Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

KATJA HERBERS AND MIKE COLTER ON “EVIL”

FYC: Male Actor in a Drama Series

HOW TO WHITTLE DOWN TODAY’S MANY TV DRAMA

contenders? Ahead of the Jan. 12 SAG Award nominations announcement, we’ve taken on that difficult task. From reliable favorites on network family dramas to the men leading terrifying thrillers, here are our favorite lead and supporting contenders for your consideration.

Sterling K. Brown

“This Is Us”

Playing the multifaceted Randall Pearson means that Emmy winner Brown gets to preach the truth, have mental breakdowns, and occasionally throw out solid one-liners that reveal his superb comedic timing. (Can anyone make dad jokes like he can?) He’s created one of the most enthralling characters in TV drama—which is no small feat, especially five seasons in.

Mike Colter

“Evil”

Colter’s riveting portrayal of paranormal investigator and priest David Acosta may be the main reason this CBS-toParamount+ drama has become a runaway hit. The bloodier and freakier things get, the more compelling David’s internal war between fact and faith becomes. Colter needs other weird projects like this one. He can inhabit both leading man and character actor with the best of them.

Kevin Costner

“Yellowstone”

Yellowstone Dutton Ranch owner John Dutton encompasses everything we love about Costner: He can play tough yet kindhearted, bringing nuanced depth and sheer entertainment value to the screen in equal measure. As John, the actor straddles the genres of twisty family drama and old-fashioned Western perfectly, fighting for his way of life with a righteousness that always feels earned.

Brian Cox

“Succession”

Veering from paranoid fury to, well, justified fury on Jesse Armstrong’s tale of the one percent, Cox is clearly having the time of his life—in the role of his career. He has a field day delivering the loathsome manipulations (and utterances of “Fuck off!”) of Logan Roy,

SHEILA VAND AND DAVEED DIGGS ON “SNOWPIERCER”

old-media mogul and sadistic family patriarch. He portrays a man accustomed to bending the world to his will from inside the prison of his own god complex.

Billy Crudup

“The Morning Show”

Rising network executive Cory Ellison has access to everything a man could possibly want—money, drugs, women—yet none of it interests him. He is the essence of a privileged, powerful man: always consuming, always wanting more. “Chaos is the new cocaine!” he exclaims with wildeyed glee. Crudup’s performance remains so weirdly riveting, alternating between exhilarated hedonism and sharklike remorselessness, that it demands to be rewatched.

Jeff Daniels

“American Rust”

Daniels is a sure-bet star, the kind of actor whose every project you can trust to be captivating. Combining mournful gravitas with flashes of dry humor, his turn as small-town police chief Del Harris is another feather in his cap. He embodies what most preoccupies this page-to-screen adaptation: America, collectively, losing its identity. You can see it in his eyes.

Daveed Diggs

“Snowpiercer”

Diggs is masterful at conveying righteous indignation. On this TNT thriller, he plays Andre Layton, a detective and budding revolutionary aboard a train circling the frozen wasteland that Earth has become in the not-sodistant future. The actor hints at a growing sense of rebellion while maintaining a cool, curious exterior. There’s something so compelling about his voice, as if every word he says has a hidden meaning.

Mark Duplass

“The Morning Show”

There’s an art to playing harried: It involves a wide-eyed, tense-yetmobile physicality, and Duplass has it down pat. Watching his daytime TV producer Chip Black undergoing stress so intense that it often verges on absurd, you may end up feeling anxious yourself. Duplass harnesses his natural decency to subtle effect; amid all the antics Chip must deal with, you always sense his loyalty, especially to Jennifer Aniston’s Alex.

Paul Giamatti

“Billions”

Only four-time SAG Award–winning powerhouse Giamatti could tackle the role of Chuck Rhoades, a viciously sharp New York attorney embroiled in a battle of wills with Damian Lewis’ scheming hedge fund manager. As he skirts the limits of the law for what he calls “the greater good,” we can’t help but root for Chuck, even as his tenuous claims to heroism start to crumble beneath his feet.

Michael C. Hall

“Dexter: New Blood”

One of the foremost figures in the TV antihero canon is back.

JEFF DANIELS ON “AMERICAN RUST”

Hall once again lures us into the twisted world of forensic analyst and hypercompetent serial killer Dexter Morgan, 10 years after the original Showtime drama’s conclusion. Now, he’s innocent shopkeeper Jim Lindsay, trying to resist the pull of sinister happenings both without and within. Hall reminds us he can play that duality with delicious intrigue.

Tom Hiddleston

“Loki”

Hiddleston’s portrayal of mischievous god Loki is finally getting the critical acclaim it deserves. Though he usually plays second fiddle to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, this time, Hiddleston stars on his own Disney+ spinoff series, again turning the villain into a lovable figure. His quick quips come with genuine charm, allowing for outstanding character development that makes the show’s nonlinear plot digestible for viewers.

LEE JUNG-JAE ON “SQUID GAME”

Freddie Highmore

“The Good Doctor”

What makes “The Good Doctor” stand out isn’t just its refreshingly character-focused approach to the medical drama genre; it’s the sheer power of Highmore’s portrayal of autism and savant

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syndrome. He leads one of ABC’s most fascinating procedurals like the doctor he plays: reliably, with a sure hand. We’re betting this rising Hollywood star will only continue to ascend.

Lee Jung-jae

“Squid Game”

American audiences may not yet know him by name, but Lee is one of the most recognizable breakout actors of the year. As the protagonist of “Squid Game,” the South Korean series that’s become Netflix’s most-watched hit, he portrays the desperation of a man willing to do anything to save himself and his mother, while finding moments of offbeat humor amid the bloodshed.

Anthony Mackie

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”

While he’s been working consistently for years, Mackie is finally getting his due with Disney+’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” He pulls from his Juilliard training to bring grounded humanity to even the most fantastical superheroic circumstances. This Marvelcertified star has you in his corner from frame one, helping usher in the MCU’s post–“Avengers: Endgame” generation.

Max Minghella

“The Handmaid’s Tale”

Moments of beauty and optimism pack a powerful punch on the otherwise bleak saga that is “The Handmaid’s Tale.” As Commander Nick Blaine, Minghella is responsible for one such scene, made all the more moving by its suddenness: Sharing a boldly romantic kiss with Elisabeth Moss’ June, Minghella makes the case that this character’s heart will win out over his strategic mind.