The Emmys aren’t just TV’s biggest night — they’re more important than ever, proof that television is getting more diverse, and basically adult prom. They’re also one-quarter of the EGOT, the entertainment-award grand slam that only 12 people have ever won. First-time Emmy winners like Rami Malek and Tatiana Maslany took the first step of their EGOT journey on Sunday night, while a small handful of stars came even closer to achieving that immortal dream. And, of course, a few EGOT contenders missed their shot.
James Corden
Just like Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert, America’s favorite new late-night host is now halfway to an EGOT. You may recall that, in the year 3 B.L.L.S. (Before Late Late Show), Corden won a Tony for his role in the play One Man, Two Guvnors; now, after “Carpool Karaoke†won Outstanding Variety Special, he’s got an Emmy as well. (“Carpool Karaoke†also got a Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Program, but it’s unclear if Corden gets that one.) Given America’s love for watching celebrities sing their biggest hits in automobiles, Corden’s path to an EGOT appears clear: Carpool Karaoke: The Movie, followed by Carpool Karaoke: The Album.
Chance of EGOTing:Â 47 percent
Thomas Kail
Hamilton director Thomas Kail didn’t work on the cast recording, so he didn’t get to share in the Grammy love with his compatriots back in February. No matter — two weeks before that ceremony, Kail directed Fox’s Grease: Live, a gig that won him a pair of Emmys for Outstanding Special Class Program and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. Combined with his Tony for directing Hamilton, the wins put him only one award behind his old Wesleyan buddy Lin-Manuel Miranda. It’s enough to make you wonder what comes next.
Chance of EGOTing:Â 26 percent
Courtney B. Vance
Vance has got the hottest chick in the game rockin’ his chain, and now he’s got an Emmy to go along with the Tony he won in 2013 for his supporting role in Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy. With a voice like his, the Grammy should be the obvious next step, but it’s going to take some effort — can you believe Courtney B. Vance has only narrated one audiobook? (It was an Anne Rice novel.)
 Chance of EGOTing: 32 percent
Alan Menken
The beloved composer has been on EGOT’s doorstep since 2012, when he picked up a Tony for Newsies. (He’s also got 11 Grammys and eight Oscars.) His score for ABC’s Galavant seemed primed to finish the sweep, but the show went Emmy-less in its first season, and was canceled after its second. This year’s Emmys marked the show’s final shot, as its season-two opening number “A New Season†was nominated in the Original Music and Lyrics category. Alas, during the Creative Arts Emmys, the song lost out to Diane Warren’s “Til It Happens to You.†Looks like it’s back to the drawing board for Alan.
Chance of EGOTing:Â 54 percent
Diane Warren
Speaking of Warren, the Emmy win for “Til It Happens to You†got her halfway to an EGOT. (She previously won a Grammy for writing Céline Dion’s “Because You Loved Me.â€) The Oscar has proven particularly elusive for her, though: Warren’s been nominated eight times in Best Original Song, including for “Happens†earlier this year, but she’s yet to win.
Chance of EGOTing:Â 43 percent
Beyoncé
Beyoncé has more than a dozen Grammys, but filling out the rest of the EGOT will be quite a hard task. She missed out on the Oscar love for Dreamgirls when Jennifer Hudson and the sound mixers won, and at previous Emmys, Bey’s halftime show and concert specials lost out to Children’s Hospital and Sweeney Todd, respectively. Perhaps that was why she credited herself as the director of Lemonade despite the fact that she didn’t technically direct it — more Emmys chances! Whatever the reason, the gambit didn’t work: Lemonade was shut out, forcing Beyoncé to chart other paths to her probably inevitable EGOT.
Chance of EGOTing:Â 72 percent