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2024 Emmy nomination predictions: Who will be our guest actor/actress nominees?

Spoiler: A lot of them appeared in one episode of "The Bear."

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Updated on May 1, 2024 12:18PM EDT

Look, we all know Emmy night is long. But it might be time to add the Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress categories to the main broadcast. (No offense, Creative Arts Emmys.)

The potential star power this year is even brighter than usual: Glenn Close! Ryan Gosling! Jamie Lee Curtis! Olivia Colman! Sure, adding these four categories would likely lengthen the broadcast by 30 minutes or so — but it just might be worth it.

Here are our predictions for which special guest stars will be nominated in Comedy and Drama come July 17.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Claire Foy, Michaela Coel, and Glenn Close — Claire Foy on 'The Crown'; Michaela Coel on 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'; and Glenn Close on 'The New Look'.
Everett (2); Prime Video

Parker Posey, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Sarah Paulson, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Michaela Coel, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Glenn Close, The New Look (Apple TV+)
Olivia Colman, The Crown (Netflix)
Claire Foy, The Crown

One of the many pleasures of Mr. & Mrs. Smith is its guest stars, several of whom are in serious contention for a spot in this category. Last year, the category was dominated by The Last of Us and Succession, neither of which are eligible this time around. Paulson, meanwhile, also has a good shot in the guest category for comedy (see below).

Also in the mix: Anna Gunn, Sugar (Apple TV+); Lindsay Duncan, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Deserving dark horse: Linda Lavin, Elsbeth (CBS). What's that, Emmy voters? You've only nominated this beloved, Tony-winning actress/singer one time...back in 1979? Please watch her brash and funny performance as a tyrannical co-op board president in Elsbeth and report back. Thanks.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama

FALLOUT, Kyle MacLachlan, MR. & MRS. SMITH, John Turturro, FALLOUT, Michael Emerson — Kyle MacLachlan, John Turturro, and Michael Emerson.
Everett (3)

Ron Perlman, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
John Turturro, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Walton Goggins, Justified: City Primeval
Kyle MacLachlan, Fallout (Prime Video)
Michael Emerson, Fallout

Once again, expect Mr. & Mrs. Smith to take up the spots filled by Succession and The Last of Us at the 2023 Emmys. And if there is any justice in this world, Walton Goggins will add this nomination to his nods in comedy and drama for I'm a Virgo and Fallout, respectively.

Also in the mix: Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Elsbeth; Paul Dano, Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Matt Berry, Fallout; James Cromwell, Sugar

Deserving dark horse: Gary Farmer, The Curse (Showtime). Already Emmy-worthy for his riotous performance as Uncle Brownie on Reservation Dogs, here, Farmer plays it straight as the dignified governor of the San Pedro Pueblo in New Mexico.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy

Olivia Colman, Kate McKinnon, and Sarah Paulson — Olivia Colman on 'The Bear'; Kate McKinnon on 'SNL'; and Sarah Paulson on 'The Bear'.
FX (2); Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty

Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Sarah Paulson, The Bear
Olivia Colman, The Bear
J. Smith-Cameron, Hacks (Max)
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

One episode of television will dominate the guest categories for comedy: The Bear’s star-studded, hour-long family dinner fiasco, “Fishes.” And SNL usually snaps up at least two slots in the guest categories for its notable hosts. Wiig has earned three nominations for past hosting gigs, and 10-time nominee McKinnon hosted for the first time in December.

Also in the mix: Gillian Jacobs, The Bear; Lily Gladstone, Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu); Kaitlin Olson, Hacks; Sienna Miller, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO); Ayo Edebiri, SNL; Vanessa Bayer, What We Do in the Shadows (FX); Bebe Neuwirth, Frasier (Paramount+); Peri Gilpin, Frasier

Deserving dark horse: Kaniehtiio Horn (Reservation Dogs). The mesmerizing Native actress returned as Deer Lady, a spirit who enacts vengeance on amoral men, in a heart-wrenching, origin-story episode that explored the shameful history of government-run Indian "boarding schools."

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy

Bob Odenkirk, Timothée Chalamet, Jon Bernthal — Bob Odenkirk on 'The Bear'; Timothée Chalamet on 'SNL'; and Jon Bernthal on 'The Bear'.
FX (2); NBC

John Mulaney, The Bear
Jon Bernthal, The Bear
Bob Odenkirk, The Bear
Andrew Lopez, The Bear
Ryan Gosling, SNL
Timothée Chalamet, SNL

No, Lopez wasn't in "Fishes." As Garrett, the GM who clashed with and then won over Richie in "Forks," the actor delivered the single best line reading of the year.

Also in the mix: Nate Bargatze, SNL; Adam Driver, SNL; Matthew Broderick, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu); Will Poulter, The Bear; Christopher Lloyd, Hacks

Deserving dark horses: Elijah Wood, I’m a Virgo (Prime Video); Ethan Hawke, Reservation Dogs. Wood's chipper monologue about the intricacies of prison execution by lethal injection must be seen to be believed. And Hawke embodied a wealth of complicated backstory with his turn as Elora's long-lost father, Rick.

Nominations for the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on Wednesday, July 17. The ceremony will air live on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on ABC.

Listen to nomination predictions and contender interviews on The Awardist podcast, below.

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