Every year’s Emmy ceremony has categories, such as Limited Series, where the award often goes to worthy winners with projects exploring Significant Social Themes. That’s all well and good. But after an evening of that, I yearn for what might be my favorite Emmy category, Outstanding Television Movie, because the winners (and nominees) are often loopy.
This is not to say that Television Movie winners can’t be serious. Such significant films as “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” (2007) and Larry Kramer’s AIDS-themed drama “The Normal Heart” (2014) have proven to be distinguished winners in this category. Yet Emmy voters are not afraid to embrace the odd and quirky here, as evidenced by such recent winners as “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” (2023), the brilliant live-action/animation mash-up “Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers” (2022), and last year’s champ, the warm sisterly comedy “Quiz Lady.”
The 2025 race looks no less varied, with films featuring monsters in a gorge, spirits in the house, grannies at the stove, a widow on the verge, and a rebel at the front lines of justice. Can one category contain all of this variety? These hopefuls and more are contending for the five open slots for the Emmy in a race shaping up to be as wide open as any in recent years. But if you’re swamped trying to catch up on new episodes of your old favorites and find yourselves running behind on your Emmy homework, here is a list of ten of the most promising television movies to put on your radar, along with a few comments as to where their awards strength (or weaknesses) lie.
“AM I OK?” – Now Streaming On Max
Most coming-of-age films usually center on questioning characters in their teens or pre-teens. But what if your naive protagonist is 32? “Am I OK?” became one of the most talked-about films at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival that had to wait until this year’s race to reach audiences. Unlike wide-eyed teenage protagonists, Lucy (Dakota Johnson) has already settled into a lane in her life that’s safe and challenge-free. When her best friend Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) announces she’s moving to London, Lucy is shaken to her core, questioning her relationship with her boyfriend and realizing that she is more sexually attracted to women. At a crossroads, Lucy must summon the courage to recognize and embrace the person she can be before it is too late.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Though it has received some of the best reviews of any film in the field, “Am I OK?” still has the vibe of an Indie Spirit Award nominee rather than your typical Emmy contender for TV movie. Still, Johnson’s empathetic and multi-layered performance is a standout and may linger with voters long after watching the film.
“ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR” – Premieres May 1st On Prime Video
Five years after being convicted of killing her father and sister at the end of 2018’s “A Simple Favor,” Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) is sprung from prison, much to the horror of her former best friend Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), whose testimony helped to put her behind bars. What’s worse is that Emily, who is about to marry a wealthy Italian playboy (Michelle Morrone) in Capri, has insisted Stephanie be her maid of honor. The first film — directed by Paul Feig, written by Jessica Sharzer, and co-starring Andrew Rannells and Henry Golding, all of whom return here — proved to be a success among critics and a word-of-mouth hit with audiences.
EMMY OUTLOOK: With the acting categories of Limited Series/TV Movie so stacked, “Another Simple Favor’s” best chances may be behind the camera. Feig is a four-time Emmy nominee, the film’s twisty screenplay (co-written by Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis) could have enormous appeal to the Writers Branch, and the film’s outrageous costume design (particularly Lively’s unforgettable hats) by Renée Ehrlich Kalfus should be a strong contender.
“BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY” – Now Streaming On Peacock
The fourth installment of the Bridget Jones saga finds Bridget (Renée Zellweger), now the widowed single mom of two school-age children, deciding to dip her toe into the dating pool again. After a rocky start, she finds success, finding herself pursued by Roxster (Leo Woodall), a handsome younger man, and at the same time attracted to Scott (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a teacher at her children’s school. Of the four Bridget Jones films, “Mad About the Boy” received the most critical acclaim in the series and has been a box-office smash internationally, earning over $131 million to date. Universal, however, decided to send the film directly to streaming in the United States, thus making it eligible for Emmy consideration.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Since “Mad About the Boy” is the first in the Bridget Jones series to be eligible for Emmys, there are no prior stats by which we can gauge the film’s appeal to Emmy voters. But if nominations from other groups for the previous films in the series are any guide, then the appeal should be there. “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001) earned film nominations from BAFTA and the Golden Globes, and its script earned nods for both the BAFTA and Writers Guild Awards. Zellweger earned her first of four Oscar nominations for her performance and Best Actress nominations for the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She also earned another Globe nomination for the series’ second installment, “The Edge of Reason” (2004), so Zellweger should also be considered a strong contender for Emmy recognition.
“THE GORGE” – Now Streaming On Apple TV+
The fact that this Apple TV+ movie was the biggest film premiere in the streamer’s history should not come as a shock, as it offered surprises for a variety of audiences. For horror movie fans, “The Gorge” provided a gorge-full of very hungry zombies. For aficionados of spy stories, it offered a tense geopolitical stand-off between rival political factions. And, most surprisingly, it gave the rest of us an endearingly sweet romance as deadly American sniper Levi (Miles Teller) gently woos from afar Lithuanian shooter Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), stationed on the other side of a deep gorge. Zach Dean’s (at times( wild script wisely centers on characterization in the film’s first hour, and the chemistry between Teller and Taylor-Joy is palpable.
EMMY OUTLOOK: This film has been widely seen by audiences, including Emmy voters. While acting nominations appear unlikely, the film’s impressive technical achievements will likely be seriously considered in below-the-line categories. And in an evenly spread field, that support could lead to that coveted Television Movie nomination.
“MOUNTAINHEAD” – Premieres May 31st On HBO & Max
This HBO original film must be considered the most mysterious and intriguing television movie of the season, a project whose details are few but whose pedigree cannot be denied. Written, directed, and executive produced by seven-time Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Jesse Armstrong, this satire is his first project post- “Succession.” It offers fertile ground for Armstrong’s stinging brand of dark comedy. It’s a simple premise: A group of billionaire friends get together at a mountaintop retreat against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis. What could possibly go wrong? The mystery involved with the project even extends to its premiere date, with its first airing set just hours before the Emmy eligibility window closes.
EMMY OUTLOOK: The presence of Armstrong alone will certainly make Emmy voters take notice, as will its cast, which includes 11-time Emmy nominee Steve Carell, SAG nominees Jason Schwartzman and Ramy Youssef, and Critics Choice nominee Cory Michael Smith. The elements are all there for yet another Jesse Armstrong triumph. But can he deliver? (I suspect he can).
“NONNAS” – Premieres May 9th On Netflix
Director Stephen Chbosky’s latest film centers on the true story of Staten Islander Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn), who, after the deaths of his mother and grandmother, turns for comfort to food — specifically, their generations-old recipes for classic Italian dishes. To honor their memory, he decides to open a restaurant, and who better to create the home-cooked recipes than a quartet of grandmothers, or “nonnas,” themselves? With families hailing from different regions throughout Italy, the four nonnas — Roberta (Lorraine Bracco), Antonella (Brenda Vaccaro), Teresa (Talia Shire), and Gia (Susan Sarandon) — bicker while baking, yet they find in each other a new purpose in their lives with promises to make their twilight years that much more meaningful.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Unlike the more issue-oriented Outstanding Limited Series category, Television Movies have regularly embraced warm-hearted comedies, and “Nonnas,” given its subject matter, may offer enormous appeal to an older Emmy voting demographic. Add to that the pedigree of its cast — Vaughn is a SAG nominee, and all four female actors have been nominated for Oscars, with Sarandon winning — and you may have a crowd-pleaser with snob appeal, a rare combination that might prove to be catnip for Emmy voters.
“OUT OF MY MIND” – Now Streaming On Disney+
Based on Sharon Draper’s New York Times best-selling novel, this coming-of-age drama centers on 12-year-old Melody Brooks (Phoebe-Rae Taylor), who has both a photographic memory and cerebral palsy. Unable to speak, her innermost thoughts are expressed using the voice of her favorite television star (Jennifer Aniston). With Melody’s unique talents being underutilized in special education class, her parents decide to mainstream her in public school. However, she is mocked by her classmates and dismissed by her teacher until she summons the courage to face them all down and reclaim her worth. This all may sound like an “Afterschool Special,” and on the one hand, it might have been just that. However, the sensitive direction by Amber Sealey and incisive script by Daniel Stiepleman has brought the film unanimous critical acclaim following its premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Given that “Out of My Mind” must compete for nominations in acting and tech categories with more high-powered limited series, the category in which this acclaimed but modest film has the best chance may be the biggest one, Outstanding Television Movie, where its skillful focus on its characters could compete on a more level playing field.
“THE PARENTING” – Now Streaming On Max
Horror and comedy, two genres that often make for an uneasy fit, are usually the purview of low-budget B films and rarely brought up in Emmy conversations. But Craig Robinson’s dark comedy, with a clever script by “SNL” writer Kent Sublette, has attracted an A-list cast in this tale of a queer couple (Nik Dodani and Brandon Flynn) who invite their very different sets of parents to a meet-and-greet at a country house rental. It does not go well, especially when it is discovered that the house is haunted by a 400-year-old evil entity that makes its presence known in startling ways.
EMMY OUTLOOK: If you thought a horror comedy couldn’t get within hailing distance of the Emmy Awards, you’d probably be right. But it’s hard to ignore a cast of this quality: Emmy winners Brian Cox, Edie Falco, and Lisa Kudrow, as well as SAG nominee Dean Morris and Emmy nominee Parker Posey. Not that any of them are in contention for acting Emmys, but their mere presence could entice Emmy voters to watch the film, which may help Sublette’s script and the film’s makeup & hairstyling team to get awards attention.
“REBEL RIDGE” – Now Streaming On Netflix
A banger of an action throwback by Jeremy Saulnier, “Rebel Ridge” received nearly unanimous critical praise for Saulnier’s whipsmart filmmaking and for Aaron Pierre’s star-making performance as Terry Richmond, who shows up in a small Louisiana town to post bail for his cousin and save him from imminent danger. But when Terry finds that his life savings have been seized by the town’s corrupt cops, led by local police chief Sandy Burnne (a deliciously slimy Don Johnson), there will be hell to pay. The screenplay, also by Saulnier, is smart and layered with subtle social commentary along with the film’s expertly delivered punches.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Strong. Expect an Outstanding Television Movie nomination, given its acclaim and a nod for Outstanding Stunt Performance. Both Saulnier’s script and direction should also be in the mix, as well as possible nominations for Pierre and Johnson’s performances. Other below-the-line nominations are in the conversation, particularly for the film’s crisp editing and sound design.
“THE SUPREMES AT EARL’S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT” – Now Streaming On Hulu
Adapted from the novel by Edward Kelsey Moore, this period drama directed by Tina Mabry is a testament to the power of friendship, a decades-long bond between three small-town friends (played as adults by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan, and Uzo Aduba). The joys of their lives are shared, as are the woes, from cancer and adultery to alcoholism. While the film threatens to tip over into melodrama now and then, it is the power of its three leading actors (along with a potent supporting cast that includes Mekhi Phifer, Russell Hornsby, and Vondie Curtis-Hall) that keeps the project engaging and our interest sustained.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Very promising. The main strength for “The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” will likely be in above-the-line categories, with a strong chance of grabbing a Television Movie nomination. With Oscar nominee Ellis-Taylor, Emmy nominee Lathan, and three-time Emmy winner Aduba on board, all should be in the mix for acting honors. In addition, as one of the prominent literary adaptations in the race, writers may reward the screenplay by Mabry and Cee Marcellus (the pseudonym for “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood).
What do you think are the big, new Emmy contenders this year for Outstanding TV Movie? What are some of your favorite tv movies you’ve watched for this season so far? Please let us know in the comments section below or over on our X account, and be sure to check out our latest Emmy predictions here. Please also be sure to subscribe to the Next Best Series Podcast where we are conducting a number of interviews with Emmy contenders throughout the awards season and discussing the race over the next couple of months.
