2018 Emmy Awards: All the Drama Nominees

Game of Thrones is back, and ready to dominate at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards. After missing out on last year’s ceremony, the HBO series is back with a vengeance and ready to throw The Handmaid’s Tale off its perch.

After winning Outstanding Drama Series for seasons five and six, Game of Thrones was forced to sit out the 2017 Emmys because season seven aired out of the eligibility period. With no Westeros adventures standing in the way, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale stepped in and made history. The show was the first streaming series to take home the top drama prize.

This year’s drama awards will also get a big shake-up thanks to NBC’s This Is Us. This is the first time in years that a broadcast drama stands a serious chance at winning the top drama Emmy. It even has a shot at being the first broadcast drama to win the top drama prize since 24 in 2006. That was 12 years ago!

Before the Emmys kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 17 on NBC, scroll on to meet the drama nominees. You can click here to see the comedy nominees.

Photo credit: NBC

Outstanding Drama Series

Despite all the great television audiences can watch today, both on cable and streaming services, only seven shows are up for Outstanding Drama Series. Unlike the comedy categories, drama can be difficult to predict, especially when every nominee is critically acclaimed. This year, the Emmys have a chance to finally make up for all the years of ignoring The Americans by honoring for its last season. Or they could really throw things up an honor This Is Us. Game of Thrones might have the edge though, after an ambitious seventh season.

The Americans (FX)
The Crown (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
This Is Us (NBC)
Westworld (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown won this award last year, and aside from Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston, the Emmys do not have a recent history of handing out repeat wins. There is a history of honoring an actor at the last possible moment (cough – Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm – cough), so this might finally be Matthew Rhys’ year.

Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Ed Harris (Westworld)
Matthew Rhys (The Americans)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)
Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Elisabeth Moss has a chance to repeat here, but this is another opportunity for the Emmys to finally honor The Americans. This is Keri Russell’s third consecutive year up for the Lead Actress award. But Killing Eve‘s Sandra Oh could also make history. She is the first woman of Asian descent ever nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama. 

Claire Foy (The Crown)
Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)
Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Keri Russell (The Americans)
Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Peter Dinklage won this award in 2011 and has been nominated for every season of Game of Thrones since. In 2015, he finally won his second. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau gave a great performance this past season, too. David Harbour lost to The Crown‘s John Lithgow last year. He should win it this year though.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale)
David Harbour (Stranger Things)
Mandy Patinkin (Homeland)
Matt Smith (The Crown)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Ann Dowd won last year, beating returning nominees Thandie Newton and Millie Bobby Brown. Newton is doing incredible work on Westworld and deserves a win, but one of the three Handmaid’s Tale stars will likely triumph.

Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)
Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Vanessa Kirby (The Crown)
Thandie Newton (Westworld)
Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Last year, The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Reed Moreno made history as the first woman to win the Directing Emmy. Kari Skoglad is the only woman up for the award this year. However, she has to compete against two Game of Thrones episodes. Each episode of the series is as complex as a movie, and two directors have won for GOT episodes in the past. Alan Taylor’s directing for the epic “Beyond The Wall” episode should win.

Stephen Dalrdy – The Crown, “Paterfamilias” (Netflix)
Alan Taylor – Game of Thrones, “Beyond the Wall” (HBO)
Jeremy Podeswa – Game of Thrones, “The Dragon and the Wolf” (HBO)
Kari Skoglad – The Handmaid’s Tale, “After” (Hulu)
Jason Bateman – Ozark, “The Toll” (Netflix)
Daniel Sackheim – Ozark, “Tonight We Improvise” (Netflix)
The Duffer Brothers – Stranger Things, “Chapter Nine: The Gate” (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

If the Emmys want to finally give The Americans something, the Drama Writing award should be it. The episode nominated is “START,” the series finale, written by creator Jason Weisberg and Joel Fields. Last year’s winner, Bruce Miller, was nominated again. 

Joel Fields & Jason Weisberg – The Americans, “Start” (FX)
Peter Morgan – The Crown, “Mystery Man” (Netflix)
David Benioff & D.B. Weiss – Game of Thrones, “The Dragon and the Wolf” (HBO)
Bruce Miller – The Handmaid’s Tale, “June” (Hulu)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Killing Eve, “Nice Face” (BBC America)
The Duffer Brothers – Stranger Things, “Chapter Nine: The Gate” (Netflix)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

This award was presented at the Creative Arts Emmys.

F. Murray Abraham (Homeland)
Cameron Britton (Mindhunter)
Matthew Goode (The Crown)
WINNER – Ron Cephas Jones (This Is Us)
Gerald McRaney (This Is Us)
Jimmi Simpson (Westworld)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

This award was presented at the Creative Arts Emmys.

Viola Davis (Scandal)
Kelly Jenrette (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Cherry Jones (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones)
Cicely Tyson (How to Get Away With Murder)
WINNER – Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Creative Arts Emmy Winners

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series – The Crown (Netflix)
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour) – Stranger Things (Netflix)
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) – Game of Thrones (HBO)
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie – Game of Thrones (HBO)