Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE EMMYS COLLECTIVEVisit each category, per the individual awards show from THE EMMYS HUBTo see old predictions and commentary, click the EMMY PREDICTIONS ARCHIVESFor film awards predictions go toTHE OSCARS HUB
UPDATED: June 22, 2022
2022 EMMYS PREDICTIONS:
OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY:
The strategy for networks submitting pilot episodes for inaugural seasons has proven to be successful at the Primetime Emmys over the last few years, most recently with HBO’s “Hacks” won last year over Apple’s “Ted Lasso” (which was nominated for the pilot, along with two other episodes).
The freshman series such as “Abbott Elementary” has its first episode in play by Randall Einhorn, and the season’s best episode, “Ava vs. Superintendent,” directed by Matthew A. Cherry.
Christopher Miller chose not to go the pilot route, choosing the musical episode “Yasper” as his submission, which is the smarter choice.
This year, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out with a program like Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” which has put up two entries – “True Crime” (the pilot episode by Jamie Babbit) and the iconic “The Boy from 6B” (helmed by Cherien Dabis).
Other feasible possibilities include Sterlin Harjo’s “Reservation Dogs” and Trent O’Donnell’s “Ghosts” that could make a big splash.
Jean Smart and Hannah Eindbinder start in ‘Hacks’ Season 2 for HBO Max. Photos by Karen Ballard
Photo by Karen Ballard/HBO Max
It helps that some of the big returning Emmy players like “Barry” and “Hacks” put up one episode each this year. Unfortunately, “Ted Lasso” opted for four entries, and it’s still a mystery whether they can land multiple entries once again. Its best shot seems to be with Declan Lowney’s episode “Inverting the Pyramid of Success.”
The finales of shows are also likely striking the nostalgia notes with Anton Cropper’s “Homegoing” episode of ABC’s “Black-ish” and Prentice Penny’s “Everything Gonna Be, Okay?” from HBO’s “Insecure.”
Speaking of swan songs, with “Saved by the Bell” being canceled by Peacock, the streamer has submitted Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s directed episode of “The Gift,” which saw Jessie trying to convince Kelly to apply to medical school and take the MCATs. How heartwarming would it be to see Zack Morris get some Emmy love for the outgoing reboot series? We’ve seen crazier things happen on nomination morning.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Emmys Predictions Hub.
The nomination round of voting runs from June 16 to June 27. The official nominations for the 74th Emmy Awards will be announced Tuesday, July 12.
The list of programs and potential nominees listed below is incomplete and is subject to change. The complete television awards season calendar is linked here.
2021 category winner: Lucia Aniello for the episode “There Is No Line” from “Hacks” (HBO/HBO Max)
ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:
| AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | SERIES | NOMINEE(S) | EPISODE | NETWORK |
| 1 | “Only Murders in the Building” | Cherien Dabis | “The Boy from 6B” | Hulu |
| 2 | “Hacks” | Lucia Aniello | “There Will Be Blood” | HBO/HBO Max |
| 3 | “Barry” | Bill Hader | “710N” | HBO/HBO Max |
| 4 | “Ted Lasso” | Declan Lowney | “Inverting the Pyramid of Success” | Apple TV+ |
| 5 | “Only Murders in the Building” | Jamie Babbit | “True Crime” | Hulu |
| 6 | “The Afterparty” | Christopher Miller | “Yasper” | Apple TV+ |
| 7 | “Abbott Elementary” | Matthew A. Cherry | “Ava vs. Superintendant” | ABC |
| NEXT IN LINE | ||||
| 8 | “Ted Lasso” | MJ Delaney | “No Weddings and a Funeral” | Apple TV+ |
| 9 | “Black-ish” | Anton Cropper | “Homegoing” | ABC |
| 10 | “Abbott Elementary” | Randall Einhorn | “Pilot” | ABC |
| OTHER TOP-TIER CONTENDERS | ||||
| 11 | “Ghosts” | Trent O’Donnell | “Pete’s Wife” | CBS |
| 12 | “Ted Lasso” | Sam Jones | “Beard After Hours” | Apple TV+ |
| 13 | “Reservation Dogs” | Sterlin Harjo | “Hunting” | FX |
| 14 | “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” | Amy Sherman-Palladino | “How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?” | Amazon Prime Video |
| 15 | “Insecure” | Prentice Penny | “Everything Gonna Be, Okay? | HBO/HBO Max |
| 16 | “And Just Like That…” | Michael Patrick King | “Hello It’s Me” | HBO/HBO Max |
| 17 | “Hawkeye” | Bert & Bertie | “Echoes” | Disney+ |
| 18 | “Grace and Frankie” | Marta Kauffman | “The Beginning” | Netflix |
| 19 | “The Flight Attendant” | Pete Chatmon | “Drowning Women” | HBO/HBO Max |
| 20 | “Dave” | Alma Kar’el | “Dave” | FX |
| ALSO IN CONTENTION | ||||
| 21 | “Pen15” | Maya Erskine | “Yuki” | Hulu |
| 22 | “Better Things” | Pamela Adlon | “We Are Not Alone” | FX |
| 23 | “Blindspotting” | Rafael Casal | “Bride Or Die” | Starz |
| 24 | “Hawkeye” | Rhys Thomas | “Never Meet Your Heroes” | Disney+ |
| 25 | “Our Flag Means Death” | Taika Waititi | “Pilot” | HBO/HBO Max |
| 26 | “Atlanta” | Hiro Murai | “New Jazz” | FX |
| 27 | “Somebody Somewhere” | Jay Duplass | “Tee-Tee Pa-Pah” | HBO/HBO Max |
| 28 | “The Righteous Gemstones” | Danny McBride | “As to How They Might Destroy Him” | HBO/HBO Max |
| 29 | “Welcome to Flatch” | Paul Feig | “Pilot” | |
| 30 | “Saved by the Bell” | Mark-Paul Gosselaar | “The Gift” | Peacock |
| UNRANKED CONTENDERS | ||||
| — | “Acapulco” | Richard Shepard | “Pilot” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “After Life” | Ricky Gervais | “Episode 6” | Netflix |
| — | “American Auto” | Jeffrey Blitz | “Commercial” | NBC |
| — | “And Just Like That…” | Cynthia Nixon | “Diwali” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Atypical” | Michael Medico | “Dessert at Olive Garden” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Atypical” | Robia Rashid | “Magical Bird #2” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” | Andrew McCarthy | “Don’t F*ck with Grandmas” | Comedy Central |
| — | “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” | Jordan Kim | “Home” | Comedy Central |
| — | “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” | Steve Tsuchida | “Never Too Old” | Comedy Central |
| — | “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” | Bill Benz | “Nora Meets Brenda” | Comedy Central |
| — | “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” | Laura Murphy | “Stop! Nora Time” | Comedy Central |
| — | “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” | BD Wong | “Tales from the Blackout” | Comedy Central |
| — | “B Positive” | James Widdoes | “Bagels, Billiards, And a Magic Show” | NBC |
| — | “B Positive” | Phill Lewis | “A Dishwasher, a Fire and a Remote Control” | NBC |
| — | “Back to Life” | Ella Jones | “Episode 1” | |
| — | “Black Monday” | Tiffany Johnson | “Eight!” | Showtime |
| — | “Black Monday” | Payman Benz | “One!” | Showtime |
| — | “Black-ish” | Iona Morris Jackson | “If a Black Man Cries in the Woods” | ABC |
| — | “Breeders” | Chris Addison | “No Body” | FX |
| — | “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” | Linda Mendoza | “The Last Day, Pt. 1” | NBC |
| — | “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” | Claire Scanlon | “The Last Day, Pt. 2” | NBC |
| — | “Bust Down” | Richie Keen | “Won’t He Do It” | |
| — | “Call Me Kat” | Michele Azenzer Bear | “Call Me Irresponsible” | Fox |
| — | “Call Me Kat” | Anthony Rich | “Call Me Shellfish” | Fox |
| — | “Cobra Kai” | Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg | “First Learn Stand” | Netflix |
| — | “Cobra Kai” | Josh Heald | “The Rise” | Netflix |
| — | “Curb Your Enthusiasm” | Jeff Schaffer | “The Watermelon” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Dave” | Tayarisha Poe | “The Observer” | FX |
| — | “Dear White People” | Justin Simien | “Chapter X” | Netflix |
| — | “Dickinson” | Silas Howard | “A Little Madness in the Spring” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Dickinson” | Keith Powell | “Sang from the Heart, Sire” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Dickinson” | Alena Smith | “This Was a Poet” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Emily in Paris” | Andrew Fleming | “French Revolution” | Netflix |
| — | “Emily in Paris” | Jennifer Arnold | “Champagne Problems” | Netflix |
| — | “Feel Good” | Luke Snellin | “Episode 4” | |
| — | “Flatbush Misdemeanors” | Nefertite Nguvu | “Lakay” | Showtime |
| — | “Gentefied” | Marvin Lemus | “No Human is Illegal” | |
| — | “Gentefied” | America Ferrera | “Sangiving” | |
| — | “Girls5eva” | Jeff Richmond | “Album Mode” | Peacock |
| — | “Girls5eva” | Kimmy Gatewood | “Tour Mode” | Peacock |
| — | “Grace and Frankie” | Kelly Park | “The Horrible Family” | Netflix |
| — | “Grand Crew” | Melissa Fumero | “Wine & Hip Hop” | |
| — | “Grand Crew” | Jarrett Lee Conaway | “Wine & Pie” | |
| — | “Grand Crew” | Cortney Carrillo | “Wine & Vineyards” | |
| — | “Harlem” | Neema Barnette | “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” | Amazon Prime Video |
| — | “Home Economics” | Matt Sohn | “Bottle Service, $800 Plus Tip (25% Suggested)” | ABC |
| — | “Home Economics” | Dean Holland | “Box of King-Size Candy Bars, $48.99 | ABC |
| — | “Home Economics” | Giovani Lampassi | “Workout Leggings $29” | ABC |
| — | “How I Met Your Father” | Pamela Fryman | “Timing is Everything” | Hulu |
| — | “I Love That for You” | Michael Showalter | “Gottahaveit” | Showtime |
| — | “iCarly” | Nathan Kress | “iCan Fix It Myself” | Paramount+ |
| — | “Insecure” | Melina Matsoukas | “Reunited, Okay?” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” | Megan Ganz | “The Gang’s Still in Ireland” | FX |
| — | “Johnson” | Deju LaRay | “Brotherly Love” | |
| — | “Julia” | Charles Mcdougall | “Omelette” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Julia” | Melanie Mayron | “Boeuf Bourguignon” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Kenan” | Charles Stone III | “Christmas Show” | NBC |
| — | “Kenan” | Kenny Smith | “Moving Violation” | NBC |
| — | “Killing It” | Mo Marable | “Pilot” | Peacock |
| — | “Killing It” | Michael Weaver | “The Storm” | Peacock |
| — | “Life and Beth” | Amy Schumer | “MRI” | Hulu |
| — | “Love, Victor” | Jason Ensler | “Close Your Eyes” | Hulu |
| — | “MacGruber” | Jorma Taccone | “A Good Day to Die” | Peacock |
| — | “MacGruber” | John Solomon | “Havencroft” | Peacock |
| — | “Made for Love” | Nathaniel Goodman | “Another Byron, Another Hazel” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Made for Love” | Daisy von Scherler Mayer | “I Have a Rotting Finger” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Minx” | Rachel Lee Goldenberg | “Not Like a Shvantz Right in the Face” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Mr. Corman” | Joseph Gordon-Levitt | “Mr. Corman” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Mr. Inbetween” | Nash Edgerton | “I’m Not Leaving” | |
| — | “Mr. Mayor” | David Miller | “Titi B.” | NBC |
| — | “Murderville” | Brennan Shroff | “Triplet Homicide” | Netflix |
| — | “Murderville” | Iain K. Morris | “Most Likely to Commit Murder” | Netflix |
| — | “Mythic Quest” | Todd Biermann | “Juice Box” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Never Have I Ever” | Lang Fisher | “…been a perfect girl” | Netflix |
| — | “Never Have I Ever” | Kabir Akhtar | “…thrown a rager” | Netflix |
| — | “Our Flag Means Death” | Andrew Deyoung | “Wherever You Go, There You Are” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Peacemaker” | James Gunn | “It’s Cow or Never” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Physical” | Craig Gillespie | “Let’s Do This Thing” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Physical” | Liza Johnson | “Let’s Get Political” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Physical” | Stephanie Laing | “Let’s Take This Show on the Road” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Reno 911!” | David Lincoln | “Defunded” | |
| — | “Resident Alien” | Lea Thompson | “An Alien in New York” | Syfy |
| — | “Resident Alien” | Robert Duncan McNeill | “Old Friends” | Syfy |
| — | “Run the World” | Millicent Shelton | “Phenomenal Women” | |
| — | “Russian Doll” | Natasha Lyonne | “Nowhen” | Netflix |
| — | “Russian Doll” | Alex Buono | “Station to Station” | Netflix |
| — | “Schmigadoon!” | Barry Sonnenfeld | “Suddenly” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “Search Party” | Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers | “Revelation” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “Shining Vale” | Liz Friedlander | “Chapter Eight – We Are Phelps” | Starz |
| — | “Shining Vale” | Alethea Jones | “Chapter Five – The Squirrel Knew” | Starz |
| — | “Shining Vale” | Catriona McKenzie | “Chapter Four – So Much Blood” | Starz |
| — | “Shining Vale” | Dearbhia Walsh | “Chapter One – Welcome to Case de Phelps” | Starz |
| — | “Sort Of” | Renuka Jeyapalan | “Sort Of a Party” | |
| — | “Sort Of” | Fab Filippo | “Sort Of Gone” | |
| — | “South Side” | Michael Blieden | “Turner’s and Brenda’s Day Off” | |
| — | “Space Force” | Ken Kwapis | “The Chinese Delegation” | Netflix |
| — | “Starstruck” | Jamie Jay Johnson | “Housewarming” | |
| — | “Starstruck” | Karen Maine | “Spring” | |
| — | “Tacoma FD” | Kevin Heffernan | “Fire at the Fire Station” | truTV |
| — | “Tacoma FD” | Steve Lemme | “Pickleball” | truTV |
| — | “Ted Lasso” | Erica Dunton | “Rainbow” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “The Baby | Nicole Kassell | “The Arrival” | |
| — | “The Chair” | Daniel Gray Longino | “The Last Bus in Town” | Netflix |
| — | “The Conners” | Jody Margolin Hahn | “A Judge and a Priest Walk into a Living Room…” | ABC |
| — | “The Conners” | Lynda Tarryk | “Three Ring Circus” | ABC |
| — | “The Flight Attendant” | Silver Tree | “Seeing Double” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “The Game” | Peter O’Fallon | “Reshuffling the Deck” | |
| — | “The Garcias” | Carlos González | “Back to the Roots” | Netflix |
| — | “The Garcias” | Mickey Cevallos | “The Compromise” | Netflix |
| — | “The Garcias” | Jeff Valdez | “Never a Dull Moment” | Netflix |
| — | “The Goldbergs” | Lew Schneider | “The Goldbergs’ Excellent Adventure” | ABC |
| — | “The Great” | Colin Bucksey | “Heads It’s Me” | Hulu |
| — | “The Great” | Matthew Moore | “A Simple Jape” | Hulu |
| — | “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” | Daniel Palladino | “Ethan…Esther…Chaim” | Amazon Prime Video |
| — | “The Ms. Pat Show” | Kim Fields | “Don’t Eat That Sh*t” | BET |
| — | “The Ms. Pat Show” | Debbie Allen | “Pilot: Duck” | BET |
| — | “The Ms. Pat Show” | Mary Lou Belli | “Baby Daddy Groundhog Day” | BET |
| — | “The Neighborhood” | Cedric the Entertainer | “Welcome to the Dream Girls” | CBS |
| — | “The Other Two” | Chris Kelly | “Pat Connects with Her Fans” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “The Outlaws” | Stephen Merchant | “Episode 2” | Amazon Prime Video |
| — | “The Pentaverate” | Tim Kirkby | “Episode 6” | Netflix |
| — | “The Righteous Gemstones” | Jody Hill | “I Will Tell of All Your Friends” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “The Righteous Gemstones” | David Gordon Green | “Interlude II” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “The Sex Lives of College Girls” | Lila Neugebauer | “I Think I’m a Sex Addict” | HBO/HBO Max |
| — | “The Wonder Years” | Fred Savage | “Pilot” | ABC |
| — | “The Wonder Years” | Ken Whittingham | “Goose Grease” | ABC |
| — | “Trying” | Jim O’Hanlon | “I’m Scared” | Apple TV+ |
| — | “United States of Al” | Mark Cendrowski | “Promises/Wadaha” | CBS |
| — | “We Are Lady Parts” | Nia Manzoor | “Play Something” | Channel 4 |
| — | “Welcome to Flatch” | Catalina Aquilar Mastretta | “Ghosted” | |
| — | “What We Do in the Shadows” | Yana Gorskaya | “The Wellness Center” | FX |
| — | “Why Women Kill” | Larry Shaw | “Dangerous Intruder” | |
| — | “Why Women Kill” | David Warren | “Secret Beyond the Door” | |
| — | “With Love” | Meera Menon | “Nochebuena” | Amazon Prime Video |
| — | “Woke” | Maurice “Mo” Marable | “A Knight in the Park” | Hulu |
| — | “Wolf Like Me” | Abe Forstyhe | “Episode 5” | Peacock |
| — | “Work in Progress” | Yance Ford | “FTP” | |
| — | “Young Rock” | Nahnatchka Khan | “A Christmas Peril” | NBC |
| — | “Young Rock” | Jeffrey Walker | “Kiss and Release” | NBC |
2022 Primetime Emmy Awards Predictions
2022 Creative Arts Emmys Predictions
About the Primetime Emmy Awards (Emmys)
The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known as the Emmys, are given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Since 1949, the awards have recognized excellence in American primetime television programming. They are divided into three classes – Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (honors artisan achievements), and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards (recognizes significant engineering and technological contributions). The typical eligibility period is between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. The Television Academy comprises over 25,000 members, representing 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors and various artisans and executives.
- The 74th Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, Sept. 12, and air on NBC.