Yahoo News Emmys 2024: Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees!
Last year’s Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy race was hijacked by the Roys, with half of the nominees hailing from HBO’s now-shuttered Succession. And the other 50 percent are similarly ineligible this time around.
More from TVLine
Shōgun Eyes Two More Seasons at FX, Will Compete as Drama Series at This Year's Emmys
Connie Britton Addresses Emmys Absence, Shares Photo of Planned Red Carpet Look
Short story shorter? This category, much like Lead Actress in a Drama, is primed for seismic shake-up in 2024. And we have some thoughts on which performers should fill those vacancies.
Scroll down to check out all of our Dream Nominees (remember, these aren’t predictions; they’re wish lists) and then tell us if our picks warrant a “Hell, yes!,” “Um, no” or “How could you leave off so-and-so?!”
For the record, 2024 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 13-24, and unveiled on July 17. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Sept. 15, on ABC.
Scroll down for links to our previous Dream Emmy categories:
Outstanding Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees
Idris Elba, Hijack
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Apple TV+’s airplane hostage drama was a throwback to old-fashioned thrillers with its real-time conceit, and Elba kept our pulses pounding the whole flight as unlucky passenger Sam Nelson. Elba’s Sam didn’t need muscle to defeat the plane’s hijackers, though; he used his brain, with Elba oozing charisma as Sam flexed his superior negotiation skills. He kept a cool head and got the plane landed safely — and Elba was so winning, we’ll happily suspend disbelief to watch him in a Season 2. — Dave Nemetz
Ncuti Gatwa, Doctor Who
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: From the moment that Fourteen spawned Fifteen in the anniversary special “The Giggle,” Gatwa has imbued his Doctor with an infectious joy and brightness that bounds off the screen. His Time Lord is an excited and fearless adventurer, a compassionate visitor, and boy, can he carry a tune. When not keeping the TARDIS afloat by way of his own personality, Gatwa also can sell the gravity of a moment, such as when the Doctor dropped in on newborn Ruby Sunday’s abandonment, or sweated out his teetering on a land mine. He’s fittingly stellar. — Matt Webb Mitovich
Donald Glover, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Glover looked every bit the action star in Prime Video’s spy thriller, handling heavy firearms and dodging explosions as international spy John Smith. But he really won us over in the quieter moments when he opened up to Maya Erskine’s fellow spy Jane, letting his cool-guy persona drop ever so slightly. (He and Erskine made a dynamite comedy duo, too.) Glover had big shoes to fill replacing Brad Pitt’s movie version of John, but by season’s end, he truly made the role his own. — D.N.
Walton Goggins, Fallout
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: As the hit video game adaptation’s Ghoul, Goggins is undead and loving it. Channeling a few of his past outlaw alter egos, Goggins delivered a desperado who could get any dastardly deed done (whilst firing off a zinger or two), but who also could amusingly take his licks at the hands of a super-jacked Super Soldier. Just as notably, Goggins made the most of the sci-fi series’ straighter drama moments, such as when a pre-Ghoul Cooper Howard came to realize his missus’ bankrupt morality. In this post-apocalyptic drama, he is the bomb. — M.W.M.
Tom Hiddleston, Loki
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Villain-to-hero character evolutions don’t get more satisfying than what Hiddleston delivered across Loki‘s two seasons, particularly in a sophomore run that found Loki more desperate, sensitive and self-aware than ever. In Loki’s efforts to save all of time and space, Hiddleston further softened his formerly power-hungry character with aching vulnerability, all without ever abandoning the wicked playfulness that made Loki so fun in the first place. As Loki fulfilled his bittersweet purpose in the Season 2 finale, so did Hiddleston, capping a 12-year MCU arc that was deeply gratifying and, indeed, glorious. — Rebecca Iannucci
Ramón Rodríguez, Will Trent
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Week in and week out, Rodríguez turned in one of network television’s most finely crafted performances as the titular Special Agent worked through a long-dormant childhood trauma in Season 2 of the ABC procedural. Once Will recalled his hand in a violent episode that culminated in his foster mother’s death, years of pent-up guilt came pouring out of him, and we were as riveted as we were devastated by the emotional breakdown that played out before us. In that moment, Rodríguez reached new heights and secured himself a spot on our Dream Emmy ballot. — Ryan Schwartz
Kurt Russell, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: There is something “outsized” about Russell, a veteran of film and franchises, that when his Lee Shaw first showed up, we were instantly invested in his journey and the tales he had to tell. Looking gray, yes, but a forever-young Disney alum in our eyes, Russell gave the elder Lee a boyish energy that served his character well, as he led actual youths on the adventure of a lifetime. And when Lee came face-to-face with long-ago love Keiko? Russell had us feeling every twinge of loss and elation. — M.W.M.
Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Lord Toranaga is a man of few words, and Sanada never showed a great deal of emotion playing the feudal ruler in FX’s samurai drama… but he didn’t have to. Instead, Sanada relied on his steely gaze and considerable gravitas to carry his performance as Toranaga fended off challenges from his fellow lords. When Toranaga did speak, it carried enormous weight, and when he did break down — as he did following the deaths of his son and his closest friend — we felt it all the more deeply. — D.N.
Best of TVLine
The Best Streaming Services in 2024: Disney+, Hulu, Max and More
What's New on Netflix in January — Plus: Disney+, Hulu, Amazon and Others
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
