Golden Globe Winner Predictions: Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series

The competition:
Patricia Arquette (The Act) plays Dee Dee Blanchard, the manipulative mother of a sick child, in the Hulu limited series. Arquette won a Globe last year for “Escape at Dannemora” and in 2014 for the film “Boyhood.” She has three previous nominations for “Medium.” Her costar Joey King is also nominated this year.

Helena Bohnam Carter (The Crown) plays Princess Margaret on Netflix’s historical drama, taking over the role from Vanessa Kirby. She has four previous TV nominations and three film bids. In addition to costars Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies, her show contends for Best TV Series – Drama.

Toni Collette (Unbelievable) plays Grace Rasmussen, a hard-working detective investigating a series of rapes in Netflix’s limited series. Collette won a Globe in 2010 for “The United States of Tara,” with two additional TV bids and two film nominations. In addition to costars Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever, her show contends for Best Limited Series or TV Movie.

Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies) plays Mary Louise Wright, a grieving mother concerned for her grandchildren, in the second season of HBO’s ensemble drama. This is actually only the third TV bid for Streep, who won the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016. She does have twenty-nine previous film nominations that resulted in seven trophies. In addition to costar Nicole Kidman, her show contends for Best TV Series – Drama.

Emily Watson (Chernobyl) plays Ulana Khomyuk, a nuclear physicist in HBO’s limited series. Watson has two previous TV nominations and two film bids. In addition to costars Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgard, her show contends for Best Limited Series or TV Movie.

Additional notes: Two nominees from last year, Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid’s Tale), were eligible but didn’t get nominated. Streep’s costar Laura Dern won this award in 2017 for the first season of her show. This category often rewards limited series players but doesn’t really discriminate.
Who should win? I only watched the first episode of Arquette and Watson’s series, and though I haven’t finished Carter’s, she’s excellent. Streep was good but this wasn’t her best, and so for me it’s a very tough competition between Carter and the terrific Collette.
Who will win? This is a very competitive category, with Arquette and Streep likely to get votes, which I think will split and give Carter the win.