Emmy Predictions: Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, July 12th. As always, chime in below in the comments with any thoughts of your own.

Last year’s nominees: Pamela Adlon, Jane Fonda, Allison Janney, Ellie Kemper, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tracee Ellis Ross, Lily Tomlin

The competition: The only one of last year’s seven nominees who won’t be back this year is the six-time defending champ Louis-Dreyfus, who won’t be back for the final season of her show until 2019. Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) seems like the safest bet to return aside from Allison Janney (Mom), who took home two awards in the supporting category for this role and shows no signs of slowing down with her prospective second consecutive bid in this race. Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) joined Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie) for the first time in this field last year, and the two could just as easily be left off as they could return. Pamela Adlon (Better Things), the newest addition to this race, might be back for season two if voters are still excited about her show, which I think they are. Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) seems vulnerable because her show wasn’t renewed, and the first half of the last season premiered right at the end of the eligibility period, which might actually help since it’s fresh in voters’ minds. Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) might have been a frontrunner a month or two ago, but there’s no way she’s going to be nominated now. Another revival star, Debra Messing (Will and Grace), stands a much better shot. Joining the race is Golden Globe winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), whose omission would be a real shock. Other new contenders include Alison Brie (GLOW), who scored both Golden Globe and SAG bids, and Frankie Shaw (SMILF), who netted a Globe nod. Could season two be the charm for Issa Rae (Insecure) or Kristen Bell (The Good Place)? I’d hope so, but I’m not optimistic.

The predicted nominees: Brie, Brosnahan, Janney, Messing, Ross, Tomlin

The predicted winner: I think that Brosnahan takes it.

Next up: Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series