Nominees are pictured and listed in alphabetical order. Submitted episode titles are in parentheses. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, The Good Wife (Silver Bullet)
Baranski returns with her second consecutive nomination despite being featured considerably less prominently in her show’s second season. Her submitted episode finds her thrown off her game by the return of Gary Cole’s ballistics expert, and it’s a fun showcase for the veteran actress. She’s certainly less showy than her costar, as last year proved, so I’d count her out this time around.
Michelle Forbes as Mitch Larsen, The Killing (Pilot)
Forbes nets her first Emmy nod after receiving praise for her work on multiple shows over the past year. Forbes plays a mother searching for her missing daughter who, by episode’s end, discovers that she has died, so there’s hardly a baitier submission to be found. If voters are looking to see honesty and tragedy expressed, they may well choose Forbes.
Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway, Mad Men (The Summer Man)
This is Hendricks’ second nomination as head secretary Joan Holloway, who took on a new role in the refurbished firm this past season. Her submitted episode finds her dealing with chauvinistic behavior in the office and standing up for herself in her own way. Hendricks isn’t likely going to win unless she has a true whopper of an episode, and while this one is great, I wouldn’t hedge any bets on it winning her an Emmy.
Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder, Boardwalk Empire (Family Limitation)
Macdonald, who won an Emmy for the TV movie “The Girl in the Café” back in 2006, stole most of her scenes on HBO’s prohibition drama as the naïve, endearing Margaret Schroeder. She submitted a fantastic episode that finds her navigating the full range of emotions when it comes to her feelings for Nucky, and the novelty and prestige of her show may put her one step ahead of the pack.
Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett, Justified (Brother’s Keeper)
After years of hard work in film and television, Martindale finally had a role that might earn her some well-deserved accolades. Her Mags Bennett is a kindly villain whose sinister motives are often masked by her deceptively warm nature. In her chosen episode, Mags rallies her community against an outsider and even sings a song, so I’d watch out for her to pull off a spectacular upset here.
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, The Good Wife (Getting Off)
Panjabi is this year’s frontrunner, and not just because she won last year. That victory was a bit of a surprise, while her submission this year could easily bring her home a second trophy. She’s confronted by Alicia and decides to take her career in a new direction in her episode, and it will just be a matter of whether voters want to reward someone else or, as the lead drama acting categories have gone, someone who’s won before who’s just as deserving.
Who should win (based on entire season): Martindale
Who should win (based on individual episodes): Martindale, Panjabi, or Macdonald
Who will win: It’s a really tough contest, with Panjabi looking good but both Martindale and Forbes primed to take her down. I’ll bet on Panjabi to repeat.
Next up: Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
2 comments:
I'm sad that it seems like Christina Hendricks doesn't have a shot. She's SO marvelous on that show and does the best job of practically anyone i've ever seen on television at conveying her character through dialogue and situations that have very little to do with her character at all which just can't be easy to do.
perfect supporting player and will thus be continually overlooked. argh!
She is great, yes, and it's unfortunate that she doesn't have much of a chance this year. That said, I do think that Martindale, Panjabi, and Macdonald are all excellent, so as long as one of them win, I'll be happy.
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