The Emmys, the biggest awards in the TV biz, aren’t a popularity contest. But a new analysis of the most-watched shows and stars nominated this year provides an interesting look at the relative commercial success of the contenders.
The top-ranking nominees, as measured by Nielsen, include video game adaptation “Fallout,” a massive hit for Prime Video, along with series star Walton Goggins, in drama categories.
On the comedy front, “The Bear” took the No. 1 spot, as did star Jeremey Allen White, per Nielsen’s analysis. The most-watched actress in a comedy series was Selena Gomez (Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building”).
SEE ALSO: 2024 Emmy Nominations — Full List
Of course, just because any given show or actor is popular doesn’t actually mean they have better odds of winning an Emmy (or any other award). But Nielsen’s point in releasing the rankings was reveal to show which awards contenders could give marketers the biggest reach, by providing insight into “how audiences are voting with their time,” the company said.
In the case of the drama and comedy series categories, Nielsen measured time spent watching the season of the TV show that occurred within the time period for which a given title was nominated (during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards’ eligibility period of June 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024).
However, for the actor and actress categories, the rankings include any titles (both movies and series) in which the performer appeared as “a top-billed cast member.” For example, that means that the total for Goggins included not only viewing of “Fallout” but also other shows he starred in, like HBO’s “Righteous Gemstones” and FX’s “Justified.” White, meanwhile, got credit for “The Bear” and also for 2023 film “The Iron Claw” and his turn as the eldest Gallagher brother in Showtime’s “Shameless” — and Aniston had a huge benefit from “Friends” viewing on Max. That methodology favors actors who happened to appear in other popular shows and movies during the Emmys eligibility time period, but perhaps it’s the best proxy possible for gauging the most-watched nominees in the acting categories.
For reference, you can read Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis’ predictions for the 2024 Emmys here — which only in two cases (“The Bear” for comedy series and Allen for actor in a comedy series) match up with the No. 1 spot on Nielsen’s popularity rankings.
That said, here is Nielsen’s breakdown of the top three most-watched shows, actors and actresses in key categories.
Drama Series
| Network/Platform | Show | Total U.S. viewing hours |
| Prime Video | Fallout (Season 1) | 162.1 million |
| Netflix | The Crown (Season 6) | 100.1 million |
| Hulu/FX | Shogun (Season 1) | 99.7 million |
Comedy Series
| Network/Platform | Show | Total U.S. viewing hours |
| Hulu/FX | The Bear (Season 2) | 97.6 million |
| Hulu | Only Murders in the Building (Season 3) | 84.4 million |
| ABC/Hulu | Abbott Elementary (Season 3) | 59.8 million |
Limited or Anthology Series
| Network/Platform | Show | Total U.S. viewing hours |
| HBO/Max | True Detective: Night Country | 66.7 million |
| Netflix | Baby Reindeer | 61.2 million |
| Apple TV+ | Lessons in Chemistry | 35.4 million |
Actor in a Drama Series
| Actor | Nominated for | Total U.S. viewing hours* |
| Walton Goggins | Fallout (Prime Video) | 363.9 million |
| Gary Oldman | Slow Horses (Apple TV+) | 283.6 million |
| Idris Elba | Hijack (Apple TV+) | 279.8 million |
Actress in a Drama Series
| Actor | Nominated for | Total U.S. viewing hours* |
| Jennifer Aniston | The Morning Show (Apple TV+) | 1,725.4 million |
| Imelda Staunton | The Crown (Netflix) | 247.6 million |
| Reese Witherspoon | The Morning Show (Apple TV+) | 192.8 million |
Actor in a Comedy Series
| Actor | Nominated for | Total U.S. viewing hours* |
| Jeremy Allen White | The Bear (Hulu/FX) | 499.7 million |
| Steve Martin | Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) | 195.4 million |
| Martin Short | Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) | 169.4 million |
Actress in a Comedy Series
| Actor | Nominated for | Total U.S. viewing hours* |
| Selena Gomez | Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) | 164.8 million |
| Ayo Edebiri | The Bear (Hulu/FX) | 158.4 million |
| Jean Smart | Hacks (Max) | 45.4 million |
Nielsen said its analysis of the most-watched Emmy contenders was measured across streaming as well as broadcast and cable TV in the U.S.
The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will air live Sunday, Sept. 15, starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Emmys Preview: ‘Happy Days,’ ‘SNL,’ ‘The West Wing’ Cast Reunions and Jelly Roll’s ‘In Memoriam’ Performance
Pictured above, l. to r.: Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”); Walton Goggins (“Fallout”); Jenifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”)
Source Agencies
