Emmys 2021: Lead Actor In A Drama Series — Our 8 Dream Nominees!

Emmy's Lead Actor in a Drama Series contest is primed for an extreme makeover. Four of last year's six nominees — including Succession's Brian Cox and (ultimate winner) Jeremy Strong, and Ozark's Jason Bateman — are not even in the running this year due to their series' latest seasons getting delayed by the pandemic.

That opens the door for a massive infusion of new blood — and that's where we come in. Half of the actors on our Dream Emmy short list have never been nominated for TV's highest honor. And the other half? They've been around the kudos block a time or two — but are no less deserving this year.

Scroll through the list below to review all eight of our Dream Nominees (remember, these aren't predictions; they're wish lists) and then tell us if our picks warrant a "Hell, yes!," "Um, no" or "How could you leave off so-and-so?!"For the record, 2021 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 17-28, and unveiled on July 13. The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Sept. 19 on CBS.

Scroll down for links to our previous Dream Emmy categories:

Outstanding Drama Series — Our 7 Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Our 7 Dream Nominees

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: It would be easy to overlook Brown's continued excellence in Season 5 of the NBC drama. But as Randall finally uncovered the truth about his birth mother, the actor wowed us like never before. Confronted by a vision of Laurel, years of pent-up sadness began to dissipate. Randall let out a gigantic wail and finally achieved hard-won peace. It was cathartic — a moment both the character and the audience so desperately needed — and Brown made sure we felt it. Here's hoping Emmy voters felt it, too.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Idris can captivatingly and quickly shift Franklin Saint's mood from placid to fully roiled on Snowfall. The actor did so with aplomb in Season 4, after Franklin's father Alton exposed the CIA as a South Central cocaine supplier in a local newspaper and Franklin's crew demanded solutions. "Let me get us out of this like I got us out of every motherf—king thing else," Idris spewed as if channeling his inner Al Pacino, foreshadowing even greater emotional range in scenes to come.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: From clenched jaws and singular tears while confronting bigotry in Jim Crow America to death stares when torturing Korean prisoners of war, Majors brought his character Tic's inner contradictions to life with undeniable gusto. His hateful posture even convinced us that a racist ghost had possessed him. But when Major's Tic valiantly saved his mother, father and uncle while time-traveling to 1921 Tulsa, he wore his heroics like a second skin and gave us all chills.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: In Season 3, O'Connor was charming and intensely sympathetic as a young, reserved Prince Charles... but Season 4 proved that his charm was a double-edged sword. Charles courted young Diana Spencer and married her, but he also kept seeing his ex Camilla and exploded in anger at Diana when she didn't conform to his idea of what a princess should be. O'Connor bravely showed us an ugly side of Charles' personality as his fairy-tale marriage to Diana found an unhappy ending.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Porter is already an Emmy winner, but he's topped himself in the FX drama's final season with a heart-wrenchingly raw, thunderously emotional performance. Porter was as ferocious as a caged animal when Pray Tell was confronted by his friends about his drinking problem and lashed out at them in anger. Then he literally took us to church as Pray Tell went back home to tell his family about his dire AIDS prognosis. We give him a perfect "10," without hesitation.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Following in Raymond Burr's legendary footsteps is a tall order, but Rhys brought new depth and vitality to the iconic TV lawyer. In HBO's reboot, Mason started out as a seedy private detective, and Rhys didn't shy away from revealing his many glaring character flaws. But the Emily Dodson murder case coaxed a newfound nobility out of Mason, and Rhys had us rooting for him all the way as he cleaned up his act and became the great lawyer we knew he could be.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: As a sociopathic so-called superhero with a taste for violence and breast milk, Starr's captivating performance was equal parts unhinged abandon and wounded little boy. In the Season 2 finale, the actor made us both fear and feel for his character Homelander when, after losing his girlfriend and his son, he could barely contain his grief and rage. Starr's unpredictable intensity in that moment (and every single one of his scenes) made it impossible to look away when he was on screen.

WHY HE DESERVES A NOD: Yes, an Emmy nod for The Mosquito Coast would help make up for Theroux's repeated snubs during The Leftovers' three seasons. But Theroux is doing compelling work on the Apple TV+ drama as an inventor forced to flee the country with his family when the Very Bad Thing he did in his past catches up with him. In his efforts to evade the authorities, Allie is often selfish and demanding, yet Theroux brings an alluring charisma to the character that keeps us rooting for him — even when we know we shouldn't.