2022 Emmy predictions: who will take home the big awards?

The 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are underway on NBC and Peacock. Hosted by Kenan Thompson, the show is an exciting time for shows like Ozark and Killing Eve, which will have their final opportunities at earning awards after ending their runs. There are plenty of new shows in the running, too, from HBO’s The White Lotus to the Apple TV+ hit Severance.

Succession leads the pack with a total of 25 Emmy nominations, followed by Ted Lasso and The White Lotus, which are tied with 20 apiece. Other series with impressive showings include Squid Game, Only Murders in the Building, Hacks, Dopesick, Euphoria, Barry, Stranger Things, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Not surprisingly, HBO and Netflix lead in terms of the number of nominations.

Will there be upsets this year? Here, we’re live updating the winners in the biggest categories.

Here are the 2022 Primetime Emmy Award winners, as they are being announced.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Laura Linney (Ozark)
Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show)
Zendaya (Euphoria)

Prediction: There’s stiff competition in this category from three actors whose shows have ended their runs: Killing Eve and Ozark. Despite many believing that Zendaya will bring home the award for the second year in a row, we’re going to give this one to Laura Linney for Ozark. The range of emotions she displayed through the final season — the outbursts and the coldness — had fans comparing her to Breaking Bad’s Walter White. It would be a shame if Linney wasn’t finally rewarded for the role after being nominated for a third time.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Brian Cox (Succession)
Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Adam Scott (Severance)
Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Prediction: He lost to his co-star Jeremy Strong in 2020 and neither were nominated last year given that the show went on a longer-than-usual hiatus due to COVID-19. But given his more nuanced performance in the latest season, chances are that Brian Cox may win in this category for a second time, despite a strong showing from his fellow nominees. He plays terrifyingly cruel and calculating patriarch Logan Roy in the satirical comedy-drama Succession in a way that has viewers shaking in their boots any time the character comes on screen.

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Colin Firth (The Staircase)
Andrew Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven)
Oscar Isaac (Scenes From a Marriage)
Michael Keaton (Dopesick)
Himesh Patel (Station Eleven)
Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy)

Winner: Michael Keaton was the favorite to win for his portrayal of Dr. Samuel Finnix in Dopesick, and indeed, he took home the award. The series is based on the Beth Macy non-fiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America and focused on shedding light on opioid addiction in America and all the parties purportedly involved. While the character is reportedly a blend of several real-life people, Keaton truly bought Dr. Finnix to life.

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Toni Collette (The Staircase)
Julia Garner (Inventing Anna)
Lily James (Pam & Tommy)
Sarah Paulson (Impeachment: American Crime Story)
Margaret Qualley (Maid)
Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout)

Prediction: The way Amanda Seyfried transformed herself into disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes had fans and critics thoroughly impressed. It was her performance that helped earn the series a total of six Primetime Emmy nominations in all. While her fellow nominees delivered strong performances as well, this could be Seyfried’s year to shine. Should she win, this would mark Seyfried’s first-ever Emmy nomination and win. She is also credited as a producer on the show, which itself is nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Donald Glover (Atlanta)
Bill Hader (Barry)
Nicholas Hoult (The Great)
Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Prediction: Now is the time when feel-good shows are just what the doctor ordered. Ted Lasso’s third season does not yet have a release date, and season 2 premiered last summer, but the Academy hasn’t forgotten Jason Sudeikis’ uplifting performance in the second season of the Apple TV+ original. A departure from the happy-go-lucky character fans got to know in season 1, Sudeikis drew back the curtain to show a far more vulnerable man masking heartbreak and trauma behind a smile. It’s the type of performance that threw fans for a loop as they realized Ted Lasso is as much about mental health as it is about English football. Sudeikis’ ability to capture the balance so well, and still keep viewers hooked, deserves to be rewarded.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)
Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant)
Elle Fanning (The Great)
Issa Rae (Insecure)
Jean Smart (Hacks)

Prediction: It’s likely that Jean Smart will take home the award in this category for a second year, marking her fifth Primetime Emmy Award (the others being for a guest role in Frasier back in 2000 and 2001 and supporting role in Samantha Who? in 2008). She’s compelling as the legendary fictional Las Vegas stand-up comedian Deborah Vance in Hacks, and the chemistry between she and Hannah Einbinder as her young head writer is what truly makes the show among the best from HBO.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette (Severance)
Julia Garner (Ozark)
Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game)
Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets)
Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)
J. Smith-Cameron (Succession)
Sarah Snook (Succession)
Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria)

Winner: Taking home the award for the third time in a row for Ozark, Julia Garner was one of few actors nominated for two different roles this year (she was also nominated for Inventing Anna). While this will be the last for Ozark given that the series just concluded its four-season run, the role of the sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed Ruth Longmore has opened doors for Garner, one of the hottest actors of the generation. She thanked Jason Bateman, star and executive producer of the series, for taking a chance on her. Clearly, it paid off in spades.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Nicholas Braun (Succession)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Park Hae-soo (Squid Game)
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
John Turturro (Severance)
Christopher Walken (Severance)
Oh Yeong-su (Squid Game)

Winner: “Deeply flattered and thrilled to bits” is how Matthew Macfadyen described his feelings after being named winner in this category. His second nomination for the role and first win, Macfadyen entertains fans as the social-climbing husband to ambitious Roy daughter Shiv on the series Succession. With one of the most interesting and twisted arcs on the show, Macfadyen was the frontrunner for the win.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso)
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)
Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

Winner: There was some chatter about the win potentially going to Sheryl Lee Ralph for her role as religious kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard in Abbott Elementary, one of the few linear network shows nominated this year. Indeed, her name was called and Ralph was visibly stunned. She began her acceptance speech with song, going on to say to anyone “ever had a dream and thought it wouldn’t, couldn’t come true, I’m here to tell you that this is what believing looks like.” One of the most inspirational and genuine speeches of the night, while Ralph received a Tony nomination for her role as Deena Jones in the 1981 version of Dreamgirls, this marks both her first Emmy nomination and win.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)
Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)
Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso)
Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)
Henry Winkler (Barry)
Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live)

Winner: The story behind the role is as great as the role itself: While working as a writer for Ted Lasso, Brett Goldstein felt confident he could play the character of the surly Roy Kent, believing he had it in him to portray the character’s perpetual pent-up anger. He nailed his video audition and, as it turns out, he was right. Goldstein won in 2021, and with his character experiencing an entirely new journey and range of emotions in season 2, and he took home the statue again this year.

Limited Series or Movie

Dopesick (Hulu)
The Dropout (Hulu)
Inventing Anna (Netflix)
Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
The White Lotus (HBO)

Prediction: The White Lotus seemingly came out of nowhere to become the second-most nominated show, tied with Ted Lasso and beat only by Succession. It would be a surprise if, given those tremendous accolades, the HBO series did not take home the award in this category. With it’s A-list ensemble cast and hilarious mix of comedy and drama, the critical acclaim the show received may very well be mirrored by a win in this category.

Drama Series

Better Call Saul (AMC)
Euphoria (HBO)
Ozark (Netflix)
Severance (Apple TV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Prediction: While it would be nice to see a fabulous show like Severance take home the win, chances are things will remain status quo and Succession will win for the second time, given that it was not in the running in 2021 due to a delayed schedule. The satirical black comedy-drama about the obscenely wealthy Roy family and their media conglomerate Waystar Royco, as well as the ruthless patriarch Logan’s journey to find a suitable future head for the empire, has been a hit for HBO. Succession swept the awards in 2020. the last time it was nominated. While it might not be a clean sweep in the drama categories this year, the show will likely win the big one.

Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Barry (HBO)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Hacks (HBO)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Prediction: There are some wonderful options on this list, but it seems like this might be the year for Apple TV+ as the streaming service hits its stride. Ted Lasso may not be a shoo-in to win like it was in 2021 for season 1, but chances are the darker, more character-driven second season of the Apple TV+ original won’t be overlooked as fans excitedly await a third season.

A few other notable awards categories and predictions:

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus); Jake Lacy (The White Lotus); Will Poulter (Dopesick); Seth Rogen (Pam & Tommy); Peter Sarsgaard (Dopesick); Michael Stuhlbarg (Dopesick); Steve Zahn (The White Lotus)

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Connie Britton (The White Lotus); Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus); Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus); Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick); Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus); Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus); Mare Winningham (Dopesick)

Variety Talk Series

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC); Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO); Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC); The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Variety Sketch Series

A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO/HBO Max); Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Reality Competition Series

The Amazing Race (CBS); Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (Amazon Prime Video); Nailed It! (Netflix); RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1); Top Chef (Bravo); The Voice (NBC)

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