An Easy Guide to the 2023 Emmy Nominations

From the absolutely obvious (Succession) to the annoying surprises (not enough Yellowjackets!), here are this year's nominees—and our picks to win.

By Caitlin Cruz | July 12, 2023 | 8:39pm

Entertainment TV

I love television. I watch too much, especially when it’s not basketball season. Do you want to make plans on Sunday night? Sorry, it’s probably HBO night! Plans on Monday? Um, The Bachelor is on then, but maybe I can DVR it. Tuesday? I can probably fit you in. Wednesday is when Netflix always drops the best/worst reality television. You see how hard it is to fit a social calendar in when there’s so much good stuff to watch??

What about you? Did you fist-pump to the remix of the The White Lotus theme song each week too? Do you have thoughts on exactly when you would engage in cannibalism like the girls of the Yellowjackets? Did you miss Keri Russell on your television? Because I definitely did. Like a lot of other people I also swooned and cheered when the best romance on television finally produced a kiss on Abbott Elementary.

Maybe you’re also in mourning, like me. After all, this year we said good bye to some huge heavyweights like Succession and Better Call Saul.

But the important takeaway from all this is that there has been so much good television to enjoy this year. And on Wednesday, the Television Academy announced the 2023 Emmy nominees. Let’s see if your favorites have a shot at television’s biggest awards, which will be handed out on September 18.

Best Drama Series

Andor (Disney+)

Better Call Saul (AMC)

The Crown (Netflix)

House of the Dragon (HBO/Max)

The Last of Us (HBO/Max)

Succession (HBO/Max)

The White Lotus (HBO/Max)

Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Bet On: Succession, again, obviously. Its final season was excellent.

Would Love to See It: The Last of Us and Yellowjackets were two of my favorites every week. I wouldn’t be mad to see Andor, a Star Wars story, win a top prize though; the Diego Luna-led show is making me love Star Wars again.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Jeff Bridges (The Old Man)

Brian Cox (Succession)

Kieran Culkin (Succession)

Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)

Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us)

Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Bet On: I’m a realist and expect to see either Bob Odenkirk or Jeremy Strong take it home.

Would Love to See It: Pedro Pascal for his portrayal of Joel in The Last of Us. Every episode showed a new side to one of my favorite working actors today. Or Kieran Culkin who, in my opinion, won his Emmy at Logan Roy’s funeral last season.

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters)

Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets)

Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us)

Keri Russell (The Diplomat)

Sarah Snook (Succession)

Bet On: I’m of two minds of this because Bella Ramsey has vocally said they’re nonbinary—so it feels weird to have them in this gendered category. But they were so good, so I hope they get it.

Would Love to See It: Melanie Lynskey should win an Emmy for the uneven but fun second season of Yellowjackets, or Succession’s Sarah Snook for her screaming match with Matthew Macfadyen.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

F. Murray Abraham (The White Lotus)

Nicholas Braun (Succession)

Michael Imperioli (The White Lotus)

Theo James (The White Lotus)

Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)

Alan Ruck (Succession)

Will Sharpe (The White Lotus)

Alexander Skarsgård (Succession)

Bet On: Matthew Macfadyen will win or I will riot in the street!!!!!

Would Love to See It: Alexander Skarsgård’s lanky tech CEO portrayal was so fun, but Alan Ruck’s scene in the karaoke bar? Perfect. The White Lotus boys made good acting choices, so I won’t be too upset if one of them upsets the natural order of things. But if Nicholas Braun wins? Gross. His Greg just didn’t Greg for me this season.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus)

Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown)

Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus)

Sabrina Impacciatore (The White Lotus)

Aubrey Plaza (The White Lotus)

Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)

J. Smith-Cameron (Succession)

Simona Tabasco (The White Lotus)

Bet On: Meghann Fahy for the beach scene.

Would Love to See It: I would be happy to see Jennifer Coolidge or J. Smith-Cameron win, though. If I can’t have a Meghann win, I will take an older lady.

Best Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Barry (HBO/Max)

The Bear (FX)

Jury Duty (Amazon Freevee)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Wednesday (Netflix)

Bet On: Ted Lasso will probably win, but Abbott Elementary had such a stellar season that they could beat the British soccer team.

Would Love to See It: The Bear! The Bear! This is a great time to talk about how we must expand the genre categories. The Bear is a dramedy at most.

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)

Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face)

Jenna Ortega (Wednesday)

Bet On: Emmy voters love Rachel Brosnahan’s acting, even if I’ve liked the show overall less and less with each season.

Would Love to See It: This was likely Christina Applegate’s last role and she nailed it.

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Bill Hader (Barry)

Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)

Jason Segel (Shrinking)

Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)

Bet On: Jeremy Allen White is singlehandedly making curly-haired white boys cool again. The second season ends with White’s Carmy trapped in the walk-in and an amazing monologue.

Would Love to See It: I loved fellow curly-haired white man Martin Short in Only Murders in the Building and am counting down the days until we figure out what happened with the Broadway murder!

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)

Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso)

Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)

James Marsden (Jury Duty)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear)

Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)

Henry Winkler (Barry)

Bet On: James Marsden’s outsized portrayal of himself in Jury Duty or Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie on The Bear. I truly can’t make a choice between the two.

Would Love to See It: I wouldn’t be mad seeing Henry Winkler get a trophy.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)

Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)

Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)

Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)

Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

Jessica Williams (Shrinking)

Bet On: Either of the Ted Lasso women or the Abbott Elementary ladies pulling out another win.

Would Love to See It: Ayo Edebiri’s portrayl of chef Sydney “Syd” Adamu only got better this season. The episode where she just eats her way through Chicago? Never realized I loved watching people eat. Edebiri’s last episode trying to run the kitchen, make her dad proud, and decide if she wants to date the pastry chef?? Masterful.

Best Limited or Anthology Series

Beef (Netflix)

Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix)

Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)

Fleishman Is in Trouble (FX)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+)

Bet On: Beef, despite the very gross public baggage carried around by one of its stars.

Would Love to See It: Honestly, none of the others did a whole lot for me!

Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie

Lizzy Caplan (Fleishman Is in Trouble)

Jessica Chastain (George & Tammy)

Dominique Fishback (Swarm)

Kathryn Hahn (Tiny Beautiful Things)

Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six)

Ali Wong (Beef)

Bet On: Ali Wong, for her excellent turn as a mad woman, or Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette.

Would Love to See It: Riley Keough is fucking talented, even if the show was middling.

Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie

Taron Egerton (Black Bird)

Kumail Nanjiani (Welcome to Chippendales)

Evan Peters (Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story)

Daniel Radcliffe (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)

Michael Shannon (George & Tammy)

Steven Yeun (Beef)

Bet On: Daniel Radcliffe for his truly wacky time as Al Yankovic on Roku or Steven Yeun.

Would Love to See It: Michael Shannon as George Jones. You listen to this man and tell me he shouldn’t be handed an Emmy right here and now.

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Murray Bartlett (Welcome To Chippendales)

Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird)

Richard Jenkins (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story)

Joseph Lee (Beef)

Ray Liotta (Black Bird)

Young Mazino (Beef)

Jesse Plemons (Love & Death)

Bet On: Murray Bartlett, for his portrayal of the fabulous choreographer who made Chippendales the experience it is. Bartlett continues to pick the most fun roles, which also show an amazing range of gay life.

Would Love to See It: Jesse Plemons for his role as the cheating husband in Love & Death. Plemons is such a normie, and it would be a good nod to a show for which Elizabeth Olsen should have gotten a nomination.

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Annaleigh Ashford (Welcome To Chippendales)

Maria Bello (Beef)

Claire Danes (Fleishman Is In Trouble)

Juliette Lewis (Welcome to Chippendales)

Camila Morrone (Daisy Jones & The Six)

Niecy Nash-Betts (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story)

Merritt Wever (Tiny Beautiful Things)

Bet On: Juliette Lewis, though her win should be for Yellowjackets, not Chippendales. Or Niecy Nash-Betts, one of the few bright spots of a truly brutal show.

Would Love to See It: Camila Morrone solely because it would be so funny to watch her truly prosper after Leo deemed her too old to date.