2025 Emmy winner predictions: Who will win in the main acting categories
Our picks for who will (and should) win best lead and supporting actor and actress in comedy, drama, and limited series.
By
Kristen Baldwin
Published on July 18, 2025 09:00AM EDT
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(Clockwise from left) Seth Rogen, Cristin Milioti, Janelle James, Noah Wyle, Kathy Bates.Credit:
Apple TV+; HBO; CBS; ABC
Okay, awards watchers, it's time to hydrate and get limber, because phase 2 of the 2025 Emmys race is upon us! With
nominations set, now comes the campaigning — all the stars listed below will be booked and busy until final-round voting ends on Aug. 28.
And of course, while all the nominated performers make the rounds, we here at
Entertainment Weekly will be focused on predicting who will win in all the key races, starting with the lead and supporting categories in comedy, drama, and limited series. On your mark, get set, let's go!
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates in 'Matlock'.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Kathy Bates,
Matlock
Sharon Horgan,
Bad Sisters
Britt Lower,
Severance
Bella Ramsey,
The Last of Us
Keri Russell,
The Diplomat
Who will/should win: Kathy Bates
She's been nominated twice before in this category (for NBC's
Harry's Law, in 2011 and 2012), but the third time will be the charm for the 77-year-old
Matlock star. Bates, who was already universally beloved, has been showered with accolades for her performance as Madeline "Matty" Matlock since the CBS drama premiered (and became a hit) last fall. And don't feel bad for the other nominees — it'll be an honor to lose to Kathy freaking Bates.
Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best films, TV, and music.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Noah Wyle in 'The Pitt'.
Warrick Page/MAX
Sterling K. Brown,
Paradise
Gary Oldman,
Slow Horses
Pedro Pascal,
The Last of Us
Adam Scott,
Severance
Noah Wyle,
The Pitt
Who will/should win: Noah Wyle
It's going to be a close race in the drama categories between
Severance (27 total nominations) and
The Pitt (24 nominations). Still, it's hard to deny that Wyle — a
five-time nominee for ER — gave the performance of his career as Dr. "Robby" Robinavitch in the acclaimed HBO Max drama.
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Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Jean Smart on 'Hacks'.
Max
Uzo Aduba,
The Residence
Kristen Bell,
Nobody Wants This
Quinta Brunson,
Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri,
The Bear
Jean Smart,
Hacks
Who will/should win: Jean Smart
It's nice to see Kristen Bell get her
first-ever nomination, and Uzo Aduba deserves better after giving a killer performance in Netflix's murder mystery
The Residence — only to have the streamer cancel it after one season. When it comes to Emmy night, however, it's going to be hard to beat Smart, already a three-time winner here, who continues to make brilliance look easy with her hilarious turn as comedian Deborah Vance.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jason Segel on 'Shrinking'; Seth Rogen on 'The Studio'.
Apple TV+ (2)
Adam Brody,
Nobody Wants This
Seth Rogen,
The Studio
Jason Segel,
Shrinking
Martin Short,
Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White,
The Bear
Who will win: Seth Rogen
Who should win: Jason Segel
The Studio is a lot of fun and had some great performances — including nominee Ike Barinholtz as Sal Saperstein and nominee
Zoë Kravitz as a very high version of herself. That said, I'm pretty sure even Seth Rogen would agree that he wasn't so much acting as, you know, being Seth Rogen — excitable, gregarious, likable — as new Continental Studios CEO Matt Remick.
Shrinking's Segel, meanwhile, is a master of goofball pathos as widowed (but healing!) therapist Jimmy.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon, Aimee Lou Wood on 'The White Lotus'.
Fabio Lovino/HBO (2)
Patricia Arquette,
Severance
Carrie Coon,
The White Lotus
Katherine LaNasa,
The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson,
Paradise
Parker Posey,
The White Lotus
Natasha Rothwell,
The White Lotus
Aimee Lou Wood,
The White Lotus
Who will win: Carrie Coon
Who should win: Aimee Lou Wood
Don't come for me, Carrie Coon hive! I recognize that she is one of our greatest living actresses, and we are blessed any time she's on our screen. But other than
one truly epic monologue, Coon was underutilized on
The White Lotus — while Wood's woo-woo heroine Chelsea was, in many ways, the heart of season 3.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Walton Goggins on 'The White Lotus Season'; Tramell Tillman on 'Severance'.
Fabio Lovino/HBO; Apple TV+
Zach Cherry,
Severance
Walton Goggins,
The White Lotus
Jason Isaacs,
The White Lotus
James Marsden,
Paradise
Sam Rockwell,
The White Lotus
Tramell Tillman,
Severance
John Turturro,
Severance
Who will win: Walton Goggins
Who should win: Tramell Tillman
Normally, it would pain me to pick anyone over Walton Goggins — who is LONG OVERDUE for an Emmy win (see:
The Shield,
Justified,
Sons of Anarchy,
Fallout). With Tillman, though, it's an easy choice. The man simply commands the screen as inscrutable Lumon Deputy Manager Seth Milchick. (I'm still thinking about the amazing nuance the actor delivered when Milchick received
those creepy, offensive paintings of Kier Eagan.) Also,
there's literally never been a Black winner in this category before. That makes me feel three of the
Four Tempers.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Hannah Einbinder on 'Hacks'; Janelle James on 'Abbott Elementary'.
Courtesy of Max; Disney/Gilles Mingasson
Liza Colón-Zayas,
The Bear
Hannah Einbinder,
Hacks
Kathryn Hahn,
The Studio
Janelle James,
Abbott Elementary
Catherine O'Hara,
The Studio
Sheryl Lee Ralph,
Abbott Elementary
Jessica Williams,
Shrinking
Who will/should win: Hannah Einbinder
In a perfect world, this would be a tie between four-time deserving nominee Hannah Einbinder and four-time, equally deserving nominee Janelle James. Alas,
ties are rare in the acting categories. If James' Principal Ava can lose her job and bounce back better than ever, she can handle waiting one more year for the gold.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Harrison Ford on 'Shrinking'; Jeff Hiller on 'Somebody Somewhere'.
Apple TV+; Sandy Morris/HBO
Ike Barinholtz,
The Studio
Colman Domingo,
The Four Seasons
Harrison Ford,
Shrinking
Jeff Hiller,
Somebody Somewhere
Ebon Moss-Bachrach,
The Bear
Michael Urie,
Shrinking
Bowen Yang,
Saturday Night Live
Who will win: Harrison Ford
Who should win: Jeff Hiller
Okay, hear me out. Yes, Harrison Ford is a national treasure, and it would be great to see him win
his first Emmy at 83 years old. But!
Somebody Somewhere — HBO's
phenomenally unique comedy about an eclectic group of friends in Manhattan, Kan. — had its series finale last year. Hiller, a sweet and endearing force as
Somewhere's Joel, won't get another shot to be honored for this role. And
Shrinking is already shooting season 3, which will no doubt feature another award-worthy performance by Ford that voters can nominate in 2026. See? Everybody wins!
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Cristin Milioti in 'The Penguin'; Michelle Williams in 'Dying for Sex'.
Macall Polay/HBO; Sarah Shatz/FX
Cate Blanchett,
Disclaimer
Meghann Fahy,
Sirens
Rashida Jones,
Black Mirror
Cristin Milioti,
The Penguin
Michelle Williams,
Dying for Sex
Who will/should win: Michelle Williams
Gah! Another impossible choice. Both Michelle Williams and Cristin Milioti deserve to take home gold here, but we're giving the edge to previous winner Williams, who did it all — Wry comedy! Heart-wrenching drama! Amateur BDSM! — in Hulu's randy cancer dramedy,
Dying for Sex.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Colin Farrell in 'The Penguin'.
Macall Polay/Max
Colin Farrell,
The Penguin
Stephen Graham,
Adolescence
Jake Gyllenhaal,
Presumed Innocent
Brian Tyree Henry,
Dope Thief
Cooper Koch,
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Who will/should win: Colin Farrell
Adolescence is a juggernaut, and it's poised to win for Limited Series and at least a few acting categories — just not this one. Voters love a transformation, and no one in this category more transformed more than Colin Farrell, who
hid himself under layers and layers of latex to play Gotham's aspiring crime kingpin Oswald "Oz" Cobb. Not that the prosthetics did all the work; Farrell's widely praised performance has already earned him
a well-deserved Golden Globe.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Erin Doherty in 'Adolescence'; Jenny Slate in 'Dying for Sex'.
Courtesy of Ben Blackall/Netflix; Sarah Shatz/FX
Erin Doherty,
Adolescence
Ruth Negga,
Presumed Innocent
Deirdre O'Connell,
The Penguin
Chloë Sevigny,
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Jenny Slate,
Dying for Sex
Christine Tremarco,
Adolescence
Who will/should win: Erin Doherty
Loved, loved, LOVED Jenny Slate's funny, poignant performance as Nikki in
Dying for Sex, but television doesn't get more riveting than episode 3 of
Adolescence, when Doherty's Briony Ariston spends an increasingly tense and terrifying hour interviewing 13-year-old accused murderer Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper).
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'.
Courtesy of Netflix
Javier Bardem,
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Bill Camp,
Presumed Innocent
Owen Cooper,
Adolescence
Rob Delaney,
Dying for Sex
Peter Sarsgaard,
Presumed Innocent
Ashley Walters,
Adolescence
Who will/should win: Owen Cooper
It would be shocking if voters didn't award this to 15-year-old
Adolescence star Owen Cooper, who will be the youngest male winner in Emmy history. (Roxana Zal was 14 when she won an Emmy for her role in the 1984 TV movie
Something About Amelia.)
The 77th Emmy Awards air Sunday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. on CBS.
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