2024 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2024 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 13 to June 24, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 17. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 15 and ends the night of August 26. The 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 15, and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.

Click on for more of our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

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The State of the Race

Same narrative, different year. Last TV season, at the end of the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series race, the two frontrunners were “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “Beef.” One came out earlier in the season, and was pegged as a prestige choice, with so much talk of Evan Peters disappearing into his murderous role. The other was a SXSW premiere that played with the audience’s perception, casting comedy stars in their darkest roles yet.

Both contenders were from Netflix, just as is the case with “Ripley” and “Baby Reindeer.” Again, the show that premiered earlier (though this time only a week earlier) feeds the hunger for a prestige pick, with its lush settings, and tense scenes led by Andrew Scott as the unpredictable Tom Ripley. And then “Baby Reindeer” has been the surprise hit of the season, watched more than maybe any other contender, even though it quietly premiered on April 11.

Though the last Emmys saw “Beef” pretty much sweep the Limited Series categories, this year seems likely to play out more like the showdown between “Mare of Easttown” and “The Queen’s Gambit.” The show that created the biggest cultural moment usually wins, so “Baby Reindeer” seems to have an edge. It would make picking the winner for  Lead Actor in a Limited Series easier as well, because anyone stuck between choosing the two shows could still ensure “Baby Reindeer” creator Richard Gadd gets an Emmy for helming the project, and “Ripley” star Scott gets the praise for his performance.

All that said, the category will have three more nominees (which still feels like too few.) “True Detective: Night Country” led to record viewership for HBO, so it actually is likely much more popular with the voter base than the previous paragraphs may imply. Outside of Season 1, which surprisingly contended in the Drama Series categories, the anthology series has only gotten an Emmy nomination for Season 3 protagonist Mahershala Ali. This new Issa López iteration seems destined to improve upon that.

The fifth season of FX crime anthology “Fargo” and Prime Video literary adaptation “Expats” are not able to boast the same viewership numbers as the aforementioned shows, but are just so well executed, moving the needle of their Emmy prospects.

Watch out though, year after year, coming out of the height of the pandemic, Hulu has become a destination for notable limited series, and “Under the Bridge” starring recent Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone did reasonably well on the service, as it caters to TV Academy member’s tastes. Plus “Fellow Travelers” and “Lessons in Chemistry” netted some pretty big nominations during the winter TV season.

Nothing is set in stone, however, in what one could say is currently the most popular type of scripted show.

Predicted Nominees:
“Baby Reindeer” (Netflix)
“Expats” (Prime Video)
“Fargo” (FX)
“Ripley” (Netflix)
“True Detective: Night Country” (HBO)

Contenders:
“Fellow Travelers” (Showtime)
“Lessons in Chemistry” (Apple TV+)
“Under the Bridge” (Hulu)

Also Consider This:
“Apples Never Fall” (Peacock)
“Full Circle” (Max)
“Them: The Scare” (Prime Video)

More Limited Series and TV Movie Category Predictions:
Outstanding TV Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie

View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 76th Emmy Awards.

Last Year’s Winner: “Beef”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: The last five years have seen Netflix and HBO trade off wins in the category, and before that it was HBO and FX trading off wins. If Netflix does pull off back-to-back Emmy wins for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, it will be the first time that has happened for a network in over a decade.
Notable Ineligible Series: “The Big Cigar” (the season will not air in time to be eligible); “Presumed Innocent” (the season will not air in time to be eligible); “Land of Women” (the season will not air in time to be eligible); “Clipped” (the season will not air in time to be eligible); “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” (the season will not air in time to be eligible)

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