Emmys 2022: Lead Actor In A Limited Series — Our Dream Nominees!

Just last month, Michael Keaton — coming off of SAG and Golden Globe wins for his work in Hulu's harrowing Dopesick — seemed like an early lock to add an Emmy to his kudos haul. But a funny thing happened over the past few weeks: The competition stiffened. Considerably.

Among the A-listers jumping into the Limited Series fray at the 11th hour: Paul Bettany (A Very British Scandal), Andrew Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven), Colin Firth (The Staircase) and Samuel L. Jackson (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey), to name just four.

By all accounts, Keaton remains the frontrunner. But given the last-minute surge of contenders, he is no longer a slam dunk.

Scroll through the list below to review all 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, 2022 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 16-27, and unveiled on July 12. The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Monday, Sept. 12 on NBC.

Scroll down for links to our previous Dream Emmy categories:

Outstanding Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Comedy Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Limited Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie — Our Dream Nominees

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: In the span of just three hours, Bettany transformed Ian Campbell from a sexy, mischievous suitor for Claire Foy's Margaret to a cruel, abusive husband capable of hurting her as much with a cold insult as he could with his hands. The ease with which Bettany restored, then hid away, Ian's charm over and over again throughout the Prime Video series made his performance magnetic (if slightly frightening) to behold, building to divorce proceedings for Ian and Margaret that felt authentically, agonizingly bitter.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: We expected the Paramount+ drama's Capt. Shea Brennan to be your typical, taciturn cowboy — in Elliott's hands, boy, were we wrong. And happily so! Week to week, Elliott turned in a gruff-on-the-outside, achingly-vulnerable-on-the-inside performance, and he wasn't afraid to let Brennan's copious emotional cracks show. We were most affected by the simple way Elliott often did not make any attempt to hide his character's tears, particularly when discussing his deep grief or desire to end his own life. His deep weariness and resignation to the unfairness of life made Elliott's understated work exquisite.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: The Oscar winner has taken a story that has seemingly been told to death and, miraculously, made it feel fresh and surprising. If you're still on the fence about Michael Peterson's guilt or innocence, Firth's grounded, nuanced and occasionally terrifying portrayal in HBO Max's series will do nothing to lessen the ambiguity.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: It was on NBC's The Good Place that Harper first showcased the charisma needed to carry a romantic comedy, in scenes opposite Kristen Bell. But little did we know that the Artist Formerly Known as "Chidi Anna... Kendrick" would wind up succeeding the actual Anna Kendrick as star of HBO Max's underrated anthology. Throughout Season 2, we watched as the recently divorced Marcus navigated the dating scene in the Big Apple, which included an on-again/off-again relationship with Jessica Williams' Mia — and while it wasn't always easy to root for (or even like) Marcus, we remained enchanted by Harper's carefully crafted, emotional portrayal.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: With its uncertain realities, multiple personalities and CGI animal gods, Disney+'s Moon Knight was an outlandish excursion, even by Marvel standards. Did we always know exactly what was happening? No. But thanks to Isaac's heartbreaking, nuanced and (most importantly) grounded portrayal of its title character, we were always invested. In Marc Spector and Steven Grant, Isaac created two completely unique, fully realized personas. It never felt like he was acting opposite himself, rather that he was sharing the screen with an equally talented performer.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: The prolific actor, who has the rarified honor of starring in 140 movies and TV shows, has a gift for getting lost in his roles through hair and makeup choices — but there's a lot more to Jackson's turn as the titular character in Apple TV+'s miniseries than how weathered and wild he could look. As a part of his winsome performance, Jackson played both a middle-aged and a dementia-riddled nonagenarian version of Ptolemy, and in both iterations, infused a level of vulnerability and Southern charm that made him not only sympathetic, but worthy of love and redemption.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: At the start of Hulu's drama, Keaton's Dr. Samuel Finnix drew us in as an overwhelmed general practitioner who meant well as he prescribed pain-addled mineworkers OxyContin. By the time the affable widower learned the truth about the supposed miracle drug, it was too late, because he'd become hooked following a car crash. And when Keaton's character devolved into a jittery, mean and deceptive version of himself (who'd say and do anything for a fix), the actor's ability to captivate kicked into full gear and dared us to look away.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Though Stan's hair and makeup wasn't quite as all-out transformative as Lily James' in the Hulu series, he still fully embodied Tommy Lee's frenzied energy and physicality, gamely throwing his entire body into every line reading. But even more impressive than Stan's commitment to Pam & Tommy's wildest scenes — prosthetic manhood, manic drum-playing and all — was the sweet, cautious sensitivity he brought to Pam and Tommy's whirlwind relationship, showing us a man who was doing his best under increasingly public circumstances.