Next up is Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
My Predictions for Who Should Win for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
- Anna Chlumsky in HBO's Veep - "Convention": Chlumsky has always been fantastic as a member of the now President's staff. But Season 4 actually examined why she cares so much about the job in a time where every decision is looked at under a microscope. She has a fantastic moment in her episode with Julia Louis-Dreyfus that should place her in frontrunner status.
- Gaby Hoffmann in Amazon's Transparent - "Rollin'": Hoffmann plays the member of the Pfefferman family who just can't seem to land on anything in her life. She played into that adrift feeling so well as she went after what she wanted while still being a terrible person to the people she came in contact with. It was a truly fascinating character arc that carried so well across the whole season.
- Allison Janney in CBS' Mom - "Dropped Soap and a Big Guy on a Throne": There's a reason why Janney has won six Emmys in her career - two of which from just last year for roles she's also nominated for this year. She is just so fantastic. Her episode is definitely a bit broader for her given the stories she had this season on her show. But she is still amazing when doing those bits of physical comedy.
- Kate McKinnon in NBC's Saturday Night Live - "Host: Taraji P. Henson": The late night sketch series is something that I don't really prioritize viewing unless there's a very popular sketch. In those brief moments though, McKinnon is always a scene stealer.
- Jane Krakowski in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - "Kimmy Gets a Job!": Krakowski is playing just a slightly different character than she did on 30 Rock. And yet, it's a character she plays so well. Her episode includes heartbreak for her which then leads to a couple of wonderful scenes with Ellie Kemper's Kimmy Schmidt.
- Mayim Bialik in CBS' The Big Bang Theory - "The Prom Equivalency": This was a huge year when it came to the relationship between Amy and Sheldon. Bialik continues to be so great in the hugely popular show. Her performance is so very warming while still allowing the laughs to be big.
- Julie Bowen in ABC's Modern Family - "Valentine's Day 4: Twisted Sister": Bowen has done a phenomenal job of capturing the reality of an over-worked mom across several seasons now. Claire pushed out into a career of her own which led to some decent moments. But this probably wasn't a completely notable season for her though.
- Niecy Nash in HBO's Getting On - "The 7th Annual Christmas Card Competition": Nash's nomination was one of the best pleasant surprises of the year. I don't watch her show. And yet, I like her a lot as a performer. But in dealing with the specifics of this race, I can't say how her performance compares to the rest of the field.
My Predictions for Who Will Win for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
- Allison Janney in CBS' Mom: Emmy voters love her. Even though the series isn't nominated anywhere else on the ballot, she is still a frontrunner in the race because the industry loves her and is reigning champ in this category. Plus, she gets to do a lot of great physical comedy in her episode - something that voters have really respected in the comedy fields over the years.
- Anna Chlumsky in HBO's Veep: Support for her show only gets stronger each year. It's in the conversation of taking down Modern Family as the top comedy series. She has voter support. But more importantly, she has a great episode with some fantastic moments. Those could play a number of different ways. But I suspect most voters will like it a lot.
- Gaby Hoffman in Amazon's Transparent: Voters are aware of the work she has been doing as of late. She is a double nominee for two different performances after all. The series was the most nominated comedy this year. So there is an awareness for the series. She could pull off an upset. But she's not really funny though. That could be the deciding factor in this race.
- Julie Bowen in ABC's Modern Family: She is a former winner in this category. The show is still a force with voters. But the deceased number of nominations plus a stronger field of contenders make it a major hurdle for her to get over for a victory.
- Mayim Bialik in CBS' The Big Bang Theory: With Jim Parsons and the series off the ballot this year, Emmy voters may look to give her the win in order to recognize the series somewhere during the primetime telecast.
- Kate McKinnon in NBC's Saturday Night Live: She is playing Hilary Clinton now. That's a huge platform for the show and ensures that her star will keep rising. Voters could crown her now that way when she breaks even bigger in pop culture they can say they helped that happen.
- Jane Krakowski in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: It's not fair to compare her work here with her previous Emmy nominated role on 30 Rock. The nominees and episode submissions are much different now than they were a few years ago. And yet, it seems unlikely that she will win when she never got a trophy for her great work previously.
- Niecy Nash in HBO's Getting On: It's great that she is nominated for such a low-viewed show. She has had a strong career of great performances. But it would feel weird if she were to be a surprise winner. I'm not dismissing it. It just doesn't feel likely.
Do you agree or disagree with my reasonings? Who do you think should and will win in this category? Speculate below in the comments!
