In the competitive landscape of the Emmy Awards, Ryan Murphy’s productions have consistently delivered outstanding performances. This year, three notable actors are vying for recognition.
The Golden Touch: Can Chloë Sevigny, Javier Bardem, or Cooper Koch Become the 14th Actor to Win an Emmy?
Want to win an Emmy? Work with Ryan Murphy.
In 2023, Niecy Nash-Betts became the 13th performer from a Murphy production to win an Emmy Award. Her compassionate performance as Glenda Cleveland, the neighbor of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Peters) in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, wowed voters and secured Nash-Betts her first Primetime Emmy; she also has a Daytime Emmy for producing Clean House.
This year, Chloë Sevigny, Javier Bardem, and Cooper Koch are all nominated for their roles in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Sevigny and Bardem portray Kitty Menendez and José Menendez, parents who were murdered by their sons, Erik (Koch) and Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez), at their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
The Netflix limited series is produced and cowritten by Murphy, which begs the question: Can Sevigny, Bardem, or Koch continue Murphy’s lucky streak at the Emmys and become his 14th winning actor?
Murphy himself is a 39-time Emmy nominee and six-time winner for directing Glee (2010), producing The Normal Heart (2014), producing The People v. O.J. Simpson and its short-form “Inside Look” spin-off (2016), and producing and directing The Assassination of Gianni Versace (2018).
Koch is following up his inaugural Golden Globe bid from earlier in the year with a fresh Emmy nomination for Monsters. The lead actor made headlines for a one-take episode that lasted 33 minutes, but is it enough to push him over the edge? He’s competing alongside category front-runner Colin Farrell (The Penguin), plus Stephen Graham (Adolescence), Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent), and Brian Tyree Henry (Dope Thief).
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Movie/Limited Actor
- Colin Farrell – The Penguin
- Stephen Graham – Adolescence
- Cooper Koch – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
- Jake Gyllenhaal – Presumed Innocent
- Brian Tyree Henry – Dope Thief
Sevigny may have won a Golden Globe in 2010 for HBO’s polygamist drama Big Love, but the Emmys had strangely ignored the actress’ decades-long career until this year. For her supporting performance of Kitty, she’s nominated against predicted winner Erin Doherty (Adolescence), as well as Ruth Negga (Presumed Innocent), Deirdre O’Connell (The Penguin), Jenny Slate (Dying for Sex), and Christine Tremarco (Adolescence).
Movie/Limited Supporting Actress
- Jenny Slate – Dying for Sex
- Deirdre O’Connell – The Penguin
- Chloë Sevigny – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
- Ruth Negga – Presumed Innocent
- Christine Tremarco – Adolescence
Bardem became a household name with his Oscar-winning performance in No Country for Old Men (2007). Monsters marks his first major TV role, and he was rewarded with an Emmy bid. Owen Cooper (Adolescence) is expected to win this supporting race, and the other nominees are Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent), Rob Delaney (Dying for Sex), Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent), and Ashley Walters (Adolescence).
Movie/Limited Supporting Actor
- Javier Bardem – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
- Rob Delaney – Dying for Sex
- Peter Sarsgaard – Presumed Innocent
- Ashley Walters – Adolescence
- Bill Camp – Presumed Innocent
Starting with Glee, more than 40 of Murphy’s actors have been recognized with a nomination by the TV Academy, and 13 of them have prevailed. Other than Nash-Betts, the other dozen performers who thanked Murphy at the Emmy podium were, in alphabetical order by last name:
- Kathy Bates (American Horror Story: Coven) in 2014
- Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O.J. Simpson) in 2016
- Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace) in 2018
- James Cromwell (American Horror Story: Asylum) in 2013
- Neil Patrick Harris (Glee) in 2010
- Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Murder House) in 2012
- Jane Lynch (Glee) in 2010
- Ewan McGregor (Halston) in 2021
- Gwyneth Paltrow (Glee) in 2011
- Sarah Paulson (The People v. O.J. Simpson) in 2016
- Billy Porter (Pose) in 2019
- Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson) in 2016
The 2025 Primetime Emmys will be handed out on September 14, with Nate Bargatze hosting the three-hour ceremony on CBS. Will any of the Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story actors prevail and become the 14th Emmy winner from a Ryan Murphy series? Stay tuned.
