Emmy Voting Is Officially Underway, and These 25 Records Are Ready to Fall

Awards season has a way of turning even routine ballot deadlines into must-watch television moments, and this year’s Emmy race is shaping up to be one of the more historic in recent memory. Between veteran legends chasing overdue recognition and rising stars threatening to rewrite the record books, there’s no shortage of storylines heading into the final stretch.

The nominees have been set for months, and now the industry’s attention shifts to the voters themselves as they cast the ballots that will determine who actually takes home a trophy. With names like Harrison Ford, Zendaya, and Matthew Rhys all in the mix, the stakes for this year’s ceremony feel especially high.

That final voting window officially opened Monday, kicking off the stretch that will decide this year’s Emmy winners ahead of the Labor Day weekend and the live telecast. Variety’s Clayton Davis has broken down twenty-five records that could fall depending on how the voting shakes out.

Among the most talked-about possibilities is Harrison Ford, who at 84 has never won an Emmy despite a career spanning some of the biggest franchises in film history. His nomination for ‘Shrinking’ represents a shot at finally claiming a trophy that has eluded him throughout his decades-long career.

Zendaya’s potential win carries its own historic weight. If she takes home the trophy for ‘Euphoria,’ she would become the youngest performer in history, male or female, to win three lead drama Emmys, doing so at just 30 years and two weeks old. That would also make her the fifth woman ever to win three or more lead drama Emmys, joining a list that includes Barbara Bain, Michael Learned, Tyne Daly, and Edie Falco.

Matthew Rhys enters this year’s race with a rare distinction of his own, having landed dual lead nominations in the same year across two different categories, competing in comedy for ‘Widow’s Bay’ and in limited series for ‘The Beast in Me.’ If his real-life partner Keri Russell also converts her nomination for ‘The Diplomat,’ the two would become just the third real-life couple in history to win acting Emmys in the same year, and the first such pairing in four decades.

Connor Storrie also factors into this year’s storylines, having earned recognition for his work on ‘Saturday Night Live’ during a competitive guest actor field that included heavy-hitting names throughout the season. His nomination adds another layer of intrigue to a comedy category already packed with milestone possibilities.

Beyond these headline names, Variety’s breakdown touches on several other performers chasing their own pieces of Emmy history, from Lisa Kudrow’s decades-long journey with a single character to Oscar Isaac’s shot at making history for Latino actors in the lead limited series category. Each storyline adds another layer of drama to what’s shaping up to be a fiercely competitive year across nearly every category.

With voting now open, the industry enters its traditional late-summer scramble as campaigns ramp up efforts to sway undecided voters before ballots close. Fans and pundits alike will be watching closely to see which of these historic milestones actually come to pass once winners are announced.

As always, the final results won’t be known until the ceremony itself, but the sheer number of potential records on the line already makes this one of the more compelling Emmy cycles in recent memory. Whether it’s Ford finally claiming his first trophy or Zendaya rewriting the record books, this year’s race promises no shortage of memorable moments.

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