Emmy Predictions 2026 - Who Will Likely Be Nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series?

From June 11 to 22, 2026, voting is taking place for The 78th 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. Rhea Seehorn for Apple TV's Pluribus
2. Keri Russell for Netflix's The Diplomat
3. Zendaya for HBO's Euphoria
4. Jennifer Aniston for Apple TV's The Morning Show
5. Chase Infiniti for Hulu's The Testaments

Serious threats that could break through:

1. Kathy Bates for CBS' Matlock
2. Michelle Pfeiffer for Paramount+'s The Madison
3. Carrie Coon and Christine Baranski for HBO's The Gilded Age
4. Reese Witherspoon for Apple TV's The Morning Show
5. Kristin Scott Thomas for Apple TV's Slow Horses
6. Sarah Goldberg for AMC's The Audacity
7. Ella Purnell for Prime Video's Fallout

Some considerable long-shots:

1. Myha'la for HBO's Industry
2. Nicole Kidman for Prime Video's Scarpetta
3. Sydney Chandler for FX's Alien: Earth
4. Kaitlin Olson for ABC's High Potential
5. Emma Thompson for Apple TV's Down Cemetery Road
6. Jennifer Garner for Apple TV's The Last Thing He Told Me
7. Yerin Ha for Netflix's Bridgerton

Colorful oddities that still have an outside chance:

1. Anna Sawai for Apple TV's Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
2. Nicole Kidman for Hulu's Nine Perfect Strangers
3. Jurnee Smollett for Apple TV's Smoke
4. Maggie Q for Prime Video's Ballard
5. Caitriona Balfe for Starz's Outlander
6. Erin Moriarty and Karen Fukuhara for Prime Video's The Boys
7. Holly Hunter for Paramount+'s Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

The nominations for The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, July 8. The winners will be awarded in a ceremony broadcast on NBC on Monday, September 14.