Emmy Predictions 2020 - Who Will Likely Be Nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series?

From July 2 to July 13, 2020, voting is taking place for The 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. As such, it's fun to look at which actors and shows have the best chances of actually being nominated this year. So, these are my predictions for who will be nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series?

2019 Nominees:

        Emilia Clarke for HBO's Game of Thrones
        Jodie Comer for BBC America's Killing Eve (WINNER)
        Viola Davis for ABC's How to Get Away With Murder
        Laura Linney for Netflix's Ozark
        Mandy Moore for NBC's This Is Us
        Sandra Oh for BBC America's Killing Eve
        Robin Wright for Netflix's House of Cards

Emilia Clarke and Robin Wright are out of the race this year. That would potentially leave one spot open for a newcomer. That absolutely has to go to Olivia Colman. She is a recent Oscar winner and was Emmy nominated for Fleabag a year ago. Plus, she has taken over the role that Claire Foy won an Emmy for two years ago. She will be formidable competition for the ultimate prize. She isn't the only newcomer with the acclaim and backing who could sneak in either. Jennifer Aniston made her big return to television with AppleTV+'s The Morning Show. The show may have been hit or miss but she was stellar throughout its entire run. She seems much more competitive than her co-star Reese Witherspoon, who has two opportunities in this field thanks to HBO's Big Little Lies. That HBO drama was a major Emmy contender for its first season. The second may have aired awhile ago but its actors should absolutely be seen as worthy of recognition. All of this means there could be some serious shakeups in this category. Will the Killing Eve leading ladies be back? A win for Jodie Comer a year ago may not guarantee her spot despite having more engaging material in Season 3 than Sandra Oh. Viola Davis is beloved by these voters and her show aired its final season this year. That could be a solid formula for her to return to the race. The same could also be said of former winner Claire Danes of Homeland. As such, no nominee is certain in this race. Big names could push everyone out. Or reliable performers could maintain their hold at the top.

For the 2020 awards ceremony, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences decided to tie the number of nominations to the number of submissions in each category. For Lead Actress in a Drama Series, 135 actresses were eligible on the ballot. That will translate to six nominees in this category.

Actors most likely to be nominated:

1. Olivia Colman for Netflix's The Crown
2. Laura Linney for Netflix's Ozark
3. Jennifer Aniston for AppleTV+'s The Morning Show
4. Jodie Comer for BBC America's Killing Eve
5. Elisabeth Moss for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale
6. Sandra Oh for BBC America's Killing Eve

Serious threats that could break through:

1. Viola Davis for ABC's How to Get Away With Murder
2. Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon for HBO's Big Little Lies
3. Mandy Moore for NBC's This Is Us
4. Evan Rachel Wood for HBO's Westworld
5. Reese Witherspoon for AppleTV+'s The Morning Show
6. Claire Danes for Showtime's Homeland
7. Kirsten Dunst for Showtime's On Becoming a God in Central Florida
8. Mj Rodriguez for FX's Pose
9. Zendaya for HBO's Euphoria
10. Maura Tierney for Showtime's The Affair
11. Christine Baranski for CBS All Access' The Good Fight
12. Maggie Gyllenhaal for HBO's The Deuce
13. Winona Ryder for Netflix's Stranger Things
14. Rebecca Hall for Amazon's Tales From the Loop
15. Octavia Spencer for AppleTV+'s Truth Be Told
16. Rachel Keller for FX's Legion
17. Caitriona Balfe for Starz's Outlander
18. Dafne Keen for HBO's His Dark Materials
19. Taylor Schilling for Netflix's Orange Is the New Black

Some considerable long-shots:

1. Janelle Monáe for Amazon's Homecoming
2. Anna Torv for Netflix's Mindhunter
3. Rosa Salazar for Amazon's Undone
4. Elizabeth Olsen for Facebook Watch's Sorry for Your Loss
5. Victoria Pedretti for Netflix's You
6. Ellen Page for Netflix's Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City
7. Natalie Dormer for Showtime's Penny Dreadful: City of Angels
8. Cobie Smulders for ABC's Stumptown
9. Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey and Katherine Moennig for Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q
10. Ruth Wilson for BBC America's Luther
11. Bellamy Young for FOX's Prodigal Son
12. Michelle Fairley for Amazon's The Feed
13. Jennifer Connelly for TNT's Snowpiercer
14. Cara Delevingne for Amazon's Carnival Row
15. Edie Falco for CBS' Tommy
16. Lauren Ambrose for AppleTV+'s Servant
17. Elisabeth Shue and Erin Moriarty for Amazon's The Boys
18. Brooklynn Prince for AppleTV+'s Home Before Dark

Colorful oddities who still have an outside chance:

1. Jessica Biel for Facebook Watch's Limetown
2. Renée Elise Goldsberry for Netflix's Altred Carbon
3. Carla Gugino for Cinemax's Jett
4. Katja Herbers for CBS' Evil
5. Monica Raymund for Starz's Hightown
6. Gaia Girace and Margherita Mazzucco for HBO's My Brilliant Friend
7. Simone Missick for CBS' All Rise
8. Alana Arenas for OWN's David Makes Man
9. Niecy Nash for TNT's Claws
10. Alexandra Breckenridge for Netflix's Virgin River
11. Brooke Elliott, JoAnna Garcia Swisher and Heather Headley for Netflix's Sweet Magnolias
12. Darby Stanchfield for Netflix's Locke & Key
13. Alisha Wainwright for Netflix's Raising Dion
14. Jodie Whittaker for BBC America's Doctor Who

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Let me know in the comments below!