Final Emmy Predictions: Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Bill Hader Locked and Loaded for ‘Barry’; Donald Glover’s Long Hiatus Could Cost Him

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UPDATED: July 10, 2022

2022 EMMYS PREDICTIONS:
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY:

There seem to be four men that are assured to hear their names with Tuesday’s Emmy noms: two-time Emmy winner Bill Hader for “Barry” (HBO), last year’s winner Jason Sudeikis for “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+) and the double dose of Steve Martin and Martin Short from “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu). Hader could be the frontrunner, especially if the TV Academy is not ready to give “Barry” its top prize yet, and he’s been a consistent presence at the Emmys up until now.

There also seem to be three establishment choices gunning for the last two spots – Anthony Anderson for the final season of “Black-ish” (ABC), Donald Glover for the penultimate season of “Atlanta” (FX) and the highly respected Don Cheadle for “Black Monday” (Showtime). While the smart choice would be to include Glover, who has won this race before, he’s also in the show with the longest hiatus that returned this year. How many voters went back to the FX series?

And there’s always room for a surprise, such as last year’s nominee Kenan Thompson (“Kenan”), former invitee Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), or a shocking newcomer like Sam Richardson (“The Afterparty”) or Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts”).

Selected individual category pages with full rankings will be revised leading to noms. Note the “updated date” on all categories.

Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Emmys Predictions Hub

The full television awards season calendar is linked here.

Nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 12. The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, Sept. 12, and air on NBC.

The list of programs and potential nominees listed below is incomplete and is subject to change. The complete television awards season calendar is linked here.

2021 category winner: Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)

ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:

AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY (Lead Actor Comedy)

The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known simply as the Emmys, is television’s most prestigious artistic award. Many records have been held for wins and nominations in the near eight decades.

For wins: Four actors have won the most prizes in this category, with four in all of Emmy history – Michael J. Fox, Kelsey Grammer, Carroll O’Connor and Jim Parsons. Fox and O’Connor have won three consecutive years. Except for Fox, Grammer (“Frasier”), O’Connor (“All in the Family”) and Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) won for the same television series. Fox won three for “Family Ties” and the other for “Spin City.” Four men have three times – Don Adams, John Lithgow, Tony Shalhoub and Dick Van Dyke.

For nominations: Ted Danson has the most nominations ever in this category with 14 (winning twice for “Cheers”). Alan Alda and Kelsey Grammer are next in line with 11, while Michael J. Fox, Carroll O’Connor and Tony Shalhoub have eight each.

John Goodman, Matt LeBlanc and Hal Linden have the most nominations without ever winning for lead actor in a comedy series. Goodman (“Roseanne”) and Linden (“Barney Miller”) were all nominated for the same series. LeBlanc’s nods are split between “Friends” (3) and “Episodes” (4).

“Cheers” and “M*A*S*H” are the leading series with nominations in this category, with 11 with “Frasier” and “The Odd Couple” (1970-1975) nabbing 10. NBC has won this category the most for any network with 26, while CBS and ABC have 19 and 11 wins. Amazon Prime Video is the first and only streaming platform to win this category for Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”) in two consecutive years.

2022 Primetime Emmy Awards Predictions

2022 Creative Arts Emmys Predictions

About the Primetime Emmy Awards (Emmys)

The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known as the Emmys, are given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Since 1949, the awards have recognized excellence in American primetime television programming. They are divided into three classes – Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (honors artisan achievements), and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards (recognizes significant engineering and technological contributions). The typical eligibility period is between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. The Television Academy comprises over 25,000 members, representing 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors and various artisans and executives.

• The 74th Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, Sept. 12, and air on NBC.