2021 Emmys: The Limited Series/Television Movie Contenders

Tyler Doster April 29, 2021

The Limited Series categories are the most interesting categories at the Emmys as they, by nature, are different every single year. No matter the year, the Limited Series category hosts five unique visions that we only get to see for a season (unless it’s an anthology like American Horror Story).

HBO has won at the last two ceremonies for Outstanding Limited Series, for Chernobyl then Watchmen and will be looking for another win in the category this year with entries such as The Undoing and Mare of Easttown. They will also be submitting Michaela Coel’s series I May Destroy You and Russell T. Davies’ It’s a Sin to compete in the Limited Series categories as well.Netflix is looking to take the crown from HBO this year with their mega-hit and critically acclaimed limited series The Queen’s Gambit, starring Anya Taylor-Joy. The series has swept through the guilds and awards season over the past couple of months, earning plenty of accolades for the series, the writing, and Taylor-Joy herself. Amazon will also join the race with a couple of limited series from their streaming platform, including Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series and Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Colson Whitehead novel The Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad hasn’t premiered yet but will on May 14 and is expected to make waves in Emmy voting.

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Disney/Marvel will also enter the race this year with WandaVision, their 9 episode exploration into a superhero’s grief and trauma, and will surely attempt to capitalize on fan-favorite Kathryn Hahn’s recent success in the show. FX/Hulu will enter the race with A Teacher, Kate Mara surely to be campaigned in an already crowded Lead Actress category. Your Honor and The Good Lord Bird will represent Showtime at the ceremony, both having possible lead actor nominations in their futures.

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The voting for Emmy nominations begins on June 17 and goes through June 28. Emmy nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 13.

The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

By this point, everyone’s heard of The Queen’s Gambit. Staying on Netflix’s top 10 list for over 2 months after its premiere, it seems like everyone’s also seen the show. It’s a safe bet to assume that this marvelous show about chess, addiction and handling fame will be one to beat in Outstanding Limited Series. The real star of the show, though, is Anya Taylor-Joy, who gives an incredible performance as Beth Harmon, orphaned chess prodigy. Taylor-Joy has been sweeping awards, winning the Golden Globe, Critics Choice and SAG award for her performance. She’ll definitely be one to beat when it comes to the Leading Actress in a Limited Series. The series has won the USC Scripter Award and a WGA Award for Adapted Long Form and presumably will find its way into the writing category for limited series. The series also won a DGA award so it will also be likely that it’s a front contender for Directing for a Limited Series or TV Movie, but there is more competition there that hasn’t even come out yet (more on that later). Depending on how much the Television Academy wants to award the series, it could also in a nomination in the supporting actor category for limited series for Bill Camp, who earned a surprise SAG nomination for his performance in the series as Mr. Shaibel, the man who teaches Beth how to play chess. This series will be a major contender for Outstanding Limited Series, especially after sweeping all major awards and guilds in the last couple of months.

Small Axe (Amazon)

Steve McQueen’s masterful series of five films that document the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. All five films (Mangrove; Lovers Rock; Red, White and Blue; Alex Wheatle; Education) are comprised of different cast members, offering a couple of stellar leads to compete from. John Boyega has already taken home a Golden Globe for his performance in the film Red, White and Blue and will be a key competitor when it comes to the Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie category. Letitia Wright will also be competing but from a different film in the series, Mangrove, and could emerge in the Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie category as a dark horse. The series boasts direction from Oscar-winner Steve McQueen and will surely be a series to beat in the Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special category. Amazon will surely campaign the series hard and there’s a good chance it will end up also being nominated for Outstanding Limited Series.

I May Destroy You (HBO)

Michaela Coel’s HBO limited series about consent and power in contemporary life will surely be a heavy hitter at this year’s Emmys. The 12 episode series was a smash hit last summer on the network, coming on right after last year’s qualifying date at the Emmys. Perhaps the biggest award the series will be competing for is Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie with Michaela Coel’s pitch-perfect leading performance. Though being snubbed completely at the Golden Globes, the show’s Emmy chances are looking to be a bit better, especially after the actress snagged a SAG nomination for the show. The actress also earned a nomination at the Critics Choice awards, which also grabbed a nomination for the series itself for Best Limited Series. The series was also nominated at the NAACP Image Awards for Coel’s performance, writing and directing. Could this mean that it’s a contender at the Emmys? Potentially, especially for the writing of the show, which has earned much critical acclaim (especially the series finale, “Ego Death”). The series boasts great performances all around, and while they haven’t been nominated yet, look out for Weruche Opia and Paapa Essiedu in the supporting actress and actor categories, respectively. If the show garners enough love from the Television Academy, it could mean nominations for supporting performances as well.

The Underground Railroad (Amazon)

The only limited series to be mentioned on this list that has yet to premiere. From Barry Jenkins comes an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name. Following a young woman named Cora (newcomer Thuso Mbedu, in a breakout performance) attempting to break free from slavery, she discovers an actual railroad and secret network of tracks beneath the ground. The Amazon series has dropped a trailer that has already picked up a lot of notice. All 10 episodes of the series is being directed by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins and is surely to grab some attention for the show, as well as earn a nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special. It’s hard to deny the chances there or with the writing for the series, which is sure to be spectacular. The series will boast a great ensemble, with Mbedu and Joel Edgerton leading the cast as Cora and the sinister Ridgeway, respectively. The series also includes Aaron Pierre, Chase W. Dillon, William Jackson Harper, Lily Rabe, Damon Herriman, Sheila Atim and Amber Gray, so look for it to take up a good amount of space in the supporting performance categories, possibly taking up two slots for both actor and actress. Coming out right before Emmy eligibility ends, this limited series will be one to look out for when nomination day comes.

Mare of Easttown (HBO)

HBO’s second entry on this list just premiered on April 18 but is already generating buzz. The premiere episode drew in 1 million viewers across HBO and HBOMax and increased over 28% for episode two. The Emmys love a crime drama, and this murder mystery could be just the series they’re looking for. It’s tough to tell, though, with only a couple of episodes of the new series out, but with Kate Winslet leading the series, it’s sure to be something that catches the eye of Television Academy voters. The showrunner is Brad Ingelsby, the writer who wrote the films The Way Back (2020), Our Friend (2019) and Out of the Furnace (2013), so look for the series to be nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series when the time comes. The biggest push will probably be for leading lady Kate Winslet who has already won an Emmy before for another HBO limited series, Mildred Pierce (2011). This is a big category this year with aforementioned Anya Taylor-Joy and Michaela Coel also being pushed hard in the category. Look for Mare of Easttown to keep impressing viewers and, as long as it does, it will keep the train going until the day of nominations.

Other contenders:

The Undoing (HBO) – Possible nominations:

Outstanding Limited Series
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series/TV Movie
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Nicole Kidman
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Hugh Grant
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Donald Sutherland

WandaVision (Disney+) – Possible nominations:

Outstanding Limited Series
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Elizabeth Olsen
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Kathryn Hahn

The Good Lord Bird (Showtime) – Possible nominations:

Outstanding Limited Series
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series/TV Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Ethan Hawke
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Daveed Diggs
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Joshua Caleb Johnson

Your Honor (Showtime) – Possible nominations:

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series/TV Movie: Bryan Cranston

Photos courtesy of Amazon/Netflix/HBO

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Tyler Doster

Tyler is the TV Awards Editor for AwardsWatch and from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He’s been obsessed with movies and the oscars since he was about 14. He enjoys reading, but even more, talking about Amy Adams more and will, at any given moment, bring up her Oscar snub for Arrival. The only thing he spends more time on than watching TV is sitting on Twitter. If you ever want to discuss the movie Carol at length, he’s your guy. You can find Tyler at @wordswithtyler