In one way or another, most Emmy categories have a bit of chaos every year as favorites begin to shake out at this stage of the competition. Earlier this month, however, the Outstanding Television Movie race was turned completely upside down with the announcement that Netflix was not submitting a number of its top films for Emmy consideration.
Removing any top contenders from a major Emmy category would cause instability in those races. Still, four of the films removed from Netflix were among the category’s front-runners, all of which had impeccable credentials. “The Best You Can,” starring the Golden Globe-winning couple Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon, recently had its script nominated for a Writers Guild Award, “The Old Guard 2,” headlined by Oscar winner Charlize Theron, earned a TV Movie nomination from the GLAAD Media Awards, “The Thursday Murder Club” with Oscar winners Helen Mirren & Ben Kingsley, recently received an ACE nomination, and “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” with Oscar winner Cillian Murphy continues the story of the BAFTA-winning series. Any one of these four would have made for a worthy Emmy winner. But now they’re gone, so where does it leave the category?
In a very exciting place, it turns out. Unlike virtually any other major Emmy category, there is no consensus front-runner for Outstanding Television Movie, with prognosticators as yet unable to center around a single title now that the big dogs from Netflix are no longer in play. To be sure, Netflix is still very much in the race, however, with several remaining contenders, among them films starring Oscar winner Sally Field and nominees Taraji P. Henson and Teyana Taylor; Prime Video is back with several acclaimed action films, including a new entry in the “Jack Ryan” series; Hulu has submitted several critics favorites from recent film festivals, and Apple TV and HBO Max each have a solid entry in contention.
Yes, in one sense, this race is an absolute mess, but that’s what will likely make this category the most thrillingly unpredictable on Emmy night. With predictors all over the place, here’s your chance for your voice to be heard. I’ve selected ten of the leading television movies this year to put on your radar, along with a few comments as to where their awards strengths (or weaknesses) lie. Let us know who you think will win.
“DEEP COVER” – Now Streaming on Prime Video
Crime comedies have become a staple on streaming services, and those that offer something extra can often rise to the top of the Emmy race. And the plus that Tom Kingsley’s film, “Deep Cover,” brings is a most unexpected one: stand-up comedy. London’s Metropolitan Police’s undercover operations are having problems because, when faced with an unexpected jam, the cops can’t improvise a way out. So they approach improv teacher Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard) to recruit her best students — tech worker Hugh (Nick Mohammed) and method actor Marlon (Orlando Bloom) — to form an undercover team for a clandestine sting job that proves to be anything but easy. While the principals keep the film’s mood light, Kingsley has hired some of the screen’s best tough-guy actors — Sean Bean, Paddy Considine, and Ian McShane among them — to give the action just the right amount of gravitas.
EMMY OUTLOOK: While the film’s screenplay is clever and the cast is solid (particularly Bloom, who’s hilarious), the film’s best Emmy chances may actually be for the big prize. Every element in the film seems to be working at the same high level, with no particular standout, so it may be the final product as a whole that could be the real star with Emmy voters.
“ECHO VALLEY” – Now Streaming on Apple TV
The premise of Michael Pearce’s thriller, “Echo Valley,” could feel relatable for any parent: Kate (Julianne Moore), a horse trainer who is still grieving the death of her wife, is surprised by the return of her daughter Claire (Sydney Sweeney), now a heroin addict. Like any mom, she vows to protect her daughter, who promises to get clean. But when Claire returns with a dead body in her back seat, well, that complicates matters. The script by Brad Inglesby has again created characters with deep roots in his beloved Pennsylvania, but this time with a third-act twist that divided both critics and audiences.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Reviews for the film were decidedly mixed, with critics praising Moore and the story’s atmospherics and others disappointed in the film’s plotting and that twist. Inglesby may contend, but that would likely be more of an afterglow nomination following his “Mare of Easttown” success. (He has a much better Emmy chance for his series contender “Task.”) Moore may be the film’s best shot as her Emmy record is unblemished (2 nominations, 2 wins), but making the final six here will likely be a challenge.
“JACK RYAN: GHOST WAR” – Premieres May 20 on Prime Video 
“Ghost War” is set to continue the action of the four seasons of the “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” series that ran on Prime Video from 2018 to 2023. In this feature-length thriller, Ryan (John Krasinski) finds himself drawn back to the spy game when he is caught up in an undercover mission that reveals a conspiracy in the highest ranks. What’s more, he must face a black-ops team ready to stop any further probing by Ryan and his team. Happily, he is reunited with his colleagues — ex-CIA boss James Greer (Wendell Pierce) and key operative Mike November (Michael Kelly) — as they try to stop the traitors.
EMMY OUTLOOK: In its four-season run, “Jack Ryan” was a minor Emmy player (with just two visual effects nominations & one for sound editing) and was never a real contender for above-the-line honors. However, because this year’s Television Movie race lacks a definitive front-runner, a franchise film with a beloved character has the kind of built-in name recognition that could get it over the finish line for that high-profile nomination.
“MIKE & NICK & NICK & ALICE” – Now Streaming on Hulu
In this singular mashup of crime comedy and sci-fi elements, writer/director BenDavid Grabinski’s “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” offers a variety of moods, from a cascade of jokes delivered at machine-gun pace (with occasional punctuation of violence) to a welcome streak of romance throughout. Gangster Nick (Vince Vaughn) and hitman Mike (James Marsden) are both in love with the same woman — Nick’s wife Alice (Eiza González) — which complicates their teaming up. To make matters worse, there’s also a time machine in which Nick from the future (also Vaughn) travels back in time to try to keep Present Nick from making a colossal mistake. Got it?
EMMY OUTLOOK: The film earned strong reviews at its premiere at South by Southwest, with particular praise given to Vaughn’s dual performance and to Grabinski’s genre-bending screenplay. Is it too light a film for the Academy, given its competition? Not necessarily. Emmy voters are not afraid to honor comedies in this category, with “Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers” and “Quiz Lady” as recent Emmy champs. It certainly offers voters an alternative choice.
“MISS YOU, LOVE YOU” – Premieres May 29 on HBO Max
Picked up by HBO after a much-buzzed-about “secret screening” at Sundance, this dramatic comedy centers on a grieving widow (Allison Janney), who, trying to arrange her late husband’s funeral, finds that the only person able to help her is the assistant (Andrew Rannels) of her estranged son. Written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Jim Rash (“The Descendants“), the film seeks to depict the genuine trauma and grief of such a situation, with the kind of light touch that has brought Rash’s work such acclaim.
EMMY OUTLOOK: In recent years, HBO Max has developed an intriguing strategy in the race for Outstanding Television Movie. In hopes of nabbing a nomination, the streamer has regularly dropped a last-minute, high-profile title in late May, an approach that worked very well for 2021’s “Oslo” and last year’s “Mountainhead.” For this 2026 hopeful, there’s a secret weapon — Janney, who has proven herself to be Emmy royalty, earning 15 career nominations and seven wins, second only to Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Most importantly, this is HBO’s only real contender in the category, so expect its successful awards operation to be laser-focused on getting that nomination and eventually winning. I think it’s in.
“PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION” – Now Streaming on Netflix
Based on the best-selling novel by Emily Henry, this romantic comedy has been called (and praised) as the cinematic equivalent of a good “beach read.” The audience knows exactly where the story is headed from the get-go, and the film skillfully delivers exactly what viewers want. Platonic friends since college, the adventurous Poppy (Emily Bader) and more reserved Alex (Tom Blyth) vow to take their annual vacations together. On each successive trip, the temptation to become romantic has become ever greater. The “can-friends-become-lovers” idea has been with us for ages, most notably with “When Harry Met Sally,” but by reversing the genders here, director Brett Haley’s film gives an old trope some new life.
EMMY OUTLOOK: With the Netflix awards team now no longer occupied with campaigns for their one-time front-runners, they can turn their considerable skills toward getting nominations here, with the best chances likely being for Writing and Television Movie. A tech nomination or two may not be out of the realm of possibility as well.
“PIZZA MOVIE” – Now Streaming on Hulu
Written & directed by the comedy team Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher (known professionally as BriTANicK), the stoner comedy, “Pizza Movie,” was a hit at SXSW 2026 and premiered to large audiences on Hulu. Two college roommates (Gaten Matarazzo & Sean Giambrone), anxious for a good time, take a drug that was left in their room ten years earlier. The hallucinogen, called MINTS, leads to a colossal high, so, anxious to sober up quickly, the guys order a pizza as an antidote. Their journey to the lobby to pick up the pizza, however, is eventful and constitutes the bulk of the 92-minute comedy, which proudly wears its many influences — “Superbad” and “Scott Pilgrim” among many — on its sleeve.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Emmy voters have previously embraced comedies in this category, but a stoner comedy is definitely uncharted territory. The SXSW reviews and big premiere numbers may encourage curious members to tune in, but whether more prestige-minded voters will give it a shot may be an open question.
“REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES” – Premieres May 8 on Netflix
Netflix returns to octopus territory for its latest Emmy hopeful, based on the best-selling novel by Shelby Van Pelt. The unusual drama focuses on Tova (Sally Field), an elderly widow who works the night shift in the local aquarium. To pass the long hours, she develops a bond with a giant Pacific octopus (voiced by Alfred Molina) as well as with a young man (Lewis Pullman) who arrives in town looking for family. Their bond leads them to encounter a mystery that takes them to a moment that will renew a sense of wonder that has been missing for both of them.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Wait a minute. The octopus talks? That’s a big swing for director Olivia Newman (“Where the Crawdads Sing“), but if she can keep the story believable while tugging at the heartstrings, we may have a major contender here. Plus, the film checks a number of boxes that Emmy voters are looking for. It’s adapted from a wildly popular novel (which spent 64 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list) and has likely already been read by a number of Emmy voters. To top it off, it stars a beloved three-time Emmy winner in Field, who hasn’t had a television role like this in recent memory. In addition, there’s the indefinable prestige around the product, which has been the hallmark of previous winners in this category.
“STRAW” – Now Streaming on Netflix
Tyler Perry’s latest is an unusual mix of an economic injustice saga with a touch of “Dog Day Afternoon.” Taraji P. Henson stars as a harried single mom who, in the course of one day, must deal with her daughter’s seizures, have her car impounded, be fired from her job, be evicted from her home, and encounter a robbery when she tries to pick up her last paycheck. In the process, she kills a robber (and her boss!) with the thief’s gun, and, fleeing to a nearby bank to cash her check while still holding the gun, she is mistaken for a bank robber, which leads to a hostage situation. Critics were mixed on the film’s “it never rains, it pours” storyline, but most praised Henson’s passionate performance, given the material.
EMMY OUTLOOK: The film’s decidedly mixed reviews are likely not strong enough to land any above-the-line nods, with the notable exception for acting. The supporting cast is solid, particularly Teyana Taylor as the police negotiator in the film’s final act, but it’s a small role without the scope of her Oscar-nominated work in “One Battle After Another.” Realistically, as far as the film’s Emmy chances go, it’s Taraji or bust.
“SWIPED” – Now Streaming On Hulu
This docudrama is based on the life of Whitney Wolfe Herd (Lily James), who, along with Sean Rad (Ben Schnetzer) and Justin Mateen (Jackson White), co-founded the wildly successful dating app Tinder. But when Whitney objects to the increasing number of dick pics allowed on the site, Ben and his tech bros begin to freeze her out and eventually fire her. Undaunted, she starts up her own app, Bumble, which is designed to be more kindness-based, but when Bumble becomes successful, the Tinder bros feel threatened and set out to smear her good name. Following its Toronto Film Festival premiere, “Swiped” received so-so reviews, but James’s work as Whitney was widely admired.
EMMY OUTLOOK: As is the case with several of its rival contenders, this film’s Emmy strength may be in the acting categories, with the leading performance by James and a supporting turn by Dan Stevens (with another crazy Russian accent) most likely to benefit.
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.
