Will both drama lead acting Emmys go to one-season wonders?
Emmy voters have no problem rubber-stamping certain winners, sometimes for years on end, but they wont get to if they award a certain combo of lead drama acting champs. Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Reg-Jean Page (Bridgerton) are contending for their performances on one season of their respective shows, so this is the only chance for voters to anoint them  at least in lead. Never in the lead drama acting categories have there been winners for one seasons worth of work on an ongoing series. There have been winners for shows that were canceled after one season (see: Ron Leibman for Kaz in 1979) and even a winner for a guest appearance (Christopher Lloyd for Road to Avonlea) in 1992, the one year guest stars were allowed to compete in the regular acting races. In Corrins case, we always knew shed be one and done after Season 4 due to the structure of The Crown, which changes cast members every two seasons. Corrins Princess Diana was not introduced in the third season, so the fourth installment, which covers the 80s, including the 1981 nuptials of Diana and Prince Charles (Josh OConnor), is the only chance well get to see her take on the late royal as Elizabeth Debicki will play Diana in the final two seasons. A Corrin coronation would make her, at 25, the second youngest drama actress winner after last years champ, Zendaya (Succession), who was 24. Pages departure from Bridgerton is slightly more surprising. As Simon Basset, he became a breakout star on the Netflix hit, whose first season focused on the courtship (and deception) between Simon and Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor). Page only had a one-year contract as the plan for the series, based on Julia Quinns novels, is to focus on each of the eight Bridgerton siblings romantic escapades in subsequent installments (Season 2, which is currently in production, will center on Jonathan Baileys Anthony Bridgerton). Page was offered a deal to guest-star in Season 2 but turned it down, so theres no more Duke of Hastings for now. Even if Page does return in a future season, it likely will be in a guest or at best supporting capacity, so he wouldnt compete in lead again. At the moment, Corrin is the favorite to win Best Drama Actress in the odds over her co-star Olivia Colman, whos in second place. Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaids Tale), Uzo Aduba (In Treatment), Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) and Dynevor round out the top six. Like Page, Corrin was a breakout star and even better, she already has some hardware under her belt: the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards. Her only loss was at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she fell to co-star Gillian Anderson in the single drama actress category, but Anderson is in supporting at the Emmys. She still took home a SAG Award as part of the winning ensemble. Page, whos staying booked and busy with a Saturday Night Live gig and film roles left and right, is in second place in the Best Drama Actor odds, behind OConnor, who, like Corrin, won the Globe and Critics Choice Award. But Bridgerton nabbed two SAG Award nominations, drama ensemble and actor for Page, a big coup considering that SAG often overlooks late-arriving first-year shows (Bridgerton dropped on Christmas Day). Page lost the SAG to Jason Bateman (Ozark), whos ineligible at the Emmys. That also means hes never lost to OConnor. Three former champs, Billy Porter (Pose), Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason) and Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), are behind him in third, fourth and fifth, respectively, while Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country) is in sixth. If Corrin and Page do walk away with the gold for their one-hit wonders of performances, well get two years in a row in which neither drama lead acting winner will be back to defend their crown  reigning champs Zendaya and Jeremy Strong (Succession) are sitting this cycle out due to COVID-19 production delays. PREDICTthe 2021 Emmy nominations through July 13  Emmy odds for Best Drama Actress Emma Corrin is out front  Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Dont miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz.