AFT Awards: Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

This is the sixth category of the 9th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2014-2015 season. Finalists and semi-finalists are included to recognize more of the impressive work 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: Amy Acker, Erika Christensen, Caitlin FitzGerald, Annabeth Gish, Sarah Shahi

Emmy nominees: Uzo Aduba, Christine Baranski, Emilia Clarke, Joanne Froggatt, Lena Headey, Christina Hendricks

Semi-finalists: Abigail Spencer (Rectify), Adrianne Palicki (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Amy Acker (Person of Interest), Annabeth Gish (The Bridge), Deborah Ann Woll (Daredevil), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Emily Kinney (The Walking Dead), Erika Christensen (Parenthood), January Jones (Mad Men), Jennifer Ferrin (Hell on Wheels), Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Julianne Nicholson (The Red Road), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), Molly Parker (House of Cards), Ophelia Lovibond (Elementary), Sarah Shahi (Person of Interest), Trieste Kelly Dunn (Banshee)

Finalists: Mae Whitman (Parenthood) anchored her large ensemble as a mother-to-be unsure of whether she was ready to be a grown-up. Adelaide Clemens (Rectify) embodied true kindness and compassion as she struggled with figuring out if she was in the right place in life. Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) refused to let a new administration compromise the values she had worked hard to build. Maura Tierney (The Affair) enhanced her supporting role by giving her wronged wife one hell of a personality. Emily Hampshire (Twelve Monkeys) was magnificently maniacal as a disturbed revolutionary with quite a manifesto.

The nominees:

Ann Dowd (The Leftovers) exhibited immense control over everything around her as a true believer intent on spreading her gospel, especially to those who didn’t want to hear it. Franka Potente (The Bridge) was an excellent villain for her show as an emotionless killer whose roles as murderer and mobster were equally compelling. Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) transformed into a new equally interesting person after her irreversible fall from grace. Olivia Munn (The Newsroom) was full of fast-talking energy and spirit as she delivered news and navigated an office romance.

The winner:

Carrie Coon (The Leftovers) conveyed extraordinary sadness and loneliness as a woman who lost her entire family charged with negotiating insurance settlements for those who lost their family members in the rapture.

Next up: Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series