Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Presumptive Nominees

• 1. Brad Pitt (Dave)
• 2. Nathan Lane (Only Murders In the Building)
• 3. Oliver Platt (The Bear)
• 4. Jon Berenthal (The Bear)
• 5. Pedro Pascal (Saturday Night Live)
• 6. Dave Chapelle (Saturday Night Live)

Odd Man out

• Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso)

Potential Surprise Nomination

• Guillermo Del Toro (Barry)

2022 Emmy Winner

• Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building)

Eligible this Year? (Yes)

Guest Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series is historically flooded with Saturday Night Live hosts. With guest actor spots increasingly more coveted we’re starting to see some of the better performances of the year popping up from some of the smaller roles.

None was more obvious than Brad Pitt’s shocking appearance on FX’s Dave in its season finale, “Looking for Love.” With no anticipation of the mega-star being anywhere near the series he showed up and absolutely dominated for nearly 40 minutes. I fully expect him to get nominated and will likely start out as the frontrunner.

The Bear will contend heavily, overall at this year’s ceremony. Oliver Platt played a crucial role in its first season and would likely have garnered a supporting actor nomination if eligible. Jon Berenthal’s appearance on the series was in a much smaller role, but came in a memorable scene.

Last year’s winner Nathan Lane remains active as he popped back up as Teddy Dina’s in Hulu’s popular (but losing-luster) series, “Only Murders in the Building.”

I like Guillermo Del Toro for a “blink and you might miss him,” spot on HBO’s Barry; another series that will be heavily featured when nominations are announced. He could be a surprise nomination, here.

Pedro Pascal was really this year’s “everywhere man.” His turn on SNL was the highlight of its season. He’s a lock. Likewise, the only other potential SNL nomination is Dave Chappelle whose transphobic rhetoric has soured crowds over the years, but for some reason he remains relevant among these types of award shows.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Presumptive Nominees

• 1. Judith Light (Poker Face)
• 2. S. Epatha Merkerson (Poker Face)
• 3. Shirley MacLaine (Only Murders in the Building)
• 4. Rachel McAdams (Dave)
• 5. Quinta Brunson (Saturday Night Live)
• 6. Hong Chau (Poker Face)

Odd Woman Out

• Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso)

Potential Surprise Nomination

• Ayo Edebiri (Abbot Elementary)

2022 Emmy Winner

• Laurie Metcalf (Hacks)

Eligible this Year? (No)

With an expectation that the Emmys may ease on Ted Lasso love this year, there are so many potential nominees that could miss the cut. Sarah Niles seems to be an expected nominee, but I wouldn’t be shocked if even she doesn’t get it.

Expect Peacock’s brilliant anthology series “Poker Face” to show strongly in this category. As every single episode featured a big name guest actor/actress, it’s likely to garner multiple nominations. The series’ best episode, “Time of the Monkey” should get a nomination for both of its stars, Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson. It also might be a spot for K Callan to score her first ever Emmy nomination, as well.

Hong Chau seems to be everywhere this year, and this could be her legitimate shot at an Emmy for Poker Face.

Quinta Brunson’s guest-host turn on SNL seems like a given. She likely could win two acting Emmys as she’ll also go into the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category as the favorite to win it. There’s a good chance she may be the biggest solo-winner of the night when you throw in writing and directing awards for Abbot Elementary.

Like Brad Pitt’s performance in the finale, Rachel McAdams turning in a three-episode tremendous performance on Dave (seemingly out of nowhere), combined with her own star power should put her in the running. Shirley MacLaine is expected to be nominated for her season-long tenure on Only Murders in the Building which, just barely, doesn’t qualify for a supporting actress nod.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Presumptive Nominees

• 1. Nick Offerman (The Last of Us)
• 2. Murray Bartlett (The Last of Us)
• 3. Keivonn Montreal Woodard (The Last of Us)
• 4. James Cromwell (Succession)
• 5. Timothy Dalton (The Crown)
• 6. Andy Serkis (Andor)

Odd Man Out

• Bryan Cranston (Better Call Saul)

Potential Surprise Nomination

• Forest Whitaker (Andor)

2022 Emmy Winner

• Colman Domingo (Euphoria)

Eligible this Year? (No)

It’s going to be pretty surprising if anyone but Nick Offerman wins this award. He and Murray Bartlett are locks. From there the plethora of choices from both Succession and The Last of Us are endless. James Cromwell seems like a pretty obvious one to snag a nomination for his last go-around after four years.

I absolutely adored the performance of Keivonn Montreal Woodard on The Last of Us. He seems like a long-shot for a nomination, but I’d personally put his performance right up there with Bartlett and Offerman. A win for him would be a massive upset but it would also be the story of the night if (and this is a big if given there may be no ceremony at all) he gets to accept a trophy.

I’m cold on Bryan Cranston getting a nomination for Better Call Saul…even though he likely will. His performance wasn’t particularly memorable. It would be astounding if the only Emmy the series ever wins is for a Cranston guest spot.

I expect the Emmys to be high on Andor this year. If that’s the case Andy Serkis is pretty-much a lock for a nod.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Presumptive Nominees

• 1. Hiam Abbass (Succession)
• 2. Harriet Walter (Succession)
• 3. Cherry Jones (Succession)
• 4. Melanie Lynskey (The Last of Us)
• 5. Anna Torv (The Last of Us)
• 6. Betsy Brandt (Better Call Saul)

Odd Woman Out

• Jacki Weaver (Yellowstone)

Potential Surprise Nominee

• Claire Foy (The Crown)

2022 Emmy Winner

• Lee You-mi (Squid Game)

Eligible this Year? (No)

I’ve been a giant fan of Hiam Abbass on Succession for its entire run. An underrated character played by an underrated actress. Though her role was significantly diminished this year, she was still a scene-steeler.

The same can obviously be said for Melanie Lynskey (who will almost certainly be a two-time nominee with a lead actress nod for Yellowjackets). Lynskey feels like the favorite in this if she gets the nod. The likelihood of a lot of Succession representation should cancel one another out.

Anna Torv was an absolute force on The Last of Us and should absolutely garner a nomination.

Unsurprisingly, I worshipped the Betsy Brandt’s appearance in the finale of Better Call Saul. And she was really the only cameo in the final season who nailed her role. I loved her on Breaking Bad and spent most of the life of the prequel series hoping she would appear. I truly hope she’s nominated, and she would be who I would be rooting for to win.

Watch for a surprise nomination for Claire Foy. She’s a two-time winner for The Crown for playing the same role as she’s eligible for this year, and they love stuff like that. I like her odds in a nomination that is otherwise unexpected.