AFT Awards: Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series

This is the seventh category of the 1st Annual AFT Television Awards to be announced. Guest category nominees must not be regular members of the cast and must be billed as guest stars. Their appearances need not be limited to any number of episodes. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.

Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Additional note: Four out of five of my nominees in this category were not submitted for Emmy consideration. What's up with that?

JAYMA MAYS AS CHARLIE, HEROES
As the unbelievably sweet-natured waitress who becomes a quick crush for the time-traveling hero, Mays becomes both an amazingly sympathetic character and a great love interest. Unfortunately for all of us involved, not even going back six months in time can save Charlie from serial hero killer Sylar.

NORA ZEHETNER AS EDEN, HEROES
I fell in love with this actress last year in the indie film "Brick", and was immensely excited to see her on "Heroes" this year. She infused a minor, somewhat underdeveloped character with a personality and made the character worth watching. Zehetner gives Eden a mysterious and deceptive aura, but shatters that perception in the episode "Six Months Ago", where she finds her powers of persuasion useless and starts feeling just a little more human.

ERIN DANIELS AS MAGGIE, JERICHO
Another great actress, from Showtime's "The L Word", criminally underused on this terrific show. As a member of a group of refugees posing as U.S. Marines to exploit towns for their food and resources, Maggie is made into a three-dimensional character by the wonderful Daniels, who shows a true attraction towards Jake (Skeet Ulrich). In a show where acting is probably the weakest point, Daniels was a welcome surprise.

SONYA WALGER AS PATRICE SERXNER, SLEEPER CELL: AMERICAN TERROR
She has an unfortunate accent as Desmond's beloved Penny on "Lost", but on "Sleeper Cell", she is a by-the-book FBI handler really trying to help undercover agent Darwyn. (spoiler alert) Her brief appearance in the show's second season is made greater by the sympathetic and effective relationship she now has with Darwyn, cut tragically short by her beheading by terrorists in the Sudan.

SARAH SHAHI AS SONYA ARAGON, THE SOPRANOS
Shahi also has a great brief spot on "Sleeper Cell" this season, but her appearance on "The Sopranos" was just mind-blowing. As a welcome break for Tony after a certain character's death, Shahi made Sonya immediately entrancing, both for Tony and the audience. Her effortless and subtle flirtation is perhaps the great essence of her performance.

And the winner is...
NORA ZEHETNER, HEROES

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