\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWarrick Page\/MAX<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tAcross the 17 performer categories, 1,573 submissions are in contention this year, down from 1,706 in 2025 \u2014 a decline of nearly 8%. Across the 17 acting races, Prime Video\u2019s \u201cThe Boys\u201d and \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d each drew 28 performer submissions, the most of any series. HBO Max\u2019s \u201cThe Pitt\u201d follows at 24, followed by its network counterpart \u201cEuphoria\u201d at 23, the now cancelled \u201cThe Copenhagen Test\u201d from Peacock at 21 and the final season of \u201cHacks\u201d with 20. Other series featuring bulky performer submissions include \u201cJury Duty Presents: Company Retreat\u201d (19), \u201cOnly Murders in the Building\u201d and \u201cTulsa King\u201d (18) and \u201cFallout\u201d (17).<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to Academy rules, the number of nominees in each category is determined by the volume of submissions, with the field expanding to a sixth lead or supporting nominee only once entries cross the 80-submission threshold. This year, all six lead acting races will produce just five nominees.<\/p>\n \n\tLead drama actor holds essentially steady at 78, nearly matching last year\u2019s 77, when 134 names crowded the ballot. The field is a streaming-and-broadcast mix with last year\u2019s winner Noah Wyle (\u201cThe Pitt\u201d), alongside Gary Oldman (\u201cSlow Horses\u201d), Sterling K. Brown (\u201cParadise\u201d), Idris Elba (\u201cHijack\u201d), Jon Hamm (\u201cYour Friends and Neighbors\u201d), Lee Jung-jae (\u201cSquid Game\u201d), Taron Egerton (\u201cSmoke\u201d), Charlie Cox (\u201cDaredevil: Born Again\u201d) and Michael C. Hall (\u201cDexter: Resurrection\u201d).<\/p>\n \n\tLead drama actress slipped to 63 from 75, continuing a long decline from 109 in 2023 and 114 in 2022. Kathy Bates returns for \u201cMatlock\u201d after making history last cycle as the oldest nominee in history of the category, joined by Jennifer Aniston (\u201cThe Morning Show\u201d), Keri Russell (\u201cThe Diplomat\u201d), Rhea Seehorn (\u201cPluribus\u201d), Ella Purnell (\u201cFallout\u201d), Anna Sawai (\u201cMonarch: Legacy of Monsters\u201d), Kristin Scott Thomas (\u201cSlow Horses\u201d) and a pair of \u201cGilded Age\u201d leads in Carrie Coon and Christine Baranski.<\/p>\n \n\tLead comedy actor fell to 43, the smallest field in the category across the past five years and a steep retreat from 51 last year and the 84 logged in 2022. The big names are in the race again with Jeremy Allen White (\u201cThe Bear\u201d), the \u201cOnly Murders in the Building\u201d duo of Steve Martin and Martin Short, Ted Danson (\u201cA Man on the Inside\u201d), Seth Rogen (\u201cPlatonic\u201d), Jason Segel (\u201cShrinking\u201d), Adam Brody (\u201cNobody Wants This\u201d) and Matthew Rhys (\u201cWidow\u2019s Bay\u201d).<\/p>\n \n\tLead comedy actress held nearly even at 46, down a single name from 47. Jean Smart aims for her fifth trophy for \u201cHacks,\u201d competing against Quinta Brunson (\u201cAbbott Elementary\u201d), Ayo Edebiri (\u201cThe Bear\u201d), Natasha Lyonne (\u201cPoker Face\u201d), Selena Gomez (\u201cOnly Murders in the Building\u201d), Jenna Ortega (\u201cWednesday\u201d) and Kristen Bell (\u201cNobody Wants This\u201d). Ryan Murphy\u2019s star-stacked \u201cAll\u2019s Fair\u201d alone sends Kim Kardashian, Niecy Nash-Betts and Naomi Watts into the discussion.<\/p>\n \n\tThe combined limited series and movie lead races are also seeing a downward trend. Lead actor (limited) ticked up to 52 from 48 but remains well off the 97 of 2023. Contenders include Jason Bateman and Jude Law (\u201cBlack Rabbit\u201d), Charlie Hunnam (\u201cMonster: The Ed Gein Story\u201d), Oscar Isaac (\u201cBeef\u201d), Jon Bernthal (\u201cHis and Hers\u201d) and the \u201cGood Omens\u201d pairing of Michael Sheen and David Tennant.<\/p>\n \n\tLead actress dropped to 41 from 53, a far cry from the 96 in 2023. Emmy winners Sarah Snook (\u201cAll Her Fault\u201d), Claire Danes (\u201cThe Beast in Me\u201d) and Toni Collette (\u201cWayward\u201d) are among the contenders, alongside Carey Mulligan (\u201cBeef\u201d), Taraji P. Henson (\u201cStraw\u201d), Rachel Weisz (\u201cVladimir\u201d) and Kerry Washington (\u201cImperfect Women\u201d).<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tSTRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5. (L to R) Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow, and Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair in Stranger Things: Season 5. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX \u00a9 2025<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Netflix<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tThe supporting drama categories remain the most crowded acting races, but still shows the long-term decline, which is staggering. Supporting drama actor stands at 228, roughly level with last year\u2019s 233 yet down from a record 436 in 2022 \u2014 meaning, a loss of more than 200 submissions in four years. Supporting drama actress sits at 222, against 227 last year and 385 in 2022. \u201cA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms\u201d is a force of its own here, having submitted more than a dozen cast members, while the deep benches of \u201cThe Boys,\u201d \u201cStranger Things,\u201d \u201cEuphoria\u201d and \u201cThe Gilded Age\u201d pack both fields. We will hear at least seven nominees in each of the fields when noms are announced in July.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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