The Nominees Ranked By Which Should Win:
- Cherry Jones for HBO's Succession - "Tern Haven"
- Alexis Bledel for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale - "God Bless the Child"
- Harriet Walter for HBO's Succession - "Return"
- Phylicia Rashad for NBC's This Is Us - "Flip a Coin"
- Cicely Tyson for ABC's How to Get Away With Murder - "Stay"
- Laverne Cox for Netflix's Orange Is the New Black - "God Bless America"
"Tern Haven" could easily be seen as a chaotic and busy episode for Succession. One chaotic but influential family sat down for dinner with another that had different political ideologies. And yet, it was a standout hour of television grounded by guest performances from Cherry Jones and Holly Hunter. One of them was nominated while the other was sadly snubbed. Succession managed another nomination with Harriet Walter here. However, Jones had the more commanding and nuanced performance. It was a depiction of a woman who has long been in power but may be facing irrelevancy sooner than her ideals may hope for. She despised the core family but had to do business with them. It was cold and chilling while always being pragmatic. It was a solid addition to an already packed ensemble. Elsewhere, Alexis Bledel continues to prove that she is one of the best assets within The Handmaid's Tale's deep ensemble. Every season seemingly varies on which actresses will be supporting versus guest. Bledel is back in this field because of the number of episodes she was ultimately in. But she still made the most of her screentime as a woman reunited with her family and trying her best to adjust despite all the terrors she has endured. Those two nominees certainly stand out the most to me in this category. The rest are fine but those two deserve being singled out for the work they did this year.
The Nominees Ranked by Which Will Win:
- Alexis Bledel for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale - "God Bless the Child"
- Cherry Jones for HBO's Succession - "Tern Haven"
- Cicely Tyson for ABC's How to Get Away With Murder - "Stay"
- Phylicia Rashad for NBC's This Is Us - "Flip a Coin"
- Harriet Walter for HBO's Succession - "Return"
- Laverne Cox for Netflix's Orange Is the New Black - "God Bless America"
Lots of Emmy favorites comprise this category this year. Cherry Jones is a former winner. Alexis Bledel is a former winner for the role she is once again nominating for. Cicely Tyson is a legend in the industry who deserves all the recognition she receives. Laverne Cox turned out to be the most reliable nomination Orange Is the New Black got every year. Phylicia Rashad has strangely never won. This could be her year. This Is Us may have made that a priority in bringing back her character and continuing to give her worthy material. But this could also be the year Tyson is finally awarded for the scenery chewing she constantly did on How to Get Away With Murder. Cox seems like a longshot in the race. And yet, it's still notable for a trans woman to have an endearing hold over the voters. That visibility and recognition is powerful. The race may be between Jones and Bledel though because they are both powerhouses with solid episode submissions. They have both actually won for The Handmaid's Tale. Jones did so just a year ago. It's rare for an actor to win consecutive awards. It would be for a new show in Succession as well. It could realistically happen. But an actress from The Handmaid's Tale has prevailed here for the past three years. That show may be fading in support. However, Bledel is still just as deserving now as she was back in 2017 for the first season.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments below!
