Comedy Guest Actor Emmy predictions now open! Which performers are you picking?
The Gold Derby predictions center event for the 2023 Emmy Awards has now added the Comedy Guest Actor category. We have compiled lists of nearly 40 eligible performers in each of the four guest acting races that reflect our educated guesses on who will be submitted for consideration. More names will be added in the next few months and when the Television Academy releases this year’s ballots in June. Make your very first selections now!
From last year’s six nominees, only Nathan Lane (“Only Murders in the Building”) is eligible to return. After six previous nominations in the guest acting categories on series from “Frasier” and “Mad About You” to “Modern Family” and drama “The Good Wife,” Lane finally took home his first Primetime Emmy last year for the first season of “Only Murders” as the criminal Teddy Dimas. Two of the shows that earned spots last year — “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Hacks” — did not air new episodes in time, while others from “Saturday Night Live” and “Ted Lasso” either are not reappearing or have been bumped up to the supporting category.
SEE Comedy Guest Actress Emmy predictions now open! Which performers are you picking?
In their absences, new series will look to make their mark with their first nominations. From its freshman season, “The Bear” could land bids for Jon Bernthal as Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) late brother, Joel McHale as his tyrannical, Michelin-starred former boss, and four-time Emmy nominee Oliver Platt as family friend and money lender. Rian Johnson’s “Poker Face,” meanwhile, introduces high-profile guests each week, and highlights from its first season include last year’s Drama Guest Actor nominee Adrien Brody, two-time Emmy winner Joseph Gordon-Levitt, legend Nick Nolte, and others.
Many returning series have strong rosters of potential guest contenders as well. “Abbott Elementary” welcomed back two familiar faces from its first season — Zack Fox as Janine’s (Quinta Brunson) ex-boyfriend and Larry Owens as Jacob’s (Chris Perfetti) current boyfriend — and introduced three-time Emmy nominee Leslie Odom, Jr. as a charter school rival to Abbott. The final season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” features the return of both Luke Kirby, who won in this category in 2019, and Milo Ventimiglia, three-time nominee for “This Is Us.” This year, Nathan Lane’s on-screen son James Caverly could earn his first nomination for his bravura “Only Murders” performance, too, and one shouldn’t rule out a repeat nomination for previous Comedy Guest Actor winner Katt Williams for “Atlanta,” either.
SEE Emmy predictions: Quinta Brunson vs. Christina Applegate in odds for Best Comedy Actress
Of course, sketch comedy “Saturday Night Live” has no shortage of buzzy hosts competing. Last year, Jerrod Carmichael landed a nom for his turn at the helm, and this year’s roster includes Oscar nominee Austin Butler, two-time guest actor winner Dave Chappelle, nominee Michael B. Jordan, the unrivaled duo Steve Martin and Martin Short (remember when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler won as a pair in 2016), and the Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal. The historic sketch variety series has won in this category seven times, most recently for Chappelle in 2021.
Below, see the full list of Comedy Guest Actor contenders currently in our prediction center:
Abbott Elementary – Zack Fox
Abbott Elementary – Leslie Odom, Jr.
Abbott Elementary – Larry Owens
Atlanta – Katt Williams
The Bear – Jon Bernthal
The Bear – Joel McHale
The Bear – Oliver Platt
League of Their Own – Nick Offerman
Lucky Hank – Kyle MacLachlan
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Luke Kirby
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Milo Ventimiglia
Only Murders in the Building – James Caverly
Only Murders in the Building – Nathan Lane
Poker Face – Adrien Brody
Poker Face – Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Poker Face – Lil Rel Howery
Poker Face – Nick Nolte
Poker Face – Ron Perlman
Poker Face – Colton Ryan
She-Hulk – Mark Ruffalo
Saturday Night Live – Austin Butler
Saturday Night Live – Dave Chappelle
Saturday Night Live – Michael B. Jordan
Saturday Night Live– Steve Martin/Martin Short
Saturday Night Live – Pedro Pascal
Wednesday – Fred Armisen
Wednesday – Luiz Guzman
What We Do in the Shadows – Nick Kroll
PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominations through July 12
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