Yahoo Lifestyle Emmys 2024: Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie — Our Dream Nominees!
Jon Hamm’s second Primetime Emmy was, for all intents and purposes, in the bag. The actor’s scary good turn last winter as Fargo Season 5’s Big Bad instantly catapulted him to frontrunner status in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie contest, all but guaranteeing the gold statue he scored nearly a decade ago for Mad Men‘s final season would, come September, have a matching bookend.
But in the wake of the April release of Netflix’s Baby Reindeer — and the emergence of creator/star Richard Gadd as a major awards contender — a victory for Hamm is no longer a fait accompli.
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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
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Comedy Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Limited Series — Our Dream Nominees
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series — Our Dream Nominees
Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: As a closeted Washington bureaucrat in the 1950s, Bomer’s Hawk needed to be charismatic (to distract and win over others), fearful (of the Lavender Scare) and conflicted (about his feelings for Jonathan Bailey’s deeply religious Tim), and the actor delivered on all fronts. As the Showtime limited series jumped to the ’70s and ’80s, Bomer’s performance only deepened, and Hawk’s confident and suave veneer gave way to a deeply hurting and vulnerable person. When the character confronted his repressed grief over his son’s death in the penultimate episode, Bomer cycled through shock, anger and then, finally, devastating acceptance with heartbreaking finesse. — Vlada Gelman
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: The raw vulnerability Gadd brought to his performance as demon-addled stalker victim Donny is all the more impressive considering it’s his story he’s telling. While the multi-hyphenate was consistently compelling throughout Baby Reindeer‘s seven-episode run, Gadd’s work in Episode 4 — which found his alter ego recounting (during a standup set!) the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his mentor — will forever be seared into our memory. Gadd layered the 11-minute quasi-exorcism with heartbreaking, painstaking authenticity, delivering one of TV’s most poignant discourses on trauma in the process. — Michael Ausiello
Jon Hamm, Fargo
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: The Emmy winner easily slipped into cowboy mode, looking right at home atop a horse as swaggering sheriff Roy Tillman in Season 5 of FX’s crime anthology. But Roy was no hero, and Hamm cleverly deconstructed the cowboy mythos as Roy savagely punished those he judged to be sinners with a Biblical fury, twisting Scripture to justify his abuse. Roy was so chilling, he was hard to watch at times, but Hamm’s thoughtful turn — in what might have been his best role since Don Draper — made him mesmerizing nonetheless. — Dave Nemetz
Tom Hollander, FEUD: Capote vs. the Swans
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: With his affected mannerisms and unique way of speaking, Truman Capote is such a character with a capital C that from the jump, he almost borders on caricature. But not once during Season 2 of the FX anthology series did Hollander lose sight of the humanity that made the brilliant mess of an author not just interesting, but compelling. By the time Hollander was through, Capote didn’t just feel like someone we knew, demons and all, but someone we cared about. — Charlie Mason
Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Owen was such a perfect fit as legendary private eye Sam Spade in the AMC mystery, it’s a wonder he never played him before. Owen effortlessly took on the iconic role, laying on the charm with witty bon mots while sniffing out suspects with a decidedly old-school toughness. He found time to tap into Spade’s softer side as he struck up a bond with a young girl. He even spoke French! We know this was only a limited series, but we’d watch 10 more seasons of Owen in Spade’s shoes. — D.N.
David Oyelowo, Lawmen: Bass Reeves
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: It’s no secret that Oyelowo is an accomplished, widely acclaimed actor. But his studied performance as the first Black deputy U.S. marshal was revelatory — no mean feat, given that Bass is a taciturn man whose deep well of feeling only sometimes bubbles up into verbal expression. The character’s unease as a Black man tasked with tracking down alleged outlaws who look like him was conveyed through Oyelowo’s troubled eyes or furrowed brow. When he was moved to speak, often about the inequalities of justice, that inner torment came to a boil. The barely restrained fire in Oyelowo’s voice! The intensity of his stare! On the whole: mesmerizing. — Kimberly Roots
Andrew Scott, Ripley
WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Netflix’s gorgeously filmed grifter thriller gave us a fresh perspective on murderous con man Tom Ripley, and Scott took us right inside the mind of a killer with a fascinatingly coldblooded performance. Tom infiltrated the luxurious life of rich socialite Dickie Greenleaf, and Scott employed a nervous charm and an unsettling stare to bring the schemer to life. Scott was magnetic even as Tom did horrible things — Episode 3 served as a fantastic showcase for that — but he also made us feel the pain and loneliness that drove Tom to such extremes, too. — D.N.
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