We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2025 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 12 to June 23, with the official Emmy nominations announced Tuesday, July 15. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 18 and ends the night of August 27. The 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 14, and air live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.
The State of the Race
Is the best yet to come when it comes to this year’s field of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie Emmy contenders? April and May not only brings Netflix’s “Sirens,” starring Emmy winner Julianne Moore and recent Emmy nominee Meghann Fahy, but it also has Amazon Prime Video’s “The Better Sister” starring Emmy-nominated actress/producer Jessica Biel. Not to mention all the guest stars coming to the latest season of “Black Mirror,” including Rashida Jones, Emma Corrin, and Issa Rae.
That said, recent history has shown that it pays to have a head start in terms of being considered for awards. Hard to imagine that the multiple winter TV awards nominations don’t already put “Disclaimer” star Cate Blanchett and “The Penguin” star Cristin Milioti (a 2025 Critics Choice Award winner) top of mind when voters start discussing this category. To a lesser extent, “Out of My Mind” star Phoebe-Rae Taylor and “Lady in the Lake” star Natalie Portman have earned early awards buzz for their performances as well.
But if we’re thinking about how Television Academy members gravitate toward known quantities, the biggest contenders to note are “Long Bright River” star Amanda Seyfried, who won this category a couple years ago for her performance in “The Dropout,” and “Dying for Sex” star Michelle Williams, who won this category in 2019 for another FX limited series, “Fosse/Verdon.” The latter actress has especially gotten rave reviews that have arguably bumped her up to frontrunner status should voters give her cancer dramedy a watch.
Rounding out the main contenders are Renée Zellweger returning to her iconic, Oscar-nominated role in the straight-to-Peacock sequel “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” and Ellen Pompeo in “Good American Family,” her first major role outside of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
Jessica Biel, “The Better Sister” (Prime Video)
Cate Blanchett, “Disclaimer” (Apple TV+)
Lizzy Caplan, “Zero Day” (Netflix)
Viola Davis, “G20” (Prime Video)
Meghann Fahy, “Sirens” (Netflix)
Rashida Jones, “Black Mirror” (Netflix)
Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin” (HBO)
Julianne Moore, “Sirens” (Netflix)
Lola Petticrew, “Say Nothing” (FX)
Ellen Pompeo, “Good American Family” (Hulu)
Natalie Portman, “Lady in the Lake” (Apple TV+)
Amanda Seyfried, “Long Bright River” (Peacock)
Phoebe-Rae Taylor, “Out of My Mind” (Disney+)
Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex” (FX)
Renée Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” (Peacock)
More Limited Series and TV Movie Category Predictions:
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Outstanding TV Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 77th Emmy Awards.
Last Year’s Winner: Jodie Foster, “True Detective: Night Country”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: HBO is surprisingly pretty light on Limited Series contenders this time around, but having already won awards for her performance on “The Penguin,” actress Cristin Milioti has a good shot at helping the network start a winning streak in this category.
Notable Ineligible Series: Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney, “Echo Valley” (the film will not premiere in time to be eligible); Bryce Dallas Howard, “Deep Cover” (the film will not premiere in time to be eligible); Lily James, “Swiped” (the film will not premiere in time to be eligible); Claire Danes, “The Beast in Me” (the season will not air in time to be eligible).
