OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
American Vandal
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Godless
Howards End
Twin Peaks

It’s a tough year to call for limited series, since nothing really took the nation by storm like Big Little Lies or The People v. O.J. Simpson in years past. Even if initial critics were divided on Gianni Versace I think the final product was immensely powerful and will probably be the frontrunner as such. I also expect something as high profile as Twin Peaks to be nominated despite its divisiveness. From there it’s anyone’s guess, so I’m betting on two Netflix series that have earned acclaim, American Vandal and Godless, since they have both done fairly well in precursor awards. I’m guessing Howards End will round out the five, as the TV Academy loves prestigious British dramas, especially those written by legendary writers like Kenneth Lonergan.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE
Darren Criss – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Benedict Cumberbatch – Patrick Melrose
Michael B. Jordan – Fahrenheit 451
Kyle MacLachlan – Twin Peaks
Al Pacino – Paterno
Evan Peters – American Horror Story: Cult

Darren Criss should be the runaway frontrunner for his stellar performance as Andrew Cunanan in Gianni Versace, but Kyle MacLachlan will ideally be hot on his trail for playing three different characters in the Twin Peaks revival. Al Pacino will likely get in for yet another HBO TV movie where he plays a controversial public figure, while Benedict Cumberbatch gets in every year for whatever he does, so why not Patrick Melrose, too? After the great year Michael B. Jordan is having I’m guessing he can sneak into this category, even if Fahrenheit 451 doesn’t have the best reviews. For the last slot I’m going with a passion pick, but Evan Peters gave his best performance on American Horror Story yet this past season and I’m going out on a limb and saying the remaining AHS fans in the Academy will push him through.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE
Jeff Daniels – Godless
Brandon Victor Dixon – Jesus Christ Superstar
Edgar Ramirez – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Jason Ritter – The Tale
Michael Shannon – Fahrenheit 451
Sam Waterston – Godless

No idea. Seriously, this category is an absolute mess this year and the winner could be anyone. For now I’m going with people associated with what I expect to be the limited series and movies Emmy voters will watch, so Jeff Daniels, Edgar Ramirez, Michael Shannon, and Sam Waterston it is. Tentatively adding in Jason Ritter as well. Then there’s Brandon Victor Dixon, who had extremely strong reviews for Jesus Christ Superstar and could angle himself into becoming the first actor from one of these recent live musicals to get an acting nomination.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE
Ellen Burstyn – The Tale
Penélope Cruz – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Laura Dern – Twin Peaks
Nicole Kidman – Top of the Lake: China Girl
Angela Lansbury – Little Women
Judith Light – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Hooray double nomination for Laura Dern! Like with Supporting Actor it’s hard to say exactly who will get in here, so it’s best to go with the seen contenders, like Ellen Burstyn in The Tale, Penélope Cruz and Judith Light in Gianni Versace, and probably Nicole Kidman for Top of the Lake. Then I expect there to be a big narrative for 18x Emmy loser Angela Lansbury to get a nomination that could even propel her to a win.

Emmy Predictions 2018: Forecasting Nominations for Limited Series, Reality & Variety Categories | Film Trophies