Emmys 2022: Lead Actress In A Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees!

Prepare for a massive infusion of new blood in the 2022 Emmy race for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series, and here's why: All six of 2021's contenders — including ultimate winner Olivia Colman (The Crown) — are not in the running this year.

Now, bear with us because our math skills are spotty, but, by our calculations, that means that — right out of the gate — all six slots are completely and utterly up for freakin' grabs. And that, in turn, means that our Emmy recommendations are more essential than ever.

Bottom line: If you're a member of the TV Academy with Emmy voting privileges, we are going to need you to focus.

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 Nominees

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Were there a specific Emmy category for Outstanding Dramatic Tossing of a Breakfast Tray, the Academy would surely have the trophy remade in Coon's image. (She launched that thing clear across the room!) Just as The Gilded Age's fabulously manipulative Bertha Russell worked her way into the upper echelons of "Old New York," Coon commanded our attention with her masterful, calculated portrayal of the single-minded social climber, a role she appeared to relish as much as the audience.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: We all know that Ellis — a recent Oscar nominee for King Richard — can act, and that undeniable truth is reaffirmed in the AMC series. Ellis juggles many roles as Martha Roberts in the legal drama from Peter Moffat — wife, mother, politician and community advocate — and never falters as she oscillates between each. From those empowering speeches calling out social injustice, to more vulnerable moments in her relationship with husband Franklin (we won't spoil what's ahead), Ellis' performance throughout the season is both inspired and inspiring.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: It would be easy to focus on Herbers' gripping performance in the Paramount+ drama's Season 2 finale, a tour de force that ended with her sobbing confession and a long-awaited (though Catholic Church-unsanctioned) kiss with David, a newly minted priest. But to hone in on that would be to ignore Herbers' excellent work throughout the season, as Kristen reckoned with her guilt over killing a serial killer... and then getting away with it. Those complicated feelings manifested in myriad ways (infidelity! casual violence!), Herbers nailing them all.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: As new Lumon hire Helly, Lower acted as our window into the weird world of Apple TV+'s dystopian thriller. Helly didn't know why she was there and wanted to get the hell out — all very relatable! — and Lower brought a ferocious vigor to Helly's relentless rebellion. But as we started to peel back the layers of Helly's backstory, Lower's performance got even more fascinating, mixing fiery outrage with cold precision. She's earned herself a waffle party, for sure... but failing that, an Emmy nomination will suffice.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Lynskey has been a reliable presence on TV for years now, but she may have hit upon her best role yet on Showtime's time-tripping survival drama. As grown-up plane crash survivor Shauna, Lynskey wore years of buried trauma on her face as Shauna lashed out with self-destructive acts to ease the pain she never quite dealt with. Her actions weren't always commendable, but she was always compelling, thanks to Lynskey's bold portrayal of a seemingly ordinary woman who's secretly on the brink of chaos.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: In a word? Range. For the NBC drama's first five seasons, Moore successfully surfed Rebecca Pearson's lifetime, playing the character from young adulthood to retirement age in equally believable and affecting measure. And in the show's sixth and final season, she has added to her repertoire, giving us the family's matriarch as she reckons with — and starts to fail because of — Alzheimer's Disease. Moore's strength has always been keeping Rebecca constant at her core; as dementia chips away at the character's personality, the subtle shifts in Moore's performance mean she finds new and devastating ways to break our hearts each week.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Already having made boozy badass Beth Dutton not just a lightning rod of a character but an iconic one to boot, the actress is past due for a nomination. What's more, in Season 4 of the Paramount Network hit, she plumbed new depths of the force of nature she plays, going beyond her take-no-prisoners exterior to expose the vulnerability that comes with loving her father and new husband as massively as she does, and floundering as de-facto mother to potty-mouthed orphan Carter. If they come any better than Reilly, they don't come much better.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: You can't talk about the HBO drama's second season without immediately launching into a discussion of Rue's intervention in Episode 5 — and that's because Zendaya is so. damn. good. at what she does. A season full of deeply affecting work from the actress came to its zenith as Zendaya took Rue through the realization that her mother not only knew she was using drugs again, but that she'd gotten rid of the suitcase full of product Rue had promised to sell. Throughout the episode — and the season as a whole — Zendaya steered Rue through her erratic and emotional hairpin turns at high velocity, careening the character toward disaster but always (barely) pulling her back from the brink.