Nominees are pictured and listed in alphabetical order. Submitted episode titles are in parentheses. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.
Mayim Bialik as Amy Fowler, The Big Bang Theory (The Shiny Trinket Maneuver)
Bialik earns her first nomination for her second season on her show as the extremely logical girlfriend of Jim Parsons’ Sheldon. In her submitted episode, she is insulted when Sheldon demeans her professional achievements, which provides a decent showcase for her but is actually much more focused on Sheldon. The show still seems to be decently adored by voters, so there’s a chance she could win, but I don’t think so. Their love seems to be all about Sheldon too.
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Modern Family (Go Bullfrogs!)
Bowen won this award last year, and in this year’s submitted episode, she finds herself flirting with what she incorrectly assumes to be a gay man. Bowen is perhaps the most consistent element of her show, and so she’s an easy choice when showier performers get to be too much for voters. I don’t think she’ll repeat this year, but it’s extremely possible.
Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey, Desperate Housewives (Give Me the Blame / Finishing the Hat)
This beloved actress memorably died on screen after stepping up to the plate to exonerate her neighbor and then passed away less than a month later from lung cancer this past June. For her role as nosey neighbor Mrs. McCluskey, Joosten won the comedy guest actress award twice during the show’s run and earned an additional nomination. According to Goldderby, only two performers have ever won Emmys posthumously, but Emmy voters really loved Joosten, so don’t count her out just yet.
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Modern Family (Tableau Vivant)
This three-time nominee saw her less showy costar pick up this award last year, and now she’s up for an episode in which she mostly just mocks and later supports her husband rather than operate with her own individual plotline. Some fans have tired of the show and the direction of her character, so I think she may have missed her chance. The show seems to still be popular with voters, however, so she may still have a shot.
Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow, Nurse Jackie (One-Armed Jacks)
Despite her prominence throughout the show’s first three seasons (and two awards cycles), Wever is just now receiving her first nomination for playing talkative nurse Zoey. In her submitted episode, her personality changes drastically as she searches for a roommate. It’s a fun distinction for those that know her usual character, but I think the effect may be lost on voters unfamiliar with the show. She might have had a much better shot when her show was nominated for Best Comedy Series for its first two seasons.
Kristen Wiig as Various Characters, Saturday Night Live (Host: Mick Jagger)
Wiig earns her fourth consecutive nomination in this category as she departs NBC’s variety series after seven seasons. Since last year, Wiig has become an Oscar nominee for penning the film “Bridesmaids,” which could help her pedigree or indicate to viewers that she is in fact capable of more than her one-note characters on the show. Submitting the season finale, her final episode, was probably a smart idea, but I don’t think she does enough that voters haven’t seen before to net her a win.
Who should win (based on entire season): The only one of these actresses who gets anywhere close to my list is Bowen.
Who should win (based on individual episodes): Bowen, Joosten, or Wever
Who will win: This category doesn’t really have a frontrunner, so I’d say in the absence of many nostalgic votes for Joosten or Wiig, it will be Bowen again.
Next up: Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series (next week)
1 comment:
I think if you watched The Big Bang Theory on a regular basis, you would think more of Mayim Bialik, who is one of the reasons why this show has not gone stale. In fact, most critics agree that she's making the show better. I'm not sure she submitted her best episode though (at least not one that really showcases her). If you watch The Isolation Permutation, you will see how good Bialik is.
I actually think Vergara has a better chance than you're giving her. Like I said, I think they want to give the entire adult Modern Family cast an Emmy and that includes her, so she might win it just for that. Thenagain, Allison Janney repeated for The West Wing when the show was getting a new Supporting Actor winner every year, so I guess Bowen could repeat. I don't see it though.
I don't watch the rest, so I can't judge. Not a category I'm very invested in this year...
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