Emmys 2025: Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees!
Awards pundits have already called it: The 2025 Emmy race for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is a two-person contest between Severance's Adam Scott and The Pitt's Noah Wyle.
No question about it — both men warrant recognition this year, as evidenced by their inclusion in our Dream Emmy short list.
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But the field of deserving contenders extends well beyond Scott and Wyle.
Scroll down to check out of our Dream Nominees (remember, these aren't ; they're ) 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, 2025 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 12-23, and unveiled on July 15. The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Sept. 14, on CBS.
Scroll down for links to our previous Dream Emmy categories:
Outstanding Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees
Who He Plays: New Orleans vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac
His Best Performance This Season: 'And That's the End of It. There's Nothing Else' (Season 2, Episode 8)
What We Thought About It: 'From the unbridled fury Louis unleashed on the coven who imprisoned him, to the unimaginable heartbreak he experienced upon learning the truth about his lover's betrayal, Anderson left us speechless, navigating the complex emotional landscape with passion and purpose. And just when we thought we couldn't find ourselves more in awe of his presence, along came Louis' reunion with Lestat, a sequence so powerful that it left us emotionally drained, resulting in the kind of immersive experience you simply can't find anywhere else on television.' [Performer of the Week Honorable Mention, July 6, 2024]
Who He Plays: Edinburgh detective Carl Morck
His Best Performance This Season: 'Episode 9' (Season 1, Episode 9)
What We Thought About It: 'Goode produced a series of silent, rapid-fire payoffs during the episode's closing moments as Carl's myriad demons fell by the wayside like dominoes amid quietly heartfelt run-ins with his numerous frenemies/foils at home and at work. Watching Carl's fury and indignation vanish, even if temporarily, proved to be Goode's most satisfying magic trick.' [Performer of the Week winner, June 7, 2025]
Who He Plays: Vengeful game returnee Seong Gi-hun
His Best Performance This Season: 'Bread and Lottery' (Season 2, Episode 1)
What We Thought About It: 'Seong Gi-hun finally came face-to-face, for a second time, with the Recruiter, in Squid Game's Season 2 premiere. Boy, was it worth the wait. … The game of Russian Roulette that followed was one of the year's most intense TV scenes. Lee's steely gaze with each pull of the trigger reminded us that Gi-hun was all in when it came to pursuing his agenda, no matter the cost. … When it became evident that the Recruiter would lose this game, Lee infused Gi-hun's final words to the man with a blend of hiss and vinegar that had you cheering from the couch at home.' [Performer of the Week winner, Dec. 28, 2024]
Who He Plays: Tribal police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn
His Best Performance This Season: 'Abidoo'niidee (What We Had Been Told)' (Season 3, Episode 6)
What We Thought About It: 'Joe Leaphorn this week embarked on a long, very strange journey, and the always-excellent McClarnon had us rapt with the police lieutenant's every step, his every epiphany. Dosed and dazed by a poison dart shot into his neck by the 'Ye'iitsoh,' Joe woke to find himself in what Margaret the blind Listening Woman described as the Yellow World. Joe was rightly confused by his whereabouts, and McClarnon's face reflected the discomfiting aimlessness Joe felt. This dreamscape then began to reveal its inhabitants and its purpose, and we like Joe intently absorbed every upsetting detail.' [Performer of the Week winner, April 19, 2025]
Who He Plays: Post-apocalyptic father figure Joel Miller
His Best Performance This Season: 'The Price' (Season 2, Episode 6)
What We Thought About It: 'Owning up to the violence he committed and the choice he made on Ellie's behalf was not cathartic. … But catharsis did come in the moment where Joel explained why he'd committed those acts. Pascal's tears flowed freely as Joel finally looked at Ellie and told her he loved her. His voice was high, hurt and halting, and his posture was braced for attack. But Pascal led with his character's deeper-than-reason affection for his surrogate daughter, giving the entire interaction a heft we're still feeling days later.' [Performer of the Week winner, May 24, 2025]
Who He Plays: Expert assassin The Jackal
His Best Performance This Season: 'Episode 9' (Season 1, Episode 9)
What We Thought About It: 'There is a real person underneath all those disguises, of course, and Redmayne slowly but surely revealed that humanity across Jackal's 10 episodes — especially in the penultimate episode, when the Jackal was forced to reckon with the vast damage his line of work has done to the people he loves. … Maybe we shouldn't call the Jackal a hero, but we have to admit we did find ourselves rooting for him, and that's the ultimate compliment we can pay to Redmayne's densely layered, utterly human performance.' [Performer of the Week winner, Dec. 14, 2024]
Who He Plays: Severed Lumon Industries employee Mark Scout
His Best Performance This Season: 'Cold Harbor' (Season 2, Episode 10)
What We Thought About It: 'Scott didn't stop at giving us just one great performance in the Season 2 finale. He gave us two! Scott delivered his best work of the series, bar none, as Mark's Innie and Outie squared off in a heated battle for control. … In a remarkable sequence, the two Marks argued with each other in dueling video messages, and Scott made each Mark feel wholly distinct from the other as they took turns pleading their case. Scott also helped us feel the ragged desperation of Innie Mark as he faced total annihilation and the loss of his beloved Helly.' [Performer of the Week winner, March 22, 2025]
Who He Plays: Beleaguered attending physician Dr. Michael 'Robby' Robinavitch
His Best Performance This Season: '7:00 P.M.' (Season 1, Episode 13)
What We Thought About It: 'Wyle delivered a career-best performance as he tried — and failed — to resuscitate Leah, and he was forced to accept that his heroic actions were ineffective. That overwhelming devastation in Robby's eyes, after he was unable to detect a radial pulse, spoke volumes. As did the gravel in his voice as he explained to Jake that his girlfriend's mutilated heart was beyond repair. … Once an inconsolable Jake asked him why he couldn't save Leah, all bets were off. Robby was done for. … [Wyle] warned us that it was all leading up to this moment, but we never could have predicted the extent to which Robby would unravel.' [Performer of the Week winner, March 29, 2025]
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