Screen Actors Guild Awards – Television: Will Emmy winners find love with SAG?

The good news for previous winners on the television side of the SAG Awards is that they LOVE to repeat themselves. Typically, it is rare for a show to receive nominations for its first season. Also, certain performers and/or series that still remain unseen are scarcely a part of my current predictions based on either they’re or the series past performance.

The Screen Actors Guild Award nominations won’t be announced till December 11^th but no need to wait that long to talk about who might get in. With roughly over two months to go, below are my EXTREMELY preliminary predictions. Please keep checking back for updates up to the day of the nominations announcement. Updates will be made as new shows air.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

The Crown

The Handmaid’s Tale

Game of Thrones 

Succession 

This Is Us

This Is Us will try to make it three in a row but will have to hold off Game of Thrones, which has yet to win this category in six previous nominations. 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Olivia Colman, The Crown

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve 

Lena Headey, Game of Thrones 

Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale

Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

It’s a safe bet to pencil in recent Oscar winner Colman for a nomination and parlaying her IOU into a first win. For Thrones, should any of their actresses receive a nomination it would make them competitive for the Ensemble prize that has eluded them so far.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

Brian Cox, Succession 

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones 

Billy Porter, Pose

Jeremy Strong, Succession 

Look out for Succession to make an appearance scoring a couple nominations for its much-praised second season after being completely ignored in its first season. Dinklage could be the dark horse to take the trophy home after winning a record-breaking fourth Emmy.  Porter, like many an Emmy winner, should land his first SAG nomination. 

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

Barry

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Modern Family 

Schitt’s Creek

Veep

Modern Family, with five previous wins, has more Ensemble wins than any other comedy or drama series. But if it’s going to have any chance at receiving a goodbye Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Series next year it will need to show up here first. Its last SAG appearance was in 2017.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Kristen Bell, The Good Place

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek

Bell needs to show up in this category if she’s going to have any chance of getting an Emmy nomination next year. And for O’Hara should she score a much deserved nomination lookout for her to possibly sneak off with the prize.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Ted Danson, The Good Place

Bill Hader, Barry

Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Henry Winkler, Barry

For both Danson and Levy a nomination and/or victory could propel the actor to frontrunner status for the Emmys next year.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

Toni Collette, Unbelievable

Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great 

Nicey Nash, When They See Us

Naomi Watts, The Loudest Voice

Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon 

Williams looks to score her first individual SAG Award win but will probably meet at least one or two of the actors past favorites.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy

Russell Crowe, The Loudest Voice

Jarred Harris, Chernobyl 

Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us

Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon

Jerome will once again be up against a who’s-who of actors. Will he be the favorite of the SAG Awards as he was at the Emmys?  

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

Game of Thrones 

GLOW

Stranger Things 

The Walking Dead

Watchmen

Regardless of who’s in the final five look for Thrones to win its eighth prize for stunts.

I know it’s not a category but it should be:

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Television Movie or Limited Series

Chernobyl

Fosse/Verdon

The Loudest Voice

Unbelievable

When They See Us

It’s a shame that the TV Movie/Limited Series do not have an Ensemble category but these I feel would be the five nominees.