Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon could have ‘Leftovers’ reunion at this year’s Emmys

The HBO drama “The Leftovers” (2014 – 2017) created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta remains arguably one of the most Emmys-overlooked shows of all time. The series received only one Emmy nomination during its three-season run, and not even for the universally acclaimed lead performances by actors Justin Theroux or Carrie Coon. The duo might have had bad luck back then, but they’re both returning to overtake the Emmys this year in the Movie/Limited Series acting categories.

The acting was undoubtedly one of the strongest and most compelling assets of “The Leftovers.” The chief of police, Kevin Garvey, who goes on different levels of mental exploration, was Theroux’s first main TV protagonist role. Coon started off the series as a supporting character — grieving mother and wife Nora Durst — in season 1. She continued as the co-lead opposite Theroux until the end of the series. Despite their powerful presence on screen, only “The Handmaid’s Tale” Emmy winner Anna Dowd received a nomination as Best Guest Actress for season 3.

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After the show’s emotional finale “The Book of Nora,” both actors continued exploring various diverse characters on TV. Theroux starred in a supporting role in Netflix’s “Maniac,” and then appeared in the main role of a two-season Apple TV+ series “The Mosquito Coast.” He won two Emmys as a producer for “Live In Front of a Studio Audience” in 2019 and 2020. Coon got nominated for an Emmy the same year ‌she finished working on “The Leftovers” for her leading performance as Gloria Burgle in the third season of “Fargo.” Her latest HBO drama, “The Gilded Age,” so far has only won the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy for production design, but the series has a chance to compete for more awards and nominations with the upcoming second season.

This year Theroux is playing one of the leading characters in an HBO limited series “White House Plumbers” opposite Woody Harrelson. He’s portraying a politician G. Gordon Liddy who, along with E. Howard Hunt (Harrelson), was the mastermind behind the infamous Watergate scandal in the 1970s. Coon takes on a supporting role in a Hulu feature film “Boston Strangler,” which premiered March 15th. The actress portrays real-life reporter Jean Cole, who in the 1960s, helped her colleague Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) break the story of the famous serial killer, the Boston Strangler, to the public.

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Both Theroux and Coon are entering the race in the Movie/Limited Series category, which has proven in recent years to bring success to actors who might not have found it in other forms of TV. Coon found the limited series format a lot more fruitful than multiple-season drama when she got her first Emmy nomination for Best Actress in “Fargo,” the same year she could’ve also been nominated for “The Leftovers.” The latest success story of long-overdue career recognition came from  Jennifer Coolidge in “The White Lotus,” who won last year’s Emmy for portraying Tanya in the Mike White’s limited series. That show enters the Emmy race as drama series this year, due to Coolidge’s character presence in seasons 1 and 2. Moreover, both Theroux and Coon are involved in projects that are based on true events, which can be an advantageous route to getting an Emmy nomination in the Limited/Anthology series category.

Even at the early stage of predictions, Theroux finds himself in the ninth position in the Best Movie/Limited Actor category and his former co-star, Coon, occupies 12th place for Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actress. Will the 2023 Emmys bring us a “Leftovers” reunion?

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