Emmys 2021: Lead Actor In A Limited Series — Our 6 Dream Nominees!

By Team TVLine June 9, 2021 9:30 am EST

Courtesy of HBO; FX; Disney+

The awards prognosticators over at our sister pub GoldDerby believe this Emmy category is Ethan Hawke's to lose. And while the actor's transformational performance in the Showtime mini The Good Lord Bird will undoubtedly earn him an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie nod, our kudos-themed crystal ball is giving WandaVision co-lead Paul Bettany the edge.

One thing is certain: Both actors absolutely deserve to be in the running this year, as evidenced by their inclusion on our Dream Emmy short list.

Scroll through the list below to review all six of our Dream 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:

OLLY ALEXANDER, IT'S A SIN

Courtesy of HBO Max

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: HBO Max's grandly emotional miniseries brought together a terrific ensemble of young talent to play a tight-knit group of friends in 1980s London, but the clear standout was Alexander as defiantly flamboyant actor Ritchie. Brimming with youthful rebellion, Ritchie refused to curb his promiscuous lifestyle even as the AIDS crisis got serious, and Alexander infused the character with a vibrant zest for life. And then when Ritchie was hit with a harsh dose of reality, Alexander brought a heartbreaking vulnerability to Ritchie's tragically inevitable fate.

PAUL BETTANY, WANDAVISION

Courtesy of Disney+

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Much like leading lady Elizabeth Olsen, Bettany showcased extraordinary versatility in Disney+'s Marvel series, inhabiting nearly half a dozen different versions of Vision across nine episodes: goofy sitcom husband, then later, adversarial sitcom husband; the MCU's real Vision, via flashbacks; Wanda's grief-induced facsimile of Vision inside Westview; and, in the series finale, White Vision. As Bettany flexed comedy chops we hadn't seen in the Marvel films, then brought a devastating sincerity to Vision's dramatic moments, he delivered nuance and humanity that we never expected from a synthezoid.

HUGH GRANT, THE UNDOING

Courtesy of HBO

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Recovering rom-com mainstay Grant solidified his robust second act as a dramatic actor in HBO's dark thriller, which found him portraying a contrite philanderer who turned out to be both a pathological liar and murderer. In his scenes with onscreen wife Nicole Kidman and son Noah Jupe, Grant infused his dirty rotten scoundrel of a character with impressive depth, humility and humanity, so much so that we were blindsided when the cad also turned out to be the killer.

ETHAN HAWKE, THE GOOD LORD BIRD

Courtesy of Showtime

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: The Showtime miniseries' creator wasn't merely good as John Brown, the Bible-thumping abolitionist who was said to be "nuttier than a squirrel turd"; he was utterly transformed. (We don't just mean the beard, either, impressive as it may have been.) Hawke vanished into his role in a puff of gunpowder, leaving in his place the equivalent of a living, breathing roar, a man for whom there was no distinction between belief and reality.

JUDE LAW, THE THIRD DAY

Courtesy of HBO

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: This HBO limited series was the oddest of birds, stranding Law's Sam on an island off the English coast, where he navigated and was ultimately consumed by the locals' rituals — all before suspecting that his murdered son was living among them. (That is when things started getting really weird!) From go, Law invited us to root for desperate Sam's return home, but eventually question both his morals and his sanity, as his odyssey took turn after harrowing turn. (Bonus points for digging his own grave in real time, during the 12-hour, midseason live streaming event.)

CHRIS ROCK, FARGO

Courtesy of FX

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: We know Rock from his iconic stand-up comedy, of course, but in Season 4 of the FX crime anthology, he delivered his finest dramatic work to date as crime boss Loy Cannon. Ruling the Kansas City underworld not with muscles but with brains, Loy was a cunning charmer, and Rock put his prodigious storytelling gifts to great use as Loy won people over to his side using only his words. It proved that Rock can wow us even when we're not laughing.