Can Jean Smart Become the First Woman in Emmy History to Sweep Every Season of Her Series?
Emmy nominee Jean Smart is on the verge of becoming the first woman in television history to win an acting award for every eligible season of a series, having already claimed lead comedy actress for "Hacks" in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. A win for the show's fifth and final season would complete a perfect sweep, a feat no woman has managed in the acting categories, and would also give her a record-tying eighth career Emmy, level with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman.
Zendaya is chasing a similar milestone in drama, having won lead actress for "Euphoria" in 2020 and 2022; a third win for its final season would put her in rare company, though mixed reviews and strong rivals such as Rhea Seehorn and Keri Russell make it less certain. Lisa Kudrow, nominated for every season of "The Comeback" across two decades, and supporting nominee Allison Janney could also make history. Such a clean sweep is exceptionally rare: only Bill Cosby has achieved it for a series of three or more seasons, with "I Spy" between 1966 and 1968.
- Jean Smart could be first woman to sweep all seasons of a show's Emmys.
- A win would give her a record-tying eighth acting Emmy.
- Zendaya, Lisa Kudrow and Allison Janney also chasing similar historic feats.
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Jean Smart is an American actress best known for her role as veteran comedian Deborah Vance in the HBO Max comedy "Hacks", a part that has already earned her multiple lead comedy actress Emmy Awards. The show is now in its fifth and final season, meaning she has one last chance to win for every single season the series has run, something no woman has ever done in an acting category.
The Emmys are American television's top industry awards, voted on by television academy members, and are typically seen as recognition of a performer's or show's standing within the industry. Smart is not the only actor with a shot at a similar milestone this year: Zendaya, star of "Euphoria", and Lisa Kudrow, nominated for every season of "The Comeback", are among others who could also complete rare, near-unprecedented sweeps of their own.
Winning an award for every season of a show is exceptionally uncommon in television history, largely because casts change, competition varies year to year, and voters' tastes shift over a show's run. Only one person, Bill Cosby for "I Spy" in the 1960s, has managed it for a series lasting three seasons or more, which is why this year's ceremony is being watched closely by those who follow the awards.
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