You’ve probably heard about several new shows this week. Upfronts—the mid-May period when networks pitch their new offerings to advertisers—wrapped up on Wednesday. And while the list of new projects isn’t as robust as it once was in today’s fractured media landscape, a handful of titles unveiled this week—whether newly announced or accompanied by fresh footage (most trailers shown to advertisers haven’t been publicly released yet)—do sound promising. And if everything works out, maybe they’ll find themselves on the doorstep of the Emmys in a year’s time (or later).
Here are seven shows from Upfronts that have the most Emmy potential.
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Task (HBO)
The last two times Mark Ruffalo worked with HBO? He won an Emmy both times. The last time Brad Ingelsby worked with HBO? Three of his actors won Emmys. So what we’re saying is Task has the makings of an Emmy success. Ingelsby, who created Mare of Easttown, returns to the Philadelphia suburbs with this limited series about an FBI agent (Ruffalo) who heads a Task Force to end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man (Tom Pelphrey). Let’s hope Kate Winslet shows up at the end to start an initiative. Task premieres in September.
Glen Powell (Credit: Disney/Daniel Delgado) – Credit: Disney/Daniel Delgado
Disney/Daniel Delgado
Chad Powers (Hulu)
Glen Powell’s football comedy will finally, uh, kick off on Sept. 30. Based on the character created by Eli Manning on Eli’s Places, the series stars Powell as Russ Holliday, a quarterback who believes his career has been nuked and subsequently disguises himself as Chad Powers to join a college team. Powell, who won a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the Hidden Figures cast, has been the It Guy of the moment for several years now and feels like he’s on the precipice of individual industry recognition, so Chad Powers could be thing that opens the floodgates. If nothing else, he seems like a solid bet for a Golden Globe nomination at least.
Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, and Tracy Morgan (Credit: Scott Gries/NBC) – Credit: Scott Gries/NBC
Scott Gries/NBC
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)
The 30 Rock gang is back. Well, sort of. Producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock are reuniting with Tracy Morgan for their own comedy about a disgraced football star. Morgan plays the titular running back, who plans to rehabilitate his image to enter the Hall of Fame. Daniel Radcliffe plays the filmmaker who moves in with him to document the journey. The pedigree is there — Fey and Carlock have 12 Emmys combined — for voters to bite. Of note, however: Neither has been nominated since 2020, for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend (in which Radcliffe appeared). Fey could break that duck this year with The Four Seasons. Reggie Dinkins, which could air as early as the fall, being a network series could hurt it — Fey and Carlock’s Mr. Mayor for NBC was overlooked by the TV Academy — but NBC did produce a Best Comedy Actor nominee just four years ago with Kenan Thompson for Kenan.
Domhnall Gleeson (Credit: NBC) – Credit: NBC
NBC
The Paper (Peacock)
Not to be confused with the Ron Howard film of the same name, The Paper, which premieres in September, is the Office spinoff that is not set at a paper company but a (news)paper. Created by Office showrunner Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, The Paper is a mockumentary chronicling the offices of a fledgling Ohio newspaper called The Truth Teller. Domhnall Gleeson stars alongside The White Lotus Emmy nominee Sabrina Impacciatore, while The Office’s Oscar Núñez reprises his role as Oscar Martinez. The Office “only” won five Emmys from 42 nominations during its nine-season run, including Best Comedy Series in 2006, but it has remained a pop culture fave, so don’t be surprised if The Paper hits. Peacock has also already tasted Emmy gold with wins for The Traitors and Judith Light (Poker Face).
Michael B. Jordan (Credit: Eli Ade/MGM) – Credit: Eli Ade/MGM
Eli Ade/MGM
Delphi (Prime Video)
The Creed-verse is expanding into TV. Produced by Michael B. Jordan, Delphi is set at the titular boxing gym and will focus on the young athletes training in the ring. Marco Ramírez (La Máquina) will serve as showrunner as well as executive producer. No word yet on a release date. The Creed films have been huge successes, and if Delphi lands (a punch), Emmy voters might take notice too. In terms of the film trilogy’s Oscar record, Sylvester Stallone received the franchise’s sole nomination for his supporting turn in the first film.
Dan Levy (Credit: Leon Bennett/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images) – Credit: Leon Bennett/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Leon Bennett/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Untitled Dan Levy comedy (Netflix)
Move over, Roses. Dan Levy is back with another small-screen family. The four-time Emmy winner — all for Schitt’s Creek — will star in, executive-produce, and serve as showrunner for a new comedy about “two deeply incapable siblings who are blackmailed into the world of organized crime.” Taylor Ortega (The Four Seasons, Another Simple Favor) and four-time Emmy champ Laurie Metcalf will star alongside him. The series is co-created by Levy and Rachel Sennott. Production on the eight episodes begin later this year, so it’s unclear when the series will air, but this is Levy’s first major series since Schitt’s Creek swept the Emmys in 2020.
Patrick Dempsey (Credit: Michael Buckner for Variety) – Credit: Michael Buckner for Variety
Michael Buckner for Variety
Memory of a Killer (Fox)
Of Fox’s three new scripted series, Memory of a Killer, which premieres midsesaon, sounds the most intriguing. Inspired by the Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer (La Memoire Du Tueur), the thriller follows a hitman who develops early onset Alzheimer’s. Patrick Dempsey is making his TV return in the lead role and is looking for his Emmy nomination since 2001 for Once and Again (no, he was never nominated for Grey’s Anatomy). The series’ broadcast home could hold it back. The last time Fox generated a Best Drama Actor nominee was in 2011 for House star Hugh Laurie. But broadcast did earn a win in the category in the past decade, when Sterling K. Brown prevailed for NBC’s This Is Us in 2017. Will Memory of a Killer be as big as This Is Us though?
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