Literally the hardest categories to choose only seven stand-outs each. For real.
*****
Well, that was tough! With so many crazy-talented actresses nailing it week in and week out, narrowing down these categories to seven nominees each was a TASK.
I’m still playing the ‘ah, but what about…?’ game with myself because so many performances were SO GOOD this past year, but it’s time to put my chips on the table and go with my gut on whose work I thought was truly the best.
And with that, here’s the second of my five Emmy Dream Ballots, this time zooming in on the stellar supporting actresses across genres.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
- Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
- Hilary Duff, Younger (TV Land)
- Susie Essman, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
- Sarah Goldberg, Barry (HBO)
- Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
- Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
- Rita Moreno, One Day At A Time (Netflix)
Behind My Ballot: The ladies of Mrs. Maisel anchor this one for me by hitting the bullseye on wildly different yet equally spot-on performances within the same world. Goldberg and Moreno elevate their lead counterparts in every scene—the hallmark of a truly standout supporting star (and, in the latter’s case, a living legend).
As for Essman and Duff, they have a special place in my pop culture heart: the former’s over-the-top, razor-sharp delivery hilariously cuts through every scene she’s in (ditto her work on Broad City), while the latter has created a multi-dimensional portrayal of a Millennial that is surprising in its depth and the unexpected heart of her show.
And even as SNL flailed and leaned a little too hard on politics after a stellar 2016/17 season, McKinnon continued to be its comedic North Star in every scene she was in.
Almost a Contender: Betty Gilpin, GLOW; Meghan Mullally, Will & Grace; Zazie Beetz, Atlanta; Yvonne Orji, Insecure; Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne; Meghan Stevenson, Get Shorty; Jessica Walter, Arrested Development; Paula Newsome, Barry; Jenifer Lewis, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
- Danielle Brooks, Orange is the New Black (Netflix)
- Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things (Netflix)
- Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
- Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
- Margo Martindale, The Americans (FX)
- Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
- Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Behind My Ballot: Blessed be the fruit of Emmy nominations, which the women of The Handmaid’s Tale will no doubt be reaping Thursday morning. It was a battle royale as to which of them made the final cut, but for my money, Dowd taking her Emmy-winning performance to the next level by shading a heinous-on-paper character with surprising humanity and Strahovski setting fire to every moment she was on screen put them over the top to secure spots.
Speaking of fire, Headey’s character trades in that of the wild and green persuasion, with her consistently ferocious performance rising to the heat level of the flames she throws as a mother mourning and woman scorned. Similarly, Brown continued to expertly infuse sci-fi/fantasy with grounded emotion, while Williams attacked Arya’s savage new journey with fierce physicality and feeling as the Stark that isn’t to be messed with.
It was a cage match in my mind for the final two nominations, but I’m going with Brooks, whose grief and rage finally put her front-and-center to heartbreaking affect in the wake of Pousey’s death, and multiple winner Martindale for her final run as a Russian spy boss whose every word carries weight and subtext that linger long after the credits roll.
Almost a Contender: Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale; Vanessa Kirby, The Crown; Susan Kelechi Watson, This Is Us; Chrissy Metz, This Is Us; Audra McDonald, The Good Fight; Thandie Newton, Westworld; Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve