Emmys 2021: Outstanding Limited Series — Our 7 Dream Nominees!

Last fall, Emmy's 2021 Limited Series contest was shaping up to be a duel between Queen's Gambit, I My Destroy You and The Undoing. But a funny thing happened in the roughly seven months that followed: The small screen churned out one superb mini after another, turning what has traditionally been something of a sleepy race into one of the year's most closely watched and hotly contested.

To get a sense of just how competitive the category is, look no further than our Dream Emmy short list.

Scroll through the list below to review all seven of our nominees (remember, these aren't predictions; they're wish lists) and then tell us if our picks warrant a "Hell, yes!," "Um, no" or "How could you leave off so-and-so?!"For the record, 2021 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 17-28, and unveiled on July 13. The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Sept. 19 on CBS.

Scroll down for links to our previous Dream Emmy categories:

Outstanding Drama Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Our 8 Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Our 8 Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Comedy Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — Our 7 Dream Nominees

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Not only did the almost-uncategorizable HBO series thrust into the spotlight a revelation — creator and star Michaela Coel, TVLine's Performer of 2020 — it kept us on edge and off-kilter for a dozen sublime episodes. Were we allowed to laugh during a show in which one character after another was raped? Did it want us to? And what were we to make of the whiplash-inducing shifts in tone? Even now, we're not sure. But we're still thinking about it. And any work of art that has stayed with us — haunted us, even — for a year-plus has more than earned acknowledgment, no?

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: A highly emotional and cathartic chronicle of London's gay community just as the AIDS crisis hit in the 1980s, HBO Max's miniseries nimbly sidestepped the grim pitfalls of similar stories by infusing joy and humor into it. The young cast, led by a remarkable Olly Alexander as brash actor Ritchie, formed a tight-knit ensemble that instantly felt like family, and when tragedy struck — as we knew it would — the storytelling soared to heart-wrenching heights.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Judged simply as a murder mystery, HBO's understated crime drama was a riveting watch, tossing clues and red herrings at us as we tried to solve the murder of young Erin McMenamin. But Mare was so much more than that: Powered by a magnificently layered performance from Kate Winslet as the titular detective, it painted a vividly realized portrait of a small town where the cops know the criminals — and every crime is personal.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Anya Taylor-Joy delivered one of the past year's very best performances, in a captivating story about a young woman's torrid love affair with... chess. Co-creator Scott Frank wrote and sumptuously directed all seven episodes of the Netflix limited series, in which scrappy orphan Beth Harmon plotted to rule a male-dominated sport, despite — or perhaps aided by? — a tranquilizer addiction. Add in an A-plus ensemble (led by Marielle Heller, Bill Camp and Thomas Brodie-Sangster), and you have a hugely satisfying binge that made no bad move.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins brought Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning slavery emancipation novel to life with breathtaking cinematography, gripping music and one of the most captivating and acclaimed casts on the small screen; standouts included South African newcomer Thuso Mbedu as Cora, Krypton's Aaron Pierre as Caesar, Joel Edgerton as Ridgeway Chase Dillon as Homer and The Good Place's William Jackson Harper as Royal. Jenkins also added a new character and fleshed out Mabel's (Sheila Atim) escape in this painfully honest but necessary examination of America's original sin.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: High-gloss thrillers don't get any slicker and more gripping than HBO's six-episode limited series about a wealthy, obscenely entitled family whose seemingly quintessential existence detours into dumpster-fire territory. Hauntingly directed by Susanne Bier, tightly paced by David E. Kelley and boasting sensational performances from leads Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, The Undoing managed to pull off the rare whodunit trifecta: It was emotionally resonant, supremely addictive and, most importantly, fun.

WHY IT DESERVES A NOD: Genre shows often go unrecognized at the Emmys, but here's hoping Disney+'s inaugural Marvel Studios series is an exception to the rule. As it delivered spot-on recreations of beloved sitcoms — and deftly navigated the wildly different tones of each decade — WandaVision remained rooted in Wanda Maximoff's all-consuming grief, giving the character depth and complexity that Elizabeth Olsen brought to life with stunning range. And though there were fun surprises along the way for devoted MCU fans, the show's genre-bending storytelling and poignant depiction of Wanda's sorrow made it Emmy-worthy in any universe.