Since the Emmys switched from a ranked ballot to a popular vote in 2016, no performer has been able to win three Emmys for one show. But that could finally change this year with thus far four actors eligible to claim statuette No. 3 for their respective series: Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel“), Julia Garner (“Ozark”), Bill Hader (“Barry”) and Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live“).
Peter Dinklage of “Game of Thrones” and Julia Louis-Dreyfus of “Veep” are the only actors who came close to pulling off this feat and neither has another shot at completing it since “Thrones” and “Veep” aired their final seasons in 2019. Worth noting is that both actually won more than two Emmys total for their respective shows — Dinklage bagged four for “Thrones” and Louis-Dreyfus six for “Veep” — they just weren’t able to convert all three nominations they received under the popular vote system to victories. Dinklage won drama supporting actor for “Thrones” consecutively in 2018 and ’19 but had already fallen to Ben Mendelsohn (“Bloodline”) in ’16. Louis-Dreyfus, on other hand, nabbed back-to-back Best Comedy Actress statuettes straight out of the gate in 2016 and ’17 but was then bested by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) on her final go-round in ’19.
Two actors who’ve also been on the verge of accruing third victories for their respective series but either isn’t eligible or so far isn’t confirmed to be eligible this year are Claire Foy (“The Crown”) and Ron Cephas Jones (“This Is Us”). For her turn as Queen Elizabeth II on the Netflix drama series, Foy reaped three nominations, two in lead (2017-18) and one in guest (2021), winning lead in 2018 and guest. Jones also earned his four bids for “This Is Us” across two different categories, drama supporting actor (2017) and guest actor (2018-20), taking home trophies in the latter in 2018 and ’20. While Foy isn’t in the running this year with “The Crown” sitting out this cycle (and there is no confirmation that she will reprise her role once more in future installments of the series), Jones, though so far MIA, could still pop up in “This Is Us'” ongoing sixth and final season and be submitted, presumably, in guest. Should this happen and Jones snag a nom, he, as the most Emmy-rewarded “This Is Us” cast member who could benefit from a farewell hug from voters, might be in a perfect position to claim a third win for the show.
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Of the four aforementioned actors who are confirmed to be eligible, Borstein and McKinnon are the only ones who’ve already had a go — and in McKinnon’s case, multiple ones — at it. McKinnon won a pair of Best Comedy Supporting Actress Emmys for “SNL” in 2016 and ’17 before being dethroned by Borstein herself, who then nabbed two straight wins for “Maisel” in ’18 and ’19. Both lost to Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”) in 2020, and McKinnon fell to Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”) last year, when Borstein was ineligible. Both are expected to return to the comedy supporting actress lineup, according to our odds, in which Borstein sits in second place and McKinnon in fifth.
Whether one of them is able to triumph again will hinge largely on whether voters are willing to go back to the well, considering Jones is the only actor to so far bounce back from a loss under the popular vote system. But with comedy supporting actress most likely being a category of eight in which someone needs only around 13 percent of the vote to prevail, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for either of Borstein or McKinnon to follow in Jones’ footsteps.
Garner and Hader, meanwhile, are in a similar position as Louis-Dreyfus was in 2019, in that they’re looking to resume their winning streak after a break. They are 2 for 2 for “Ozark” and “Barry,” respectively, with Garner winning drama supporting actress in 2019 and ’20, and Hader, comedy actor in ’18 and ’19. Both are returning for the first time since their last victories. Garner is competing for the final season of “Ozark,” whose 14 episodes were divided into two parts, of which the first debuted on Netflix on Jan. 21 and the second will drop on April 29 — a release strategy that could give Garner a major boost. Currently in second place in our drama supporting actress odds, she will likely be one of the last contenders whose performance voters consider for her category before voting begins and, if Part 1 is anything to go by, she will have a ton of baity material to leave a lasting impression. She also doesn’t have to worry about facing off against last year’s winner, “The Crown’s” Gillian Anderson.
Hader, who’s in third place in the comedy actor odds, will probably have it a bit harder since he’s been absent longer and faces his category’s incumbent winner, Jason Sudeikis of reigning Best Comedy Series champ “Ted Lasso.” But the good news for him is that “Barry’s” third season, which premieres on April 24 on HBO, will be airing in the heart of Emmy season and could benefit from a hiatus-related renewed interest in the show.
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