2024 Emmys: Christopher Lloyd (‘Hacks’) Could Become the Oldest Comedy Guest Actor Winner Ever

With three wins on three career nominations, Christopher Lloyd is an unimpeachable Emmy favorite. This year, with his fourth nomination, this time in Comedy Guest Actor for his hilarious turn on Hacks, Lloyd on the cusp of extending his streak to four-for-four – and making some Emmy history in the process.

Lloyd hasn’t surfaced at the Emmys in more than three decades, since 1992, when he scored the Drama Lead Actor prize for his turn as oddball actor Alistair Dimple on Road to Avonlea. Lloyd’s prior two wins arrived in Comedy Supporting Actor for his scene-stealing work as the Reverend Jim “Iggy” Ignatowski on Taxi.

This season’s seventh episode of Hacks, “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular,” finds Lloyd portraying the eccentric Larry Arbuckle, the grandson and last surviving descendant of legendary silent film star Fatty Arbuckle. Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla (Megan Stalter) vie to win over Larry so they can score to the rights to his grandfather’s story for a film biopic – a goal that proves decidedly challenging.

Should Lloyd prevail, 85, he will become the oldest actor to score the Comedy Guest Actor Emmy, edging out Bob Newhart, who recently passed away at the age of 94, took home this prize for The Big Bang Theory at 84.

What are the odds Lloyd pulls this off? Let’s take a look at the very competitive race for Comedy Guest Actor.

It’s a field of familiar faces from the Emmys. Jon Bernthal is back with a second consecutive Comedy Guest Actor bid for his turn on The Bear. Also up for the show are Bob Odenkirk, a nominee for 13 Emmys over the past decade for his work as star and producer of Better Caul Saul, and Will Poulter, recently a Limited Series Supporting Actor for Dopesick. Matthew Broderick, last an Emmy nominee 30 years ago, in Limited Series Supporting Actor for A Life in the Theatre, is back for his turn on Only Murders in the Building. There’s just one first-time Emmy nominee here – Ryan Gosling, for his stint hosting Saturday Night Life.

With 23 nominations this year – the most of any comedy – The Bear is destined for a healthy showing in terms of wins, and that could certainly extend to this category. Voters appear particularly fond of the episode “Fishes,” a nominee for both Comedy Directing and Comedy Writing, for which Bernthal and Odenkirk are recognized. In terms of screen time, it’s a bit more of a showcase for Bernthal than Odenkirk – however, the latter cannot be counted out, particularly if voters wish to make up for his extensive Better Call Saul losing streak. Voters not keen on the chaos of “Fishes” could take more of a liking to the quieter performance of Poulter in The Bear’s “Honeydew.”

If voters struggle to decide among The Bear trio, another contender may emerge triumphant. That alternative could well be Gosling, who’s had a gangbusters past year with the smashing success of Barbie, plus positive notices for The Fall Guy to boot. His SNL appearance earned raves, with a Beavis and Butt-Head skit going instantly viral. There’s more reason to think Gosling could pull this off – since 2009, when SNL hosts became eligible for guest acting consideration, there have been 14 years with a host nominated for Comedy Guest Actor. On half of these occasions, seven times, a SNL host has prevailed. One potential hurdle for Gosling – with the exception of Justin Timberlake, the Comedy Guest Actor winners from SNL have all been comedians (Jimmy Fallon, Dave Chappelle and Eddie Murphy). The likes of Pedro Pascal, Daniel Kaluuya, Dan Levy, Adam Driver, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Robert De Niro, among others, were nominated for SNL hosting stints but did not triumph.

If there’s a category longshot, it’s perhaps Broderick, portraying a heightened version of himself on Only Murders in the Building – but he too cannot be entirely discounted. The series received a whopping 21 Emmy nominations this year, up from 11 last year, and Nathan Lane scored this prize for the show in 2022. If love for the series proves potent in terms of wins, it’s possible Broderick rides the wave to victory.

Last but hardly least, there’s Lloyd, vying to extend and protect that perfect Emmy record. He is a beloved character actor who has worked with countless folks in the industry over the past five decades. Reviews for his guest turn were terrific, the show itself sports an impressive 17 nominations overall and just two years ago, another iconic character actor/Emmy favorite, Laurie Metcalf, triumphed for guest acting on Hacks.

In the end, this feels like a category anyone could win. Perhaps Bernthal or Gosling enters as the slightly safest bet but the path for Lloyd is very much there – and he would make for a wonderful winner. 

Christopher Lloyd is Emmy-nominated in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for the episode “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular” of Hacks.

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Andrew Carden

Andrew Carden is a contributing writer at Gold Derby and writes about all things Oscar on his blog, The Awards Connection. When he’s not on Twitter, lamenting Thelma Ritter’s 0-for-6 record in Best Supporting Actress, Andrew works in Massachusetts politics.

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