2016 Emmy Predictions: Lead Actor in a Drama Series
[divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]
Lead Actor in a Drama Series is proving to be one of the more open categories this year. Despite Kevin Spacey (House of Cards) having three Emmy Experts list him at #1, the race feels far from over. House of Cards isn’t going to be a major winner this year but Spacey could benefit from being a multi-nominee that’s never won, much like what happened for Jon Hamm (Mad Men) last year.
The two spoilers for Spacey are first-time nominees. Rami Malek, the explosive new star of the huge freshman hit Mr. Robot (currently in its second season) and Matthew Rhys, enjoying the convergence of critics and Emmys as his show, The Americans, finally cracked the big show. With the voting process being popular vote it seems like it could lean Spacey’s way but his President Frank Underwood could feel a bit repetitive and almost boring compared to the insane antics going on in the actual current forum of U.S. politics. This is where Malek (a fresh face, a hip choice) or Rhys (submitting an episode he directed) could triumph.
The bottom three feel like just that, a bottom three. Despite being a clear 5th, I think if anyone was going to spoil the spoilers it would be Liev Schreiber. With getting that out of nowhere directing nomination he might be in a better place than Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) and certainly Kyle Chandler (Bloodline). Incidentally, all three of these lead actors have corresponding supporting actor nominations for their shows. For that matter, Spacey does as well. Only Malek does not, despite his co-star, Christian Slater, receiving a Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actor last year.
Here are the winner predictions from the Emmy Experts for Lead Actor in a Drama Series on August 31st.
Check out August 2016 Emmy Predictions for:
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Guest Actor and Actress in a Drama and Comedy Series
Plus, the updating Emmy charts here.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- ‘Wishful Thinking,’ ‘Over Your Dead Body’ Among 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Juried and Audience Award Winners - March 21, 2026
- Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More - March 20, 2026
- Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ - March 20, 2026
‘Wishful Thinking,’ ‘Over Your Dead Body’ Among 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Juried and Audience Award Winners 
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 144 – ‘A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger, 1946) with Special Guest Jesse Nussman 
Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More 
Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’