Emmy Musings: Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Now that the 2011-2012 TV season is almost over, it’s hardly too early to start thinking about the Emmy nominations, which will be announced in July. Consider these preliminary thoughts rather than official predictions – look for those at the beginning of July. As always, chime in with your reactions and predictions in the comments, and don’t hesitate to let me know if I left any strong contenders off the list!

Last year’s eligible nominees:
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
This actress won this award last year on her second try, and year three of the hit comedy has been just as strong, guaranteeing that she’ll be back again. While this award has gone to eight different women each of the past eight years, it hasn’t always been that way, so in the absence of someone more buzzworthy, Bowen may in fact repeat.

Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
After being snubbed for the first two seasons, this actress has been nominated for the past three years for her zany performance as attention hog and sketch comedy star Jenna Maroney. She’s the most likely to be left off the list since voters aren’t quite as enthusiastic about the show as they have been in past years, and Krakowski hasn’t been given as much material this past year.

Jane Lynch (Glee)
This actress won this award two years ago and was nominated again last year. After being nominated for a SAG Award and winning a Golden Globe in 2011, Lynch was snubbed by both organizations this past year, indicating that her show has lost steam. Voters do seem to love her, but given that she hasn’t appeared all that frequently on the show this past year, this could be the first time she finds herself omitted.

Sofia Vergara (Hot in Cleveland)
This gorgeous actress has kept voters laughing for the past two years, with two Emmy nods, two Golden Globe nods, and two SAG nods under her belt. She’ll be back again, and the question is whether she can finally win one of these things. She had a handful of great episodes this year, and it’s more of a matter of whether she can unseat last year’s champion: her costar Julie Bowen.

Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)
White has over a dozen Emmy nominations under her belt, and after winning for her SNL hosting gig two years ago, she was nominated for her standout performance on TV Land’s popular new show. She’s won back-to-back SAG Awards for the role, indicating that one organization loves her, and it’s probable that Emmy voters, who have nominated her five times in the past decade, will welcome her back once again.

Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)
This comedienne has been nominated for her variety performance in this category for the past three years. This past year was her final season on the show, so it’s likely that she’ll be back one last time. It’s doubtful she’ll pick up enough momentum to win if she couldn’t triumph last year when “Bridesmaids” was hot, but it’s always a possibility as a parting gift.

New contenders:
Kristen Bell (House of Lies)
Call this wishful thinking: the star of cult hit “Veronica Mars” was excellent on the first season of Showtime’s management consulting comedy. It may be too much to hope for that she’ll finally get some major recognition – the only awards she’s won thus far are Saturn and Satellite Awards – but if this show proves popular with Emmy voters, she could well earn herself a spot.

Maya Rudolph (Up All Night)
This former SNL cast member could become the latest “Bridesmaids” star to earn an Emmy nomination for her scene-stealing performance on NBC’s freshman comedy. This category likes loud and showy supporting players, and so it will be just be a matter of whether the show gets noticed, which isn’t always a given for NBC comedies, which tend to go unrewarded for their first year or two.

Other possibilities:
Cloris Leachman (Raising Hope) It’s never a good idea to count out this 86-year-old actress, who has earned over twenty Emmy nominations and eight awards over the past forty years. She earned a guest acting nomination for this show last year, and it’s been over three decades since she’s been honored for regular series work. Statistics aside, she’s a good bet to make an appearance since Emmy voters absolutely adore her.