The miniseries format has grown exponentially over the past few years. Thanks to FX series like American Horror Story and American Crime Story, the Primetime Emmy Awards category of Outstanding Limited Series, as we know it today, has produced its fair share of award-winning performances. Actors and actresses of the limited series were qualified to be nominated for Lead Actor/Actress or Supporting Actor/Actress in a Limited Series.
From miniseries based on books to ones based on historical events, both the lead and supporting actors/actresses have had their work cut out to deliver a reasonable interpretation of the original. Many of the best performances have come from streaming service-produced shows on HBO Max or Hulu. The American Crime Story series, which airs on FX and now Hulu, holds the most wins out of limited series and have produced many Emmy-winning performances. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best Emmy-winning performances from miniseries of the 2010s, ranked.
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8 Sarah Paulson — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
FX Networks
Sarah Paulson is no stranger to working within both the American Horror Story and American Crime Story series. She has starred in every season of the former and two of the latter. Her role as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simpson was arguably her best throughout both series. Marcia Clark was the lead persecutor in the real-life trial and Paulson’s performance was undoubtedly a respectful nod to the great woman.
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7 Darren Criss — The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018)
Darren Criss is a man of many talents. From singing to acting, the versatile actor gives his all in every role he stars in. In the second season of American Crime Story — titled The Assassination of Gianni Versace — he played serial murderer, Andrew Cunanan, who murdered famous designer Gianni Versace among other men. Criss’ portrayal throughout the series allowed viewers to better understand some of Cunanan’s background. Whether or not the murderer deserved any sympathy, Criss’s performance gave light to the mind behind the murders.
6 Sterling K. Brown — The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
FX
American Crime Story has not only won many Emmys as a whole, but it also produced many great performances. In the first season, Sterling K. Brown portrayed Christopher Darden in such a way that he won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series. Alongside Paulson’s Marcia Clark, Darden was also assigned as part of the prosecution team for the O.J. Simpson trial. Unlike Clark, however, Darden felt torn between honoring the Black community and his job.
5 Frances McDormand — Olive Kitteridge (2015)
HBO
As one of the most decorated limited series on this list, Olive Kitteridge, it should be no surprise that Frances McDormand’s performance as the titular character should be featured. It’s not easy to play a hard woman who is less empathetic and more strict. This is exactly what McDormand had to do for her role. Broken into four parts, the show covers Olive’s 25-year-long struggle with depression, bereavement, jealousy, and family friction — all of which are strong emotions to deal with.
4 Riz Ahmed — The Night Of (2017)
In one of the most underrated limited series, The Night Of, actor Riz Ahmed plays Naz Khan, a man who is accused of murdering a young woman. After spending the night partying with the young woman, he wakes up to find her gruesomely stabbed to death. The series goes through the events leading up to the murder, after the murder, and while he is in jail for the crime. Ahmed’s portrayal of the shy college kid throughout all of this is phenomenal in the way that viewers get to watch him grow as he copes with everything.
3 Laura Dern — Big Little Lies (2017)
Laura Dern is a top actress of her time, but her role as Renata Klein in Big Little Lies has to be one of her best. For her role, she had to play the “top bitch”, have mental breakdowns and freakouts, and then play friend and mother who has it all together all in one limited series. For her expertise in this, she went on to win Oustanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, even beating out a few of her fellow castmates.
2 Patricia Arquette — The Act (2019)
Hulu
Adaptations of true events seem to be a common denominator for limited series, which is the case for Hulu’s adaptation of the Blanchard family, in The Act. As outlined by TIME, the Blanchard family is famous for the murder of an overprotective mother whose insistence of her daughter’s fake illness kept the girl locked up for most of her young life. Patricia Arquette played the mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, so well that she won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her portrayal.
1 Jessica Lange — American Horror Story: Coven (2014)
Jessica Lange is another actress who has frequented in the earlier seasons of American Horror Story. While all of her roles were outstanding to watch, she won Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of Fiona Goode in American Horror Story: Coven. Fiona is the Sorceress Supreme, a head witch who is the most powerful of the coven. She is also obsessed with her looks and with staying young and in power — all of which lead her to estranged relationships and even her own demise.
