With the Primetime Emmys scheduled to be aired on September 14th (as well as the Guest Acting categories and Outstanding Television Movie announced during the Creative Arts Emmys on September 6th and 7th), the two month window has allowed me the time to buckle down and give each season/program my full attention to put together a fun article such as this and give my personal choices for what should win each award. These will be published in three parts (Drama, Comedy, and Limited Series/TV Movie), while categories in the realm of Reality TV, Variety, and Talk Show will be excluded only due to my lack of awareness/interest in investing such time to have a preference (Saturday Night Live the only variety program I watch on a weekly basis). Despite that, my best wishes are with Stephen Colbert, a potential win that due to unfortunate circumstances seems all but sewn up. My final winner predictions are set to be released in the coming weeks as well.

With coverage on Outstanding Comedy Series categories complete, let’s take a look at the contenders in Drama, where the competition between fandoms, critics favorites, and overdue Emmy recognition has rarely been more tight.

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

“Andor”	(Disney+)
“The Diplomat”	(Netflix)
“The Last of Us”	(HBO)
“Paradise”	(Hulu)
“The Pitt”	(HBO Max)
“Severance”	(Apple)
“Slow Horses”	(Apple)
“The White Lotus”	(HBO)

One of the biggest races of the night will be between Severance, The Pitt, and The White Lotus. Severance, booming in sophomore season popularity became a sudden water-cooler phenomenon, furthering the breathless mysteries of the first season into wild, new territory and successfully improving on what was already a dynamite beginning. The White Lotus, while a more flawed season than its prior two, was the most popular the show has ever been. The Pitt, the cool new kid on the block, also became an instant favorite with its real-time and up-close, absorbing look into the Pittsburgh emergency room within a 15-hour work shift. Slow Horses, on its fourth season, hasn’t lost any steam quality-wise, continuing to pack tight, breathless thrills. Just as condensed to 6 episodes was the second season of The Diplomat, while a slight step-down from its first, still maintains its grit and intrigue and introduces a stealth Allison Janney in its final two episodes. Paradise, a surprise hit for Hulu this year, is lucky to be here. Overly self-serious and sometimes laughable drama that, while containing one singular stand-out episode, has an absurd premise (and even more absurd soundtrack choices) that cannot sustain itself. The Last of Us, while featuring some real stand-out drama and thrills, largely disappointed as a poorly-structured and rushed follow-up to its phenomenal first season. Perhaps due to the IP it’s attached to, no show generated more passion this year than Andor, whose incredibly relevant storylines and themes beautifully depicted a rebellion in the fight against impending fascism with grace, maturity, catastrophic consequences, and a sliver of hope.

My Pick: “Andor” (Disney+)

Should Be Nominated: “Industry” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Sterling K. Brown	“Paradise” (Hulu)
Gary Oldman	“Slow Horses” (Apple)
Pedro Pascal	“The Last of Us” (HBO)
Adam Scott	“Severance” (Apple)
Noah Wyle	“The Pitt” (HBO Max)

Despite the series’ faults, Paradise thankfully rests on the confident shoulders of Sterling K. Brown, who is never not compelling. Oldman continues to delight as the curmodgeonous Jackson Lamb, though his work is more of the same. Pascal is flat-out in the wrong category, but when he is on-screen, his tragic Joel is the source of keeping the second season afloat. Scott levels up from Severance’s first season, having to brilliantly display the confusion of battling with two literal halves of himself. But no one this year was more instantly likable, memorable, and emotionally-investing this year than Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby, one of the great television heroes of the year. Wyle, whose experience on ER strongly helped develop this new lead character, is effortless and empathetic, while battling his own demons and keeping the entire wing of a hospital on its worst night on his shoulders.

My Pick: Noah Wyle, “The Pitt” (HBO Max)

Should Be Nominated: Diego Luna, “Andor” (Disney+)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Kathy Bates	“Matlock” (CBS)
Sharon Horgan	“Bad Sisters” (Apple)
Britt Lower	“Severance” (Apple)
Bella Ramsey	“The Last of Us” (HBO)
Keri Russell	“The Diplomat” (Netflix)

Sharon Horgan is even better in the newest season of Bad Sisters than she was in the first, where I felt she was ever-so-slightly overshadowed by her costars despite being the creative force of the series. Russell is just as good as ever as Kate Wyler, still a tough and dominant under intense pressure, yet not without a spunky sense of humor, as she prepares for a potential promotion to be Vice President of the United States. Ramsey does everything they can to make the character of Ellie engaging as the anchor of this complicated season of The Last of Us, and while some of the writing lets them down, Ramsey still nails some raw and emotionally-shattering moments. Kathy Bates as “Matty” Matlock (or so she says) is at first a fairly simple, pleasant presence, leading a fairly standard procedural drama. But once her mask is taken off, Bates effectively surprises with a more menacing layer, one seeking justice on her own terms. Speaking of hidden layers, Britt Lower is magnetic as both the heroine and the villain sharing the same body in Severance. Often secretly giving a performance under a performance, Lower’s complex portrayal of Helly R. and Helena Eagan is one of the most fascinating acting challenges of the year, masterfully tricking the audience as much as she does her fellow Lumon coworkers.

My Pick: Britt Lower, “Severance” (Apple)

Should Be Nominated: Marisa Abela, “Industry” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Zach Cherry	“Severance” (Apple)
Walton Goggins	“The White Lotus” (HBO)
Jason Isaacs	“The White Lotus” (HBO)
James Marsden	“Paradise” (Hulu)
Sam Rockwell	“The White Lotus” (HBO)
Tramell Tillman	“Severance” (Apple)
John Turturro	“Severance” (Apple)

Marsden, the one outlier in this category amongst a battle between Severance and The White Lotus, is decent as the JFK-like President of the United States with tainted morality in Paradise, more perfectly fit for the role than being particularly outstanding in it. Cherry and Turturro are once again given great material to work with in Severance, Turturro in particular with a standout emotional episode. Goggins, hitting a career peak recently, is hard-edged, tortured, and badass, though not without a few hysterical meme-worthy reactions thanks to a surprise Sam Rockwell casting (who is only in this category due to appearing in just enough episodes, and delivers the most memorable monologue of the year.) Isaacs, spending most of the season intoxicated, mortified, and suicidal may be the best of the three nominated. But Tramell Tillman, that man. Villainous, sexy, hilarious, sociopathic, and a total mystery-box, a man dedicated to his work to the most scary degree, Tillman is an absolute superstar and may be one of the most watchable performers of his generation.

My Pick: Tramell Tillman, “Severance” (Apple)

Should Be Nominated: Stellan Skarsgard, “Andor” (Disney+)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Patricia Arquette	“Severance” (Apple)
Carrie Coon	“The White Lotus” (HBO)
Katherine LaNassa	“The Pitt” (HBO Max)
Julianne Nicholson	“Paradise” (Hulu)
Parker Posey	“The White Lotus” (HBO)
Natasha Rothwell	“The White Lotus” (HBO)
Aimee Lou-Wood	“The White Lotus” (HBO)

Arquette in Severance is a performance I’m back and forth on, mostly due to her particular, jaw-clenched voice, which both feels a bit too “actory” and yet still somehow iconic? Given less to do this season, though pivotal in the last few episodes, Harmony Cobel is a wild character with a bizarre past, and Arquette commits to her hard-boiled intensity. Julianne Nicholson, also a tragic string-pulling villain in her first season, gets few great moments to shine though and is stuck in a show that doesn’t deserve her (a heavy contrast to her brilliant work in Hacks). Katherine LaNassa as charge nurse Dana Evans is one of many terrific supporting performances in The Pitt, and her always-dependable presence is one of the series’ many bright spots. Then we have the women of The White Lotus. There is a world in which this entire category could have just been the cast of this season, though the ones that did squeeze in make sense from Posey’s riotous “Piper NO!” to the returning Rothwell’s surprising moral dilemma to the ever-magnetic Coon knocking out an applause-worthy, poignant final confession. But the heart and soul of the season belongs to Aimee Lou-Wood, who was consistently delightful and mesmerizing to watch, sharing sizzling chemistry with Walton Goggins as well as leaving the season shattering our hearts.

My Pick: Aimee Lou-Wood, “The White Lotus” (HBO)

Should Be Nominated: Genevieve O’Reilly, “Andor” (Disney+)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Giancarlo Esposito	“The Boys” (Amazon Prime), “Beware the Jabberwocky, My Son”
Scott Glenn	“The White Lotus” (HBO), “Killer Instincts”
Shawn Hatosy	“The Pitt” (HBO Max), “9:00PM”
Joe Pantoliano	“The Last of Us” (HBO), “The Price”
Forest Whitaker	“Andor” (Disney+), “I Have Friends Everywhere”
Jeffrey Wright	“The Last of Us” (HBO), “Day One”

Esposito for The Boys, as talented as he always is, feels like a throw-away nomination here, only included based off of his name recognition. Whitaker is the best he’s ever been as the radical Saw Gerrera, though it is surprising to see him here over Ben Mendelsohn. Shawn Hatosy bookends the season of The Pitt as the immediately-comforting night physician Dr. Jack Abbott, a character so dynamic onscreen that he feels like a constant, large presence in the series despite only being a guest role. Scott Glenn is an effectively ominous “bad dude” going toe-to-toe with Goggins in The White Lotus, while Jeffrey Wright is down-right terrifying in his brief screen-time on The Last of Us. Pantoliano does brief but crushing work as a man facing imminent death within tragically short notice.

My Pick: Shawn Hatosy, “The Pitt” (HBO Max)

Should Be Nominated: Ben Mendelsohn, “Andor” (Disney+)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jane Alexander	“Severance” (Apple), “Sweet Vitrol”
Gwendoline Christie	“Severance” (Apple), “Cold Harbor”
Kaitlyn Dever	“The Last of Us” (HBO), “Through the Valley”
Cherry Jones	“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu), “Exile”
Catherine O’Hara	“The Last of Us” (HBO), “Future Days”
Merritt Wever	“Severance” (Apple), “Who Is Alive?”

Alexander, one of a few veteran actors given brief but pivotal roles in the second season of Severance, delivers a great, spooky scowl. Christie, the complete opposite, gets to have great fun with a wildly unconventional role as a Lumon employee in charge of taking care of goats. Wever is borderline hilarious under her character’s circumstance of being introduced to her husband’s (literal) other half. Cherry Jones remains one of the best elements of The Handmaid’s Tale in its complicated last season. Catherine O’Hara as therapist Gail in The Last of Us, harbors deep traumatic anger, brilliantly masked under forced kindness. Dever, though, is tremendous. An instantly memorable antagonist, whose perhaps-justifiable actions are delivered with powerhouse, unflinching grit. Dever, who performed her “big” scene after a recent personal tragedy, makes a character seen so brief, and committing such a horrifying act, still somehow so sympathetic.

My Pick: Kaitlyn Dever, “The Last of Us” (HBO)

Should Be Nominated: Hilary Swank, “Yellowjackets” (Showtime)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

“Andor” (Disney+), “Who Are You?”	Janus Metz
“The Pitt” (HBO Max), “6:00 P.M.”	Amanda Marsalis
“The Pitt” (HBO Max), “7:00 A.M.”	James Burrows
“Severance” (Apple), “Chikhai Bardo”	Jessica Lee Gagne
“Severance” (Apple), “Cold Harbor”	Ben Stiller
“Slow Horses” (Apple), “Hello Goodbye”	Adam Randall
“The White Lotus” (HBO), “Amor Fati”	Mike White

Setting the perfect tone of The Pitt is worth a nomination on its own, but the 6:00PM hour is brilliantly overwhelming, pushing the staff to the limits of their abilities. The White Lotus‘ finale is well-handled by White as always, though a few of the season’s bigger flaws lie in the conclusion while some of the more interesting creative choices are made in earlier episodes. Severance‘s brilliant flashback episode is a wonder of visual storytelling by Gagne and Stiller directs the hell out of the finale (we’ll never forget the way he shot that last scene!) Slow Horses feels here by default, though as much as the rest of the series, is always built on effective tension. However, the best episode of the year in television is Andor‘s “Who Are You?”, a frighteningly real depiction of war, a destroying of a peaceful protest by a fascistic presence, and genocide of a population. One of the boldest hours in television history and it happened on a Star Wars show for Disney+.

My Pick: “Andor” (Disney+) “Who Are You?”, Janus Metz

Should Be Nominated: “House of the Dragon” (HBO) “The Red Dragon and the Gold”, Alan Taylor

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

“Andor” (Disney+), “Welcome to the Rebellion”	Dan Gilroy
“The Pitt” (HBO Max), “2:00 P.M.”	Joe Sachs
“The Pitt” (HBO Max), “7:00 A.M.”	R. Scott Gemmill
“Severance” (Apple), “Cold Harbor”	Dan Erickson
“Slow Horses” (Apple), “Hello Goodbye”	Will Smith
“The White Lotus” (HBO), “Full-Moon Party”	Mike White

Andor‘s riveting “Welcome to the Rebellion” is a pulse-pounding race against time, complete with an invigorating final speech by Mon Mothma. Slow Horses concluded its high-stakes season with familial connections and heavy ramifications. The White Lotus‘ mid-season shocker includes Sam Rockwell’s insane monologue and an internet-shattering incestuous kiss. The Pitt opens its series getting us brilliantly introduced to the team and fleshing out so many characters in just under an hour with 7:00AM, and deals with a powerful young loss in its 2:00PM episode. But there’s something that feels so magnificent about the finale of Severance, closing out in miraculous form with Mark S. completing his mission for Mark Scout, but succumbing to his true impulses in the process.

My Pick: “Severance” (Apple) “Cold Harbor”, Dan Erickson

Should Be Nominated: “Andor” (Disney+) “Who Are You?”, Dan Gilroy

Thoughts and opinions? Your own personal choices? Sound off in the comments below. Stay tuned for more personal picks in the coming days! The 77th Emmys air Sunday, September 14th on CBS.