if the Emmys allow it to be categorized as such fine. Give the trophy to The Bear, one of the best shows on television in a crowded field of outstanding programming.
Side note: The Bear is not a comedy but if the Emmys allow it to be categorized as such fine. Give the trophy to The Bear, one of the best shows on television in a crowded field of outstanding programming.This was my thought as well. While it occasionally has funny moments I definitely wouldn’t think of the show as a comedy. I guess that’s where people put it because most episodes are half an hour?Fantastic show either way so whatever it takes to get a win is fine by me.
Season 2 has runtimes of 40 minutes and 60 minutes. Also, comedy can be longer than 30 minutes! I think the Emmys should introduce a dramedy category to correct the weird misclassifications that happen. I googled dramedy and this is what appeared:
I don’t think there should be ONE…MORE…CATEGORY. You can have fleas and ticks. You can have elements of one or the other in each category. I never thought Barry was a comedy. I never thought The Bear was a comedy. Declare it—there is no need to muddy the water or add to the confusion.
Tbh I think The Bear should be punished for category fraud. It’s less of a comedy than most dramedies have been. Which doesn’t mean it’s not funny. But, like, Succession (which can be riotously funny) doesn’t pretend it’s not a drama. The Bear is a great show. But it’s a drama. (I also think it blinked a few times when it had the opportunity to really deliver. e.g. never fully engaged with the theme of gentrification in the neighborhood and how The Beef was or wasn’t playing into that.)Barry meanwhile was perhaps the most extraordinary comedy on television. The deftest of touches was required to keep it funny in its increasingly grim final season.
Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
Stop calling it Season 3.
Yes. Kieran for Best Actor, Sarah Snook for Best Actress, Succession for Best Drama. I’m still at a loss to find words eloquent enough to do justice when explaining how a series so brilliant managed to just keep getting better and richer and more emotionally exquisite. The final season deserves to mulled over forever by creatives as it set an entirely new benchmark for Prestige Television.The Bear is excellent. But, I have to hand the Emmy to Barry. It’s like Bill Hader pulled off a magic trick and invented some entirely new, uncategorizable thing and some weird, unique directing style that is all his own. That is virtually impossible to do and he fully pulled it off.
I don’t understand why there’s so much hype around succession. It’s not bad and has its merits; but sorry but it is not THAT good; specially in a world where we’ve got shows like Barry or Atlanta (or Ramy) that run laps around it.
I would have to disagree—if this season on the Wedding/Death episode alone. As an ICU nurse of many years, I have never seen anything which quite captured the conflicted confusion and impact on a family tragedy as that episode. Also, you could never guess where it was going EVER—plus ridiculously outstanding character actor work from supporting players. Dialogue was always clever, original and snappy. Main cast was magnetic and appalling all at once. I loved Barry just as much and enjoyed most of Atlanta but Succession was the show I didn’t know I wanted to see until it sucked me in.
Thanks for the spoiler warning on The Great.
The Emmys history of WWDITS ignorance is proof that the awards aren’t worth the thin gold alloy/brass metal they’re produced from .
Ah, a huge spoiler for The Great season 3, which was released 6 weeks ago. Thanks for that…
I’m betting the Culkins and Arquettes were double wide neighbors.