Emmy Predictions 2018: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Last Year’s Winner: Alexander Skarsgård, “Big Little Lies”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: HBO won this category eight out of nine years between 2003 and 2011. Since then, as the race has gotten more and more competitive, the premium cable network has only won twice in the last six years.
Fun Fact: Only one actor has won multiple times in this category: Beau Bridges, for “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom” (in 1993) and “The Second Civil War” (in 1997).
Jeff Daniels is aiming to be a double winner in 2018, as a lead actor in “The Looming Tower” and also in the supporting category for “Godless.” But in which category does the Emmy winner have his best shot? On the one hand, “The Looming Tower” is getting quite the prestige push from Hulu, but “Godless” has proven to be popular and long-lasting. Fans are still buzzing over his one-armed turn as the villainous outlaw Frank Griffin.
Still, the Supporting Actor category includes seven total nominees — one more than last year and the most ever. That means there’s a lot of love going around, and nowhere is that clearer than in the three nominees from “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace”: Ricky Martin, Edgar Ramirez, and Finn Wittrock. Ramirez has the titular role and the most screentime, which could give him the edge over his fellow “Versace” nominees. Still, Martin and Wittrock weren’t locks going into nominations’ day, so there’s clearly strong support for their nuanced work, and Wittrock got an episode he owned — that could boost him a bit.
Of course, that logic could apply to the remaining three nominees, too. Brandon Victor Dixon blew people away with “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and NBC’s live show left a big mark overall. Michael Stuhlbarg may have been robbed of an Oscar nomination this year for “Call Me By Your Name,” but he snagged a deserved nomination for “The Looming Tower.” And John Leguizamo is representing the “Waco” cast well, pushing into the race despite the Paramount Network’s relatively new status.
Below are IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers’ predictions for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie (listed in alphabetical order), which will be updated throughout the season. Make sure to keep checking IndieWire for all the latest buzz and highlights from the 2018 race, and read predictions for the rest of the categories, as well.
The Nominees:
- Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
- Brandon Victor Dixon, “Jesus Christ Superstar”
- Ricky Martin, “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace”
- John Leguizamo, “Waco”
- Edgar Ramirez, “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace”
- Michael Stuhlbarg, “The Looming Tower”
- Finn Wittrock, “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace”
Will Win: Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Could Win: Brandon Victor Dixon, “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Should Win: Brandon Victor Dixon, “Jesus Christ Superstar”
