Emmy Predictions: Directing — ‘Beef,’ ‘Hacks’ and an Overdue Vince Gilligan Lead the Field
Also, ranked projections for documentary, variety and reality program directors.
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Emmys Directing Categories — (Updated: June 15, 2026): It may be hard to argue that someone with 23 Emmy nominations and four statuettes sitting on his mantle would be considered “overdue.” And yet, in the case of Vince Gilligan, it’s surprisingly easy to do.
As a director, Gilligan has been nominated for the “Breaking Bad” pilot, the Season 4 episode “Face Off,” and the series conclusion “Felina.” He also earned a bid for directing “Witness,” Season 3, Episode 2 of “Better Call Saul.” On the writing side, his noms include “Felina” and the revered “X-Files” episode “Memento Mori,” often cited as one of the strongest installments of that series’ mythology arc. Across all of those efforts, his individual name was never called.
That brings us to this season’s “Pluribus,” his latest project and a major player in this year’s Emmy conversation. While he may lead the directing (drama) side of the house, there are plenty of other races to keep an eye on.
Comedy looks to be headlined by Lucia Aniello for the final season of HBO Max’s “Hacks.” At the same time, multiple “Beef” helmers could slip into the fray for limited/anthology.
We also have an exciting race for directing (documentary) with Rebecca Miller (“Mr. Scorsese”), Lawrence Kasdan (“Marty, Life is Short”) and Colin Hanks (“John Candy: I Like Me”) headlining their categories. Directing for a variety series has the final episode for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” up for consideration and its director, Yvonne De Mare, and variety special has category stalwarts such as Hamish Hamilton for the Bad Bunny Halftime Show and Glenn Weiss for “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show,” along with another bid for the 78th Annual Tony Awards.
The Emmy Awards timeline begins with nomination-round voting from June 11-22, with nominations announced on July 8. The final voting runs from Aug. 17-26, leading into the Creative Arts Awards and Governors Gala on Sept. 5–6, culminating with the Emmy Awards ceremony on Sept. 14 on NBC.
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Directing for a Drama Series
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Directing for a Comedy Series
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Directing for a Limited/Movie
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Directing (All Other Categories, Eligibilities)
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