The nominations for the 2022Primetime Emmy Awardshave been unveiled. As expected, there are a few familiar front-runners leading the pack, while some of streaming’s most successful series of the past year have earned themselves an impressive number of nominations. A name noticeably absent from this year’s list for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series is Sterling K. Brown, who has been nominated for his role as Randall Pearson in NBC’sThis is Usfor the past 4 years. In fact, for the first time since 2017,This is Usdoesn’t have an actor nominated in the lead drama category.
The series with the highest number of nominations at this year’sPrimetime Emmy Awardsis HBO’sSuccession,which includes two nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series. With two actors in the running to take home the Emmy,Successionmakes up one-third of the nomination pool. The HBO series will see competition from Netflix’sOzarkandSquid Game,Apple TV’sSeverance,and AMC’sBetter Call Saul. Which actor will be able to celebrate their Emmy win this September?
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Jason Bateman -Ozark
Jason Bateman has scored another Emmy nomination for his role as Marty Byrde in the Netflix thriller,Ozark.Bateman has been nominated for hisOzarkrolethree previous times in this category. In 2005 and 2013, Bateman was nominated in the category for his role inArrested Development. Unfortunately, Bateman has been unable to capture the award in any of his previous five nominations. In 2020, he successfully captured an Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series forOzark.Despite the series having aired its final season earlier this year, Bateman’s chance of scoring an Emmy for hisOzarkperformance will likely follow in the previous years’ footsteps.
Brian Cox -Succession
This marks Brian Cox’s fourth Emmy nomination and his second in the category for Lead Drama Actor. Cox was previously nominated in 2020 for his roleas Logan Roy inSuccession,and his performance has continued to shine. Cox previously took home an Emmy in 2001 for Best Supporting Actor inNuremberg,and he was nominated the following year for Best Guest Actor. This year, Cox looks to have better luck in capturing the Emmy for hisSuccessionrole as the patriarch of the Roy family. However, Cox will once again see stiff competition in hisSuccessionco-star, Jeremy Strong, who won the Emmy in 2020.
Lee Jung-Jae -Squid Game
The Primetime Emmys will be awarded nearly a year afterSquid Gamegained international success following its Netflix release. Lee Jung-Jae will add Primetime Emmy nominee to his list of accolades after receiving a nomination for his role as Seong Gi-hun (no. 456) inSquid Game. Earlier this year, Jung-Jae was nominated for a Golden Globe for hisSquid Gamerole, though he did not ultimately take home the award. Jung-Jae will also return forSquid Game’ssecond season, meaning his luck with American Award ceremonies may have better luck a second time around.
Bob Odenkirk -Better Call Saul
Bob Odenkirk has earned his fifth nomination forhis role as Saul Goodman / Jimmy McGillin AMC’sBetter Call Saul. Odenkirk has been nominated in this category in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019, though he has always been unable to take home the award. Despite his lack of success at the Emmys, Odenkirk’s role has become one of the most beloved and memorable characters on television, having made his first appearance in the hit-AMC seriesBreaking Bad.Better Call Saulis currently in its final season and Odenkirk looks to change his luck at the Emmys this year.
Adam Scott -Severance
LikeSquid Game, Severanceis a new television sensation that is making its first appearance at the Emmy Awards. Despite having a number of memorable roles, this is Adam Scott’s first Primetime Emmy nomination. Scottplays Mark Scout in the Apple TV serieswhere he voluntarily undergoes a procedure to sever his personal and work memories. The series has become the subject of vast critical acclaim, and Scott’s performance has been no different. Despite being a first-time nominee, Scott could very well capture the Emmy for Best Lead Drama Actor.
Jeremy Strong -Succession
Of this year’s Emmy nominees, Jeremy Strong is the only one to have won in this category before. Back in 2020, Strong earned his first Emmy nomination for his role asKendall Roy in HBO’sSuccessionand won. At the 2022 Golden Globe Awards, Strong took home the award for Best Drama Performance in a TV Series, beating out his fellow Emmy nominees Lee Jung-Jae and Brian Cox. Strong should be considered a heavy favorite to win the Emmy for a second time this year.
Who Will Win?
Despite the noticeably absent names on this year’s list of nominees, the Emmy will still go to a deserving performance, no matter who takes home the award. Despite the success of bothSquid GameandBetter Call Saul,Jung-Jae and Odenkirk aren’t very likely to capture the Emmy. The front-runners of this year’s Lead Actor race are Scott and Strong, though Bateman or Cox could be a surprise winner, snagging the award that has escaped them in previous years.
The winners of the2022 Primetime Emmy Awardswill be announced on July 17, 2025.
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