Supporting Actress in Drama Predictions for Emmy Awards

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

It feels even more fair to say this year that the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series race is the most brutal acting category. “The White Lotus” Season 3 alone could fill all eight nomination slots, and there is an argument to be made that it’s deserved. Star Natasha Rothwell reprised the role she had already been nominated for after the first season, so voters might include her on their ballot. Aimee Lou Wood fulfills that breakout star slot that actresses like Sydney Sweeney and Meghann Fahy earned after their seasons of the HBO hit. And Parker Posey’s impressionable accent alone is sticky enough to keep her top of mind with TV Academy members. But the biggest question is if Carrie Coon, the presumed winner among her “The White Lotus” co-stars, will be joined by her scene partners Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan. Bibb has the edge, but for the sake of writing about other shows, we will hold off on calling them shoo-ins.

Especially when fellow HBO show “The Last of Us” has already hit the ground running, adding stars like Catherine O’Hara, Kaitlyn Dever, and Isabela Merced to the cast. Though HBO has worked hard to keep details of the video game adaptation under wraps, Season 2 opening on Dever means she’ll be a significant part of the season’s arc. Plus, she has been nominated before for her performance in the Emmy-winning limited series “Dopesick.”

“The Pitt” is technically a Max show, but it, too, is keeping the awards team under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella super busy with its ensemble. Stars Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif, Tracy Ifeachor, and Katherine LaNasa are all lesser known than the cast members of other major Drama Series contenders, but they play endearing characters on a show that continues to build an audience week after week, even after its first season has wrapped.

With all that said, hopefully Emmy voters are down to broaden their horizons and give credit to other networks and streaming services. That’s the case with “Severance,” which made a triumphant Season 2 return and became the all-time most-watched series on Apple TV+. Star Dichen Lachman got even more of a focus this time around, and with co-star Britt Lower elevated to lead and Patricia Arquette getting a standout showcase episode, the pair of actresses have the best chance of making the cut out of any non-HBO/Max shows.

And that detail is a little crazy when considering that outside these shows, the Supporting Actress in a Drama Series race is still chock full of former nominees, like “Yellowjackets” star Christina Ricci, and “The Handmaid’s Tale” star Yvonne Strahovski. Meanwhile, though Netflix is low on Drama Series contenders, with “Squid Game” Season 2 not reaching the impossible heights set by the premiere season, it’s hard to count out seven-time Primetime Emmy winner Allison Janney earning the streamer a nod as the newest addition to the hit series “The Diplomat.”

Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
Patricia Arquette, “Severance” (Apple TV+)
Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt” (Max)
Kaitlyn Dever, “The Last of Us” (HBO)
Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt” (Max)
Tracy Ifeachor, “The Pitt” (Max)
Allison Janney, “The Diplomat” (Netflix)
Dichen Lachman, “Severance” (Apple TV+)
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt” (Max)
Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise” (Hulu)
Parker Posey, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Christina Ricci, “Yellowjackets” (Showtime)
Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Yvonne Strahovski, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
Aimee Lou Wood, “The White Lotus” (HBO)

More Drama Category Predictions:
Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 77th Emmy Awards.

Last Year’s Winner: Elizabeth Debicki, “The Crown”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: Netflix is lighter on Supporting Actress in a Drama Series contenders this year, but one of its shows, “The Diplomat,” stars Allison Janney, who has won this specific Emmy category twice.
Notable Ineligible Series: Elizabeth Debicki and Lesley Manville, “The Crown” (ended); Nicole Beharie, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman, and Holland Taylor, “The Morning Show” (Season 4 is not eligible); Christine Baranski, “The Gilded Age” (Season 3 is not eligible)