Monday, September 5, 2011

Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series


Nominees are pictured and listed in alphabetical order. Submitted episode titles are in parentheses. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.

Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Modern Family (Strangers on a Treadmill)
Bowen is back with her second nomination, and while I would have submitted “Slow Down Your Neighbors,” which is nominated for directing, for her, her choice is also strong, which has her bringing bad news to her brother-in-law Cameron, with whom she rarely interacts. I’m fairly certain that Bowen will win this award at some point in the next few years, but I don’t think it’s her turn just yet.

Jane Krakowski as Jenna Moroney, 30 Rock (Queen of Jordan)
Krakowski returns with her third consecutive nomination for NBC’s hit sitcom. Her episode submission is from one of the show’s worst episodes of the season, and it involves Jenna, in typical fashion, trying to get more attention than she deserves. Krakowski had episodes in the first two seasons that could have won her this award, and this definitely isn’t on the same level as any of them.

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Glee (Funeral)
Lynch is back after winning this award last year, and despite not appearing on as regular a basis in her show’s sophomore season, she does figure prominently into her submitted episode, which finds her getting serious and having to plan her sister’s funeral. While Lynch does well with the material, she’s a much stronger threat when she’s being funny. I think she’ll have to settle for having won last year.

Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Modern Family (Slow Down Your Neighbors)
This is Vergara’s second consecutive nomination. While she’s often one of the most obviously funny parts of her show, her submitted episode may not showcase that, as she’s given the task of learning how to ride a bike. It’s not as laugh-out-loud hilarious as other installments have been, so I think that Vergara is going to have to wait a bit to win the Emmy she’ll probably win during the life span of her show.

Betty White as Elka Ostrovsky, Hot in Cleveland (Free Elka)
Putting White into any race livens things up considerably given just how beloved she seems to be these days. The five-time Emmy winner picked up her most recent trophy last year for hosting SNL, and now she’s back as the only memorable part of TV Land’s first original series. In the second season premiere, she ends up in jail and puts guest star Mary Tyler Moore to shame in the acting department, so I find it hard to imagine that White isn’t going to win this thing.

Kristen Wiig as Various Characters, Saturday Night Live (Host: Jane Lynch)
Wiig returns with her third consecutive nomination for her variety performance on SNL. In her submitted episode, she plays some memorable characters that allow her some range not always seen in most of her sketches, but there’s one big problem: her episode is hosted by fellow nominee Jane Lynch, who even gets a chance to portray her “Glee” character in a sketch. It’s not as if Wiig was going to win anyway, but now she definitely doesn’t have a shot.

Who should win (based on entire season): Bowen or Vergara
Who should win (based on individual episodes): Bowen
Who will win: There’s really no contest: anyone besides White winning just doesn’t seem possible.

Next up: Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series

No comments: