Billy Crudup eyes a rare kind of Emmy bookend in drama supporting actor with ‘The Morning Show’

Billy Crudup is the odds-on favorite to win his second Best Drama Supporting Actor trophy for “The Morning Show,” and if that happens, he’ll carve out a unique place in Emmy history. Crudup would not be the first person to win the category more than once, but he would defy a trend by prevailing in non-consecutive years.

No acting category loves consecutive wins as much as Best Drama Supporting Actor does. Five men have won the award twice — all accomplishing the feat in back-to-back years: Stuart Margolin (“The Rockford Files,” 1979-80), Michael Conrad (“Hill Street Blues,” 1981-82), Larry Drake (“L.A. Law,” 1988-89), Ray Walston (“Picket Fences,” 1995-96) and Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession,” 2022-23). “Game of Thrones'” Peter Dinklage holds the category record with four victories, and while he did not bag all four consecutively, he claimed his last two in 2018 and 2019 (his first two were in 2011 and 2015). Aaron Paul, the first person to win the category three times, is thus far the only multiple winner who did not log back-to-back triumphs at any point, having struck gold for “Breaking Bad” in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

SEE ‘The Morning Show’s’ Billy Crudup: Cory is ‘punching above his weight’ in Season 3

Unlike most of these men, Crudup did not have the opportunity to notch consecutive wins. The actor pocketed the Emmy in 2020 for the first season of “The Morning Show” for his scene-stealing turn as fast-talking, terrifyingly charismatic and charismatically terrifying UBA executive Cory Ellison. Season 2 of “The Morning Show” was not eligible until 2022, when Crudup earned a second nomination but lost to Macfadyen. Even if Crudup had won then, he wouldn’t have been able to defend his crown since “The Morning Show” missed the 2023 cycle.

But now he’s back for a bookend with Season 3, in which Cory had a larger presence than ever, including an episode that introduces his mom, Martha (Lindsay Duncan). With a complete overhaul of the category from last year that was just “Succession” and “The White Lotus,” Crudup is the safest bet for a nomination. He could also very well be the only nominee who was previously nominated for their current role. His co-star Mark Duplass was nominated for Season 1 but missed for Season 2 and is in ninth place in the odds, two spots out of the predicted seven. Their other co-star, Season 3 addition Jon Hamm, is in second place, followed by Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”), Tadanobu Asano (“Shōgun”), Khalid Abdalla (“The Crown”), Nathan Lane (“The Gilded Age”) and Takehiro Hira (“Shōgun”).

If Crudup does pick up his second Emmy, he can also celebrate another first: accepting the award onstage instead of over Zoom.

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