‘Black Mirror' Sets Emmy Campaigns for Paul Giamatti, Rashida Jones, Cristin Milioti and More (EXCLUSIVE)
Netflix has a strong Emmy hand to play this TV awards season, positioning the seventh season of its flagship anthology series 'Black Mirror' for a major awards run — and this time, the dystopian drama might be among its most formidable contenders yet.
Confirmed exclusively to Variety, the streamer is submitting three standout performances for lead acting honors in the limited or anthology series or TV movie categories: Paul Giamatti for the melancholic and moving 'Eulogy,' and Chris O'Dowd and Rashida Jones for their resonant turns in the sociopolitical two-hander 'Common People.' It's a bold push that signals high hopes for a season already being hailed as a return to form — and possibly the series' strongest outing since its Emmy-winning heyday.
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Giamatti's performance as Phillip, a solitary man navigating grief through digital means in 'Eulogy,' has generated both tears and buzz. The 46-minute episode explores the ethics of AI-driven memorials, as Phillip participates in the virtual funeral of a former flame with the help of an empathetic AI guide, played by Patsy Ferran.
In 'Common People,' Jones and O'Dowd deliver career-best performances as a couple who agrees to a contract with a startup to remotely restore her brain function following a tumor diagnosis for a monthly fee. Co-star and Emmy nominee Tracee Ellis Ross, will vie for supporting attention.
Indeed, the streamer has stacked its acting deck, and many of the other notable cast members will also seek attention in the supporting actor and actress categories, notably: Issa Rae and Emma Corrin's enigmatic turns in 'Hotel Reverie,' Peter Capaldi's unhinged villain in 'Plaything,' rising star Siena Kelly's fiery and timely execution in 'Bête Noire,' and Cristin Milioti and Jesse Plemons' return in the meta-sequel 'USS Callister: Into Infinity,' which all add to the campaign's power. Milioti, notably, is also an early frontrunner in the lead actress race for HBO's 'The Penguin,' making her a potential double nominee.
But 'Black Mirror' isn't chasing gold in a vacuum. Netflix is also juggling two other high-profile limited series contenders: the British mystery thriller 'Adolescence,' starring Stephen Graham, and Ryan Murphy's biographical crime drama 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.' If all three land nominations in the limited series category, Netflix would achieve a rare trifecta — a feat last accomplished in 2022 by Hulu with 'Dopesick,' 'The Dropout' and 'Pam & Tommy.' That lineup, however, was ultimately bested by HBO's 'The White Lotus,' which has since transitioned to the drama category.
'Black Mirror' creator and writer Charlie Brooker will submit two episodes for Emmy consideration in the writing categories: 'Common People' (teleplay by Brooker, story by Brooker and Bisha K. Ali) and 'Eulogy' (written by Brooker and Ella Road). Four directors — Ally Pankiw ('Common People'), Haolu Wang ('Hotel Reverie'), David Slade ('Plaything') and Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor ('Eulogy') — are eligible to submit individually for their respective episodes. Per Emmy rules, Toby Haynes, who directed both 'Bête Noire' and 'USS Callister: Into Infinity,' must choose one episode to submit, with a final decision expected by the May 8 submission deadline.
With Emmy voters facing tough choices, Netflix is clearly betting that a reinvigorated 'Black Mirror,' rich with emotional depth, biting satire and top-tier talent, will rise above the competition.
The nomination voting window runs from June 12 to June 23, with official nominations set to be announced in July. Season 7 of 'Black Mirror' is now streaming on Netflix.
Variety Awards Circuit: Emmys
Check out this week's Emmy predictions in key series and acting categories below. For a full breakdown of every Primetime Emmy race, visit our main awards page, and explore the official rankings on each individual category page.
Drama Series'Andor''The Diplomat''The Last of Us''The Pitt''Severance''Slow Horses''Squid Game''The White Lotus'
Lead Actor (Drama)Sterling K. Brown, 'Paradise'Jon Hamm, 'Your Friends and Neighbors'Gary Oldman, 'Slow Horses'Adam Scott, 'Severance'Billy Bob Thornton, 'Landman'Noah Wyle, 'The Pitt'
Lead Actress (Drama)Kathy Bates, 'Matlock'Britt Lower, 'Severance'Melanie Lynskey, 'Yellowjackets'Elisabeth Moss, 'The Handmaid's Tale'Bella Ramsey, 'The Last of Us'Keri Russell, 'The Diplomat'
Supporting Actor (Drama)Patrick Ball, 'The Pitt'Zach Cherry, 'Severance'Walton Goggins, 'The White Lotus'Jason Isaacs, 'The White Lotus'Young Mazino, 'The Last of Us'Sam Rockwell, 'The White Lotus'Tramell Tillman, 'Severance'John Turturro, 'Severance'
Supporting Actress (Drama)Patricia Arquette, 'Severance'Leslie Bibb, 'The White Lotus'Carrie Coon, 'The White Lotus'Fiona Dourif, 'The Pitt'Allison Janney, 'The Diplomat'Katherine LaNasa, 'The Pitt'Isabela Merced, 'The Last of Us'Parker Posey, 'The White Lotus'
Guest Actor (Drama)Andy Garcia, 'Landman'Scott Glenn, 'The White Lotus'Shawn Hatosy, 'The Pitt'Joe Pantoliano, 'The Last of Us'Jeffrey Wright, 'The Last of Us'
Guest Actress (Drama)Gwendoline Christie, 'Severance'Kaitlyn Dever, 'The Last of Us'Catherine O'Hara, 'The Last of Us'Hilary Swank, 'Yellowjackets'Merrit Wever, 'Severance'
Comedy Series'Abbott Elementary''The Bear''The Four Seasons''Hacks''Nobody Wants This''Only Murders in the Building''Shrinking''The Studio'
Lead Actor (Comedy)Adam Brody, 'Nobody Wants This'Seth Rogen, 'The Studio'Jason Segel, 'Shrinking'Martin Short, 'Only Murders in the Building'Jeremy Allen White, 'The Bear'
Lead Actress (Comedy)Kristen Bell, 'Nobody Wants This'Quinta Brunson, 'Abbott Elementary'Ayo Edebiri, 'The Bear'Natasha Lyonne, 'Poker Face'Jean Smart, 'Hacks'
Supporting Actor (Comedy)Ike Barinholtz, 'The Studio'Colman Domingo, 'The Four Seasons'Paul W. Downs, 'Hacks'Harrison Ford, 'Shrinking'Ebon Moss-Bachrach, 'The Bear'Tyler James Williams, 'Abbott Elementary'Bowen Yang, 'Saturday Night Live'
Supporting Actress (Comedy)Liza Colón-Zayas, 'The Bear'Hannah Einbinder, 'Hacks'Kathryn Hahn, 'The Studio'Janelle James, 'Abbott Elementary'Catherine O'Hara, 'The Studio'Sheryl Lee Ralph, 'Abbott Elementary'Jessica Williams, 'Shrinking'
Guest Actor (Comedy)Jon Bernthal, 'The Bear'John Cena, 'The Bear'Bryan Cranston, 'The Studio'Timothée Chalamet, 'Saturday Night Live'Christopher McDonald, 'Hacks'Martin Scorsese, 'The Studio'
Guest Actress (Comedy)Jamie Lee Curtis, 'The Bear'Cynthia Erivo, 'Poker Face'Ariana Grande, 'Saturday Night Live'Melissa McCarthy, 'Only Murders in the Building'Julianne Nicholson, 'Hacks'Sarah Polley, 'The Studio'
Limited or Anthology Series'Adolescence''Black Mirror''Disclaimer''Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story''The Penguin'
Television Movie'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy''The Gorge''Mountainhead''Out of My Mind''Rebel Ridge'
Lead Actor (Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie)Colin Farrell, 'The Penguin'Paul Giamatti, 'Black Mirror'Stephen Graham, 'Adolescence'Brian Tyree Henry, 'Dope Thief'Cooper Koch, 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story'
Lead Actress (Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie)Cate Blanchett, 'Disclaimer'Rashida Jones, 'Black Mirror'Cristin Milioti, 'The Penguin'Amanda Seyfried, 'Long Bright River'Michelle Williams, 'Dying for Sex'
Supporting Actor (Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie)Javier Bardem, 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story'Owen Cooper, 'Adolescence'Rob Delaney, 'Dying for Sex'Rhenzy Feliz, 'The Penguin'Diego Luna, 'La Máquina'Wagner Moura, 'Dope Thief'Ashley Walters, 'Adolescence'
Supporting Actress (Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie)Emma Corrin, 'Black Mirror'Erin Doherty, 'Adolescence'Lesley Manville, 'Disclaimer'Cristin Milioti, 'Black Mirror'Deirdre O'Connell, 'The Penguin'Jenny Slate, 'Dying for Sex'Christine Tremarco, 'Adolescence'
Talk Series'The Daily Show''Hot Ones''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'
Scripted Variety'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver''Saturday Night Live'
Directing (Drama)'Andor' — Alonso Ruizpalacios'The Last of Us' — Mark Mylod'The Pitt' — John Wells'Severance' — Jessica Lee Gagné'Severance' — Ben Stiller'Squid Game' — Hwang Dong-hyuk'The White Lotus' — Mike White
Directing (Comedy)'The Bear' — Ayo Edebiri'The Four Seasons' — Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini'Hacks' — Lucia Aniello'Mid-Century Modern' — James Burrows'The Ms. Pat Show' — Mary Lou Belli'Only Murders in the Building' — John Hoffman'The Studio' — Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Directing (Limited/TV Movie)'Adolescence' — Philip Barantini'Black Mirror' — Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor'Disclaimer' — Alfonso Cuarón'Dope Thief' — Ridley Scott'The Penguin' — Craig Zobel'Presumed Innocent' — Anne Sewitsky
Writing (Drama)'The Agency' — Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth'Andor' — Tony Gilroy'The Last of Us' — Craig Mazin'Matlock' — Jennie Snyder Urman'Severance' — Dan Erickson'Slow Horses' — Will Smith'The White Lotus' — Mike White
Writing (Comedy)'Abbott Elementary' — Quinta Brunson'The Four Seasons' — Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, Tracey Wigfield'Hacks' — Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky'The Studio' — Alex Gregory'The Studio' — Peter Huyck'The Studio' — Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Frida Perez'What We Do in the Shadows' — Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, Paul Simms
Writing (Limited/TV Movie)'Adolescence' — Stephen Graham, Jack Thorne'Black Mirror' — Charlie Brooker'Black Mirror' — Charlie Brooker, Bisha K. Ali'Disclaimer' — Alfonso Cuarón'Dying for Sex' — Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether'The Penguin' — Lauren LeFranc
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