Emmy Nominations Predictions: ‘The Bear,’ ‘Shōgun,’ ‘Baby Reindeer’ Lead in a Slow Year for TV

Fewer entries mean many of this year’s categories won’t have as many nominees as they did last year

Emmys 2024
Left to right: Alan Cumming in "The Traitors" (Peacock), Hiroyuki Sanada in "Shogun" (FX), Jeremy Allen White in "The Bear" (FX), Quinta Brunson in "Abbott Elementary" (ABC), Richard Gadd in "Baby Reindeer" (Netflix), Imelda Staunton in "The Crown" (Netflix), Andrew Scott in "Ripley" (Netflix)

There aren’t as many contenders in most Emmy categories this year, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any easier to predict who will be named when the nominees for the 76th annual Emmy Awards are revealed on Wednesday morning, July 17.

Partly, that’s because in many cases, Emmy math means that fewer entries mean fewer nominees: A category with between 20 and 80 eligible contenders gets five nominees, 81-160 gets six, etc. Of the 20 categories covered in these predictions, eight are slated to have fewer nominees than last year. That includes the supporting actor and actress categories in both comedy and drama, the lead actor and actress categories in limited series, and the talk and scripted variety categories.

So if the field of contestants is shrinking because of the lingering effects of the pandemic and because of production shutdowns during last year’s strikes, the number of Emmy nominees will take a hit as well, which will be particularly noticeable in the fiercely competitive limited series categories.

There are also a few things to remember about Emmy voters before we get into the predictions: they tend to go for the same shows over and over; they have a hard time letting go of old favorites, but once they go off a show they once liked, they almost never come back to it; and when they embrace a program, they have a habit of voting for lots of actors and actresses from that program. That’s been particularly noticeable in recent years, when “Succession” set a new record with 14 acting nominations in 2022, then tied its own record the following year.

 

We’ve tried to take all of this into account, but members of the Television Academy invariably slip in some surprises. Here are TheWrap’s predictions in 20 categories in the fields of comedy, drama, limited series and TV movies, variety and reality. Nominations will be revealed by Tony Hale, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Television Academy chair Cris Abrego at 8:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday.

Comedy categories

the-bear-ayo-edebiri-jeremy-allen-white-fx
Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri in “The Bear” (FX)

Outstanding Comedy Series
Thank goodness for Emmy rules that set the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series categories at a flat eight nominees. If the category set its number of nominees by the number of eligible entries (as the vast majority of the Emmys’ 118 categories do) Outstanding Comedy Series would only have five nominations this year, which would be an embarrassingly paltry lineup for one of the marquee categories.

Then again, it’s a paltry year, with only three of 2023’s nominees eligible again in 2024. Those three are “The Bear,” the defending champion and odds-on favorite, as well as “Abbott Elementary” and “Only Murders in the Building,” both of which should easily repeat as nominees.

Two-time nominee “Hacks” and 10-time (!) nominee “Curb Your Enthusiasm” are also back in the running and should coast to nominations, leaving three additional spots for new shows (“Palm Royale,” “The Gentlemen,” “I’m a Virgo,” “Gen V,” “Colin From Accounts”), shows that have gotten Emmy attention in the past (“What We Do in the Shadows,” the reboot of Emmy favorite “Frasier”) or shows that have never broken through with voters (“Reservation Dogs,” “Girls5Eva,” “Loot”). While Emmy voters are known for being creatures of habit, we think the freshman class will have a strong showing this year.

Number of nominees: 8

Predictions:
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“Gen V”
“The Gentlemen”
“Hacks”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Palm Royale”

Watch out for: “Girls5Eva,” “Reservation Dogs,” “What We Do in the Shadows”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
For the second consecutive year, this category will have only five nominees, following 14 years in which it has had at least six every year, save one. Last year, that tightening pushed out Steve Martin and left Martin Short as the only “Only Murders” representative — but in a skimpier year for contenders, both of them should make the cut. So should reigning champion Jeremy Allen White and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David, who’s been nominated for 28 Emmys, including six in this category.

The final spot could go to somebody who’s been here a lot before, 11-time nominee Kelsey Grammer for the rebooted “Frasier,” or to a winner in the limited series category, Jharrel Jerome, or to a past nominee for “The White Lotus,” Theo James. James’ new show, “The Gentlemen,” might have the most heat in that group.  

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Theo James, “The Gentlemen”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Watch out for: Kelsey Grammer, “Frasier”; Jharrel Jerome, “I’m a Virgo”; D’Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai, “Reservation Dogs”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson won in this category last year for “Abbott Elementary.” Jean Smart won in the category in 2021 and 2022 for “Hacks.” Ayo Edebiri won in the supporting actress category last year for “The Bear,” and then shifted to lead this year. They’re all back with those same shows, and they’ll all be nominated. As for who will join them, Kristin Wiig seems a likely nominee for “Palm Royale,” and her fellow “SNL” cast member Maya Rudolph could get in for “Loot.” But it’s hard to rule out Selena Gomez for “Only Murders in the Building,” too. Or Devery Jacobs for “Reservation Dogs,” which is looking to get some Emmy love somewhere for its final season after two seasons of being overlooked.

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Kristen Wiig, “Palm Royale”

Watch out for: Harriet Dyer, “Colin From Accounts”; Devery Jacobs, “Reservation Dogs”; Maya Rudolph, “Loot”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
The two supporting comedy categories had seven nominees each last year — but with fewer entries this year, they’ve dropped down to six nominees apiece. In the supporting actor category, that could lead to a field dominated by “The Bear,” with 2023 winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Oliver Platt among the top contenders and Lionel Boyce also a strong candidate. (If voters really have tunnel vision, Matty Matheson could join them, too.) Also in the running: 2023 nominee Tyler James Williams and Chris Perfetti from “Abbott Elementary,” Paul W. Downs and Carl Clemons-Hopkins from “Hacks,” Paul Rudd from “Only Murders in the Building,” Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson from “Saturday Night Live,” Harvey Guillen from “What We Do in the Shadows” and, if voters want to pay tribute to a comic who died in February, Richard Lewis from “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

We’re going with three from “The Bear” column and one each from “Hacks,” “Abbott” and “Curb.”

Number of nominees: 6

Predictions:
Lionel Boyce, “The Bear”
Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”
Richard Lewis, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Oliver Platt, “The Bear”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

Watch out for: Chris Perfetti, “Abbott Elementary”; Paul Rudd, “Only Murders in the Building”; Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
If you look at the early predictions, this is one of the few categories where almost everybody seems to have the same Top 6, and with good reason. Liza Colon-Zayas and Abby Elliott from “The Bear,” Janelle James and 2022 winner Sheryl Lee Ralph from “Abbott Elementary,” Hannah Einbinder from “Hacks” and Meryl Streep from “Only Murders in the Building” are the odds-on favorites to be nominated, with other contenders including Carol Burnett and Allison Janney from “Palm Royale,” Meg Stalter from “Hacks,” Lisa Ann Walter from “Abbott Elementary” and Susie Essman from “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” among others.

It’s risky to underestimate 15-time nominee Janney or 23-time nominee Burnett, but maybe it’s even riskier to pick against Colon-Zayas, Einbinder, Elliott, James, Ralph and Streep.  

Number of nominees: 6

Predictions:
Liza Colon-Zayas, “The Bear”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Abby Elliott, “The Bear”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
Meryl Streep, “Only Murders in the Building”

Watch out for: Carol Burnett, “Palm Royale”; Allison Janney, “Palm Royale”; Meg Stalter, “Hacks”

Drama categories

Shogun
Hiroyuki Sanada in “Shogun” (Katie Yu/FX)

Outstanding Drama Series
There’s a consensus of sorts around seven drama series: “The Crown,” the sole 2023 nominee that’s eligible again this year; “The Morning Show” and “The Gilded Age,” which have been nominated for past seasons but have never broken into this category; and new shows “Shōgun” (a presumed favorite after moving from the limited series category), “The Curse,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Fallout.” The final slot could go to a new show, most likely “3 Body Problem” or “Elsbeth,” or to a series that has been around but hasn’t been nominated before (“Slow Horses”) or one that has been nominated, but only in below-the-line categories (“Loki”).

We’ll go with the understated and amusing “Slow Horses” over the thorny sci-fi brainteaser “3 Body Problem.”

Number of nominations: 8

Predictions:
“The Crown”
“The Curse”
“Fallout”
“The Gilded Age”
“The Morning Show”
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
“Shōgun”
“Slow Horses”

Watch out for: “Elsbeth,” “Loki,” “3 Body Problem”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
The drama acting races were impacted enormously when “Shōgun” was shifted from the limited series to the drama categories. In the lead actor category, for instance, the move brought with it two of the frontrunners, Hiroyuki Sanada and Cosmo Jarvis, making the race a lot tougher for the likes of Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”), Walton Goggins (“Fallout”), Dominic West (“The Crown”), Morgan Spector (“The Gilded Age”), Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”) and Donald Glover (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”).  A couple of those men likely will be pushed out, more if Idris Elba (“Hijack”) or Nathan Fielder (“The Curse”) or John C. Reilly or Adrien Brody (“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”) get traction with voters.   

Number of nominees: 6

Predictions:
Walton Goggins, “Fallout”
Cosmo Jarvis, “Shōgun”
Gary Oldman, ”Slow Horses”
Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shōgun”
Morgan Spector, “The Gilded Age”
Dominic West, “The Crown”

Watch out for: Idris Elba, “Hijack”; Donald Glover, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”; Tom Hiddleston, “Loki”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
This category has another frontrunner courtesy of “Shōgun” in Anna Sawai. Then there’s recent Oscar winner Emma Stone for “The Curse,” one of several actors vying for an Oscar-Emmy double play this year. Imelda Staunton, meanwhile, is looking to become the third actress to be nominated for playing Queen Elizabeth II in “The Crown” (after Claire Foy and Olivia Colman, both of whom won). Jennifer Aniston was nominated for the first season of “The Morning Show” in 2020 and Reese Witherspoon was nominated for the second two years later; they’re both in the running again, with Aniston perhaps holding a slight edge.

Other contenders include Carrie Coon for “The Gilded Age,” Maya Erskine for “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” Ella Purnell for “Fallout” and Carrie Preston for “Elsbeth,” with Coon perhaps in the best position even if her show wasn’t as well received as, say, Purnell’s.

Number of nominees: 6

Predictions:
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age”
Maya Erskine, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
Anna Sawai, “Shōgun”
Imelda Staunton, “The Crown”
Emma Stone, “The Curse”

Watch out for: Carrie Preston, “Elsbeth”; Ella Purnell, “Fallout”; Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
That sigh of relief you hear is coming from all the actors who don’t have to compete with “Succession” in this category anymore. After hogging 10 supporting-actor nominations in the last three years of its run, that HBO juggernaut has departed, presumably opening the door to more variety. But not so fast. “The White Lotus,” “Squid Game,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Morning Show” and “Severance” have all scored multiple nominations in the category in this decade, and several shows have a real shot at doing so this year: “Shōgun” with Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira, “The Crown” with Khalid Abdalla and Jonathan Pryce and “The Morning Show” with Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass and Jon Hamm.

With the number of nominees in the category dropping from eight to seven this year, look for two or three shows to double up, augmented by maybe one or two solo nominees from “Loki” (Ke Huy Quan), “The Curse” (Benny Safdie) or “The Gilded Age” (Nathan Lane).

Number of nominees: 7

Predictions:
Khalid Abdalla, “The Crown”
Tadanobu Asano, “Shōgun”
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Mark Duplass, “The Morning Show”
Takehiro Hira, “Shōgun”
Nathan Lane, “The Gilded Age”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Crown”

Watch out for: Jon Hamm, “The Morning Show”; Ke Huy Quan, “Loki”; Benny Safdie, “The Curse”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Look for more doubling- and tripling-up in the supporting actress category, because that’s pretty much what Emmy voters do. “The Gilded Age” has three contenders in Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald and Cynthia Nixon; “The Crown” has two in Elizabeth Debicki and Lesley Manville; “Shōgun” has two in Moeka Hoshi and Fumi Nikaido; and “The Morning Show” is more of a long shot, but it has two in Greta Lee and Nicole Beharie.

And yes, some actresses could make it as their show’s sole nominee in the category, among them Kristin Scott Thomas for “Slow Horses” and Leslie Uggams for “Fallout.” But for fans of watching voters spread the wealth, the supporting drama categories can be a study in frustration.

Number of nominees: 7

Predictions:
Christine Baranski, “The Gilded Age”
Elizabeth Debicki, “The Crown”
Moeka Hoshi, “Shōgun”
Lesley Manville, “The Crown”
Audra McDonald, “The Gilded Age”
Fumi Nikaido, “Shōgun”
Cynthia Nixon, “The Gilded Age”

Watch out for: Greta Lee, “The Morning Show”; Kristin Scott Thomas, “Slow Horses”; Leslie Uggams, “Fallout”

Limited Series and Television Movies categories

Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in “Baby Reindeer” (Netflix)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
As TheWrap has pointed out before, it hardly seems fair for the Emmys to give the Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy Series categories a flat eight nominees regardless of the number of eligible shows, while forcing the limited series category to abide by the usual Emmy math that this year restricts the category to only five nominees. The category, after all, contains many of the most star-studded and high-profile programs on television, and pruning the field to only five will mean leaving out a significant amount of deserving work.

This year, you can start with these 15 limited series: “Baby Reindeer,” “Fargo,” “Lessons in Chemistry,” “Ripley,” “True Detective: Night Country,” “All the Light We Cannot See,” “Expats,” “Fellow Travelers,” “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” “A Gentleman in Moscow,” “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” “Masters of the Air,” “The Regime,” “The Sympathizer” and “Under the Bridge.” (And there’s plenty more than that.) The first five seem to be pretty clear favorites at this point, but it’s a shame that the category can’t accommodate any more than that.

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
“Baby Reindeer”
“Fargo”
“Lessons in Chemistry”
“Ripley”
“True Detective: Night Country”

Watch out for: “Fellow Travelers,” “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” “The Sympathizer”

Outstanding Television Movie
While limited series is more of a marquee category these days, the TV movie field includes the final film by William Friedkin, the one-time return of a series that received 18 Emmy nominations during its run and a movie about Pop Tarts by Jerry Seinfeld. The Friedkin film is “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” which premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival before going to Paramount+ and Showtime. The return of a beloved series is “Mr. Monk’s Last Case,” bringing back the detective that won Tony Shalhoub four Emmys. The Pop Tart flick is “Unfrosted,” which got a little less buzz than another comedy in the running, Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady” with Awkwafina and Sandra Oh.  

They’re up against some well-received films in Netflix’s “Scoop,” Amazon’s “Red, White & Royal Blue” and HBO’s “The Great Lillian Hall.” And even though the category seems skimpier than limited series, there won’t be room for all of them to land nominations.  

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
“The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial”
“Mr. Monk’s Last Case”
“Quiz Lady”
“Red, White & Royal Blue”
“Scoop”

Watch out for: “The Great Lillian Hall,” “Música,” “No One Will Save You”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Here we go again. Matt Bomer, Austin Butler, Jeff Daniels, Michael Douglas, Richard Gadd, Jon Hamm, Tom Hollander, Ewan McGregor, David Oyelowo, Andrew Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Hoa Xuande… Who are you going to leave out? Certainly not Gadd, Hamm, Scott or Bomer, who qualify as the leaders in a very tough field. It’s hard to imagine that Hollander’s channeling of Truman Capote won’t land him a nomination, too, but it’d also be a delicious pleasure to see newcomer Xuande get recognized for going toe-to-toe with Robert Downey Jr. in “The Sympathizer.”

This category is as brutally competitive as they come. We’re all going to be disappointed on nominations morning when we see who’s left out.

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
Matt Bomer, “Fellow Travelers”
Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”
Jon Hamm, “Fargo”
Tom Hollander, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”
Andrew Scott, “Ripley”

Watch out for: David Oyelowo, “Lawmen: Bass Reeves”; Tony Shalhoub, “Mr. Monk’s Last Case”; Hoa Zuande, “The Sympathizer”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Here’s another category in which voters will unavoidably leave out some formidable contenders; if our predictions are correct, those who are bypassed will include a quartet of Oscar winners in Nicole Kidman for “Expats,” Jessica Lange for “The Great Lillian Hall,” Kate Winslet for “The Regime” and Julianne Moore for “Mary & George.” Partly, that’s because they’re up against Oscar winners Jodie Foster for “True Detective: Night Country” and Brie Larson for “Lessons in Chemistry,” along with Juno Temple for “Fargo,” Naomi Watts for “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” and Sofía Vergara for “Griselda.”  

If Vergara falls out because her show didn’t get as much attention as the others, Kidman or Lange may be ready to take her place.

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
Jodie Foster, “True Detective: Night Country”
Brie Larson, “Lessons in Chemistry”
Juno Temple, “Fargo”
Sofía Vergara, “Griselda”
Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”

Watch out for: Nicole Kidman, “Expats”; Jessica Lange, “The Great Lillian Hall”; Kate Winslet, “The Regime”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Along with the supporting drama categories, the limited series supporting actor and actress categories will be the largest of this year’s acting slates, with seven nominees. They got there because this category had 161 entries, which is exactly the minimum number required to trigger a move from six to seven nominees. And while that probably doesn’t affect favorites like Robert Downey Jr. for “The Sympathizer,” Lewis Pullman for “Lessons in Chemistry” and Jonathan Bailey for “Fellow Travelers,” it’s good news for actors on the bubble. Those could include Johnny Flynn for “Ripley,” Tom Goodman-Hill for “Baby Reindeer,” Joe Keery for “Fargo,” Barry Keoghan for “Masters of the Air,” John Hawkes for “True Detective” and two posthumous contenders, Ron Cephas Jones for “Genius: MLK/X” and especially Treat Williams for “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.”

Emmy voters are not typically a sentimental lot, but we’re guessing that Williams makes the cut in the larger category.

Number of nominees: 7

Predictions:
Jonathan Bailey, “Fellow Travelers”
Robert Downey Jr., “The Sympathizer”
Johnny Flynn, “Ripley”
Tom Goodman-Hill, “Baby Reindeer”
Joe Keery, “Fargo”
Lewis Pullman, “Lessons in Chemistry”
Treat Williams, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”

Watch out for: John Hawkes, “True Detective: Night Country”; Ron Cephas Jones, “Genius: MLK/X”; Barry Keoghan, “Masters of the Air”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
This category includes a pair of strong contenders from “Under the Bridge,” Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough; two from “Baby Reindeer,” Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau; and seven different entries from “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” which could lead to some serious vote-splitting if Television Academy members can’t decide between Calista Flockhart, Diane Lane, Jessica Lange, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Chloë Sevigny and the real dark horse, Ella Beatty. Lane might have the edge unless Moore gets a boost from all that attention she received in Cannes, but there’s a real chance for a swan-free category here.

The long-running limited series “Fargo” and “True Detective” supplied two of the top contenders in Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kali Reis, respectively, while Dakota Fanning could slip in as the dominant female presence in “Ripley.”  

Number of nominees: 7

Predictions:
Dakota Fanning, “Ripley”
Lily Gladstone, “Under the Bridge”
Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer”
Riley Keough, “Under the Bridge”
Jennifer Jason Leigh, “Fargo”
Nava Mau, “Baby Reindeer”
Kali Reis, “True Detective: Night Country”

Watch out for: Aja Naomi King, “Lessons in Chemistry”; Diane Lane, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”; Sandra Oh, “Quiz Lady”

Variety and Reality categories

Alan Cumming in "The Traitors"
Alan Cumming in “The Traitors” (Euan Cherry/Peacock)

Outstanding Talk Series

The talk-series category has been very predictable over the years. Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel always get in, while Bill Maher and Jimmy Fallon fell out of favor years ago. Seth Meyers has made his way into the club, while “The Daily Show” took a hit when it lost Jon Stewart but regained its mojo under Trevor Noah. And new shows have a hard time getting in.

This year, though, may be different. Colbert and Kimmel seem to be the only sure things, with “The Daily Show” hurt by the fact that it had a series of post-Noah guest hosts but helped mightily by the presence of Stewart as one of those guests. “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” might be the rare first-year show that can crash the party, but “Hot Ones” has a shot as well. And, oh yeah, there were only 14 eligible shows this year, which means that the number of nominees is dropping from five to four.

Number of nominees: 4

Predictions:
“The Daily Show”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

Watch out for: “Hot Ones,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
This is a weird little category, with the emphasis on little. In recent years, it had so few entries that there were only two or three nominees: always “Saturday Night Live,” usually (the now-canceled) “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and, after it was shifted into this category last year, “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.” This year, though, had fewer than eight eligible programs, which means that the category was removed from Emmy ballots and turned over to a volunteer panel that will view all the submissions (“SNL,” “Last Week Tonight,” “After Midnight,” “Painting With John” and maybe nothing else) and vote yes or no on each one. A program must get 70% yes votes to be nominated, and there can’t be more than two nominees.

“SNL” and “Last Week Tonight” are both Emmy juggernauts, so it seems likely that they’ll both make the cut – especially since the threshold for a nomination was changed from 90% to 70% on the eve of voting this year.  

Number of nominees: 0, 1 or 2

Predictions:
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“Saturday Night Live”

Watch out for: Only one of those shows getting in

Outstanding Reality Competition Program
There is no category quite so devoted to the same small group of programs as this one, with only 13 different competition shows garnering all 80 nominations over the last 15 years. A few of those shows seem to have fallen out of favor: It’s been five years since “American Ninja Warrior” was nominated, eight since “Dancing With the Stars,” nine since “So You Think You Can Dance” and 13 since “American Idol.” But “Survivor” was nominated last year after a 16-year gap, so hope springs eternal.

This year’s contenders include a few strong newcomers — “The Golden Bachelor,” “Squid Game: The Challenge” and especially “The Traitors” — and a lot of familiar faces, including the four shows that have been nominated in every season in which they’ve been eligible for the last five years: “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “The Amazing Race,” “Top Chef” and “The Voice.”

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
“The Amazing Race”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Top Chef”
“The Traitors”
“The Voice”

Watch out for: “The Big Nailed It! Baking Challenge,” “The Golden Bachelor,” “Survivor”

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
RuPaul Charles has owned this category in recent years, with eight straight nominations and wins for “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” For the last four of those years, he’s been competing against the hosts of “Queer Eye,” who are in the running again this year; Nicole Byer from “Nailed It!,” who’s back with “The Nailed It! Baking Challenge”; and “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, who has exited that show but left Kristen Kish to contend in the category. Past nominees from “The Amazing Race,” “Shark Tank” and “Survivor” are also in the mix — but a category that typically rounds up the usual suspects is definitely going to have to make room for Alan Cumming’s virtuoso hissing as host of “The Traitors.”

Number of nominees: 5

Predictions:
Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness, “Queer Eye”
Nicole Byer, “The Big Nailed It! Baking Challenge”
RuPaul Charles, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
Alan Cumming, “The Traitors”
Kristen Kish, “Top Chef”

Watch out for: Phil Keoghan, “The Amazing Race”; “Shark Tank” hosts; Jeff Probst, “Survivor”

Tony Hale, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Cris Abrego reveal the nominees on Wednesday, July 17, at 8:30 a.m. EST. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards then air Sept. 15 on ABC.

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