SAG Predictions: Best Female Actor in a Drama Series

Last year’s nominees: Claire Danes (Homeland), Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder), Julianne Margulies (The Good Wife), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), and Robin Wright (House of Cards).

The rundown: Last year, this category replicated the exact list from the year before, omitting the sixth nominee, Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), who went on to win the Emmy on her second try this past summer. All but one of these nominees are eligible again this year - I hadn't realized that "Homeland," which returns in January, finished airing its last season in December 2015. Marguiles’ and Smith’s shows both ended but are still eligible. There are handful of new shows with performers who could break onto this list, most notably Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) and Thandie Newton (Westworld), and it’s also possible that Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) could earn her first SAG nod after she netted her first Globe bid yesterday. Keri Russell (The Americans) is a similar threat, though I think SAG voters don’t tend to conform to Emmy pressure the same way the Globes do. I think it’s more than likely that this list will duplicate last year’s.

Current predictions: Davis, Margulies, Maslany, Smith, Wright