Monday, July 26, 2010

AFT Awards: Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

This is the sixth category of the 4th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television this past season. This year, semi-finalists are included to recognize more of the impressive work being done on television today. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series


Last year’s nominees: Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, Tricia Helfer, Elizabeth Mitchell, Alison Pill

Emmy nominees: Christine Baranski, Rose Byrne, Sharon Gless, Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss, Archie Panjabi

Semi-finalists: Morena Baccarin (V), Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), Erika Christensen (Parenthood), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), Callie Thorne (Rescue Me), Laura Vandervoort (V), Natalie Zea (Justified)

Finalists: Linda Hunt (NCIS: Los Angeles) was unflinchingly hilarious as Hetty and managed to create an NCIS boss worthy of comparison to Gibbs. Mae Whitman (Parenthood) impressed just as much as the adults as the intelligent but troubled Amber. Michelle Forbes (True Blood) was fearsome and deliciously insane as the unstoppable Maryann. Kim Dickens (Treme) was an excellent representative of New Orleans tradition, struggling to keep her restaurant and the spirit of her city alive. Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) turned what could have been a disaster of a character into a sympathetic, endearing new addition.

The nominees:

Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) kept Peggy grounded as she started to see what her future might look like and began to debate other options. Joelle Carter (Justified) was instantly alluring and charming, and was just as unforgettable to audiences as she was to Raylan. Amy Acker (Dollhouse) proved to be someone completely different that she had seemed, and the transformation was fantastic. Tina Marjorino (The Deep End) was a wonderful, quirky part of an all too short-lived legal show who needs to be getting more work immediately.

The winner:

Maggie Siff (Sons of Anarchy) transformed completely when her character finally accepted her role as a SAMCRO old lady and beat the hell out of her hospital supervisor, creating an unrecognizable woman out of a once-timid girl.

Next up: Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

5 comments:

Greg Boyd said...

I'm pretty sure Maggie Siff was in a different show ("Sons of Anarchy", I think, although I've never watched it) than "Mad Men". I think I'd have remembered the beating you described if it had happened on "Mad Men". Could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Moss is so good as Peggy, isn't she? I personally would have had Hendricks in the finalists at least, though.

Movies with Abe said...

Right you are, sir. My mistake. Siff did recur in season one of "Mad Men," in case you missed her, but I just got myself a little confused. Thanks as always for reading closely! Also, you should watch "Sons of Anarchy." I gave up after three episodes but then got back into it and was very, very happy I did.

Greg Boyd said...

I should. Kind of busy right now with "The Wire", though. Almost done with season 2. Truly amazing television. I haven't seen anything this good since "BSG" ended.

And from what I can tell, it's even more proof that the Emmys are virtually meaningless.

thedemonhog said...

Abe, do you agree that this is the weakest major category for the Emmys this year, in terms of both nominees and snubbed contenders?

Movies with Abe said...

I don't think I'd agree with that, no. The main reason is that I think all six nominees are fairly deserving. Baranski and Panjabi are fun, Hendricks and Moss are great and overdue, Gless is a cool, interesting choices, and Byrne was better than she's ever been before and deserving in the right category for the first time in my mind. I wouldn't have expected any of my nominees besides Moss to have a shot in hell at a nomination anyway.

I don't know if I'd pick another category that's weaker, but I wouldn't cite this as the weakest. It's repetitive names like Hargitay, Cryer, Taylor that bother me most. Generally speaking, I'm not that upset, though John Goodman, for instance, certainly deserved a nod over Andre Braugher. But the rest of the category is pretty strong, so that's where I'm torn.