AFT Awards: Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

This is the third category of the 1st Annual AFT Television Awards to be announced. Episodes listed in parantheses for actors and shows indicate a great sample of their work, however I look at the entire season when choosing my nominees and winners. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

JENNIFER CARPENTER AS DEBRA, DEXTER (Truth Be Told)

As the naive rookie cop relentlessly picked on by her boss, Carpenter gives Debra Morgan a sympathetic side as well as a clear sense of the right thing even though you might first doubt her. Her work with Michael C. Hall and Christian Camargo throughout the season is great, and in "Truth Be Told", she really shows off some of her best stuff.

ELIZABETH MITCHELL AS JULIET, LOST (One of Us)

This is possibly the best example of having one incredibly amazing episode in which an actress completely blows away the audience. As the duplicitous Juliet, Mitchell is completely creepy and very mysterious, but in "One of Us", she shows her nature, fooling everyone in the camp. Her performance remains steady even as her role decreases in the later episodes of this season. As the new addition this season, Mitchell is the definitive standout of a pretty decent cast.

ANDREA ROTH AS JANET, RESCUE ME (Sparks)

Roth has sort of stood in the sidelines in the first two seasons of "Rescue Me", causing usually warranted distress in Tommy's life, but otherwise not doing too much on camera. This year, however, Janet becomes a full-fledged character and Roth builds up the performance as a result. Her odd chemistry with both Dean Winters (Johnny) and Tommy is great to watch, as is her nice character arc. "Sparks" is a particularly good episode which reveals Janet's true desires.

CALLIE THORNE AS SHEILA, RESCUE ME (Zombies)

Talk about a crazy character. Thorne plays the obsessive Sheila with such determination and fire. Her antics about her troublesome son and her constant manipulation of Tommy make her an enticing character and the performance lives up to the role. Picking one episode to highlight her work is difficult, but her scene at the very end of "Zombies" is worthy of a nomination in itself.

SHANNON MARIE WOODWARD AS DI DI MALLOY (Been There, Done That)

Both Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are so fantastic in "The Riches" that it is hard to notice anyone else. But Woodward, as rebellious but smart daughter Di Di, goes far beyond the role written for her. She stands her ground in scenes opposite Driver and really gives it her all. "Been There, Done That" is merely an episode which gives her a good amount of material, but she is great throughout the whole season.

And the winner is...

CALLIE THORNE, RESCUE ME

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