Emmy Predictions 2025 - Who Will Likely Be Nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series?

From June 12 to 23, 2025, voting is taking place for The 77th 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 which performers will be nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Performers most likely to be nominated:

1. Kathy Bates for CBS' Matlock
2. Britt Lower for AppleTV+'s Severance
3. Keri Russell for Netflix's The Diplomat
4. Bella Ramsey for HBO's The Last of Us
5. Elisabeth Moss for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale
6. Keira Knightley for Netflix's Black Doves

Serious threats that could break through:

1. Melanie Lynskey, Sophie Nélisse and Tawny Cypress for Showtime's Yellowjackets
2. Emma D'Arcy for HBO's House of the Dragon
3. Nicola Coughlan for Netflix's Bridgerton
4. Sharon Horgan for AppleTV+'s Bad Sisters
5. Chloe Pirrie for Netflix's Dept. Q
6. Nicole Kidman for Netflix's The Perfect Couple
7. Lashana Lynch for Peacock's The Day of the Jackal

Some considerable long-shots:

1. Carrie Preston for CBS' Elsbeth
2. Niecy Nash-Betts for FX's Grotesquerie
3. Zoe Saldaña for Paramount+'s Lioness
4. Kaitlin Olson for ABC's High Potential
5. Myha'la and Marisa Abela for HBO's Industry
6. Helen Mirren for Paramount+'s 1923
7. Minha Kim for AppleTV+'s Pachinko
8. Emily Watson for HBO's Dune: Prophecy

Colorful oddities that still have an outside chance:

1. Angela Bassett for ABC's 9-1-1
2. Molly Parker for FOX's Doc
3. Ali Larter for Paramount+'s Landman
4. Lovie Simone for Netflix's Forever
5. Katja Herbers for Paramount+'s Evil
6. Annaleigh Ashford for Paramount+'s Happy Face
7. Eleanor Tomlinson for Starz's The Couple Next Door

The nominations for The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, July 15. The winners will be awarded in a ceremony airing on CBS and Paramount+ and hosted by stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze on Sunday, September 14.