Rickman plays a London publisher who writes poetry in his spare time. He has one previous Emmy Award win in two career nominations.
Whishaw plays Freddie Lyon, a British reporter unhappy with his job in 1956. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes, a modern update on the famous sleuth in 21st century London. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Nighy plays Johnny Worricker, a veteran MI5 officer who is forced out of his job when investigating the death of his boss. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Paxton plays Randall McCoy, one of the militant Kentucky clan members in a feud with the Hatfields. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Pullman plays Rusty Sabich, a judge who is charged with the murder of his wife. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Greenwood plays Dr. Emmet Cole, a famous explorer who has disappeared while exploring the unchartered Amazon River. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations in his career.
Owen plays Ernest Hemingway, the celebrated novelist and adventurer. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Gooding plays Dwayne Johnson, a counselor at a youth correctional facility helping them become an elite band of volunteers battling forest fires. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
West plays Fred West, a British serial killer on trial for murdering several young women. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
West plays Hector Madden, a recently-hired news anchorman in Cold War England. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
McDermott plays Dr. Benjamin Harmon, the father of a family which moves to Los Angeles to move into a haunted mansion. He has one previous nomination in his career.
Izzard plays Long John Silver, a peg-legged pirate and quartermaster. He has two previous Emmy Award wins in three career nominations.
Redmayne plays Stephen Wraysford, an English soldier fighting in Northern France and haunted by his forbidden love affair. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Hawke plays Starbuck, the young first mate from New England. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Elba plays John Luther, a troubled yet brilliant English police detective solving serial killings. He has two previous Emmy Award nominations in his career, including one for this role last year.
Isaacs plays Jackson Brodie, a former British police inspector now acting as a private investigator. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Corbett plays Mike Kersjes, a special education teacher who takes his students to Space Camp. He has one previous Emmy Award nomination in his career.
Costner plays Anse "Devil" Hatfield, one of the militant Kentucky clan members in a feud with the McCoys. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Fishburne plays Henry Covington, a Protestant minister who is a former drug addict and dealer. He has two previous Emmy Award wins in five career nominations.
Harmon plays Lucas Davenport, a Minneapolis deputy police chief who faces off against two killers. He has two previous Emmy Award nominations in his career.
Brosnan plays Mike Noonan, an author living in Maine who suffers from severe writer's block after the death of his wife. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Ifans plays James Hook, a vicious crook and ace fencer. He has no previous Emmy Award nominations.
Lowe plays Drew Peterson, a man charged with the death of his third wife and suspected in the disappearance of his fourth wife. He has one previous Emmy Award nomination in his career.
Selleck plays Jesse Stone, a chief of police who is forcibly retired but continues to pursue two murder cases. He has one previous Emmy Award win in seven career nominations.
Hurt plays Captain Ahab, the self-destructive man with an obsession for a white whale. He has two previous Emmy Award nominations in his career.
Harrelson plays Steve Schmidt, a Republican campaign strategist working for Senator John McCain. He has one previous Emmy Award win in six career nominations.
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