Golden Globe Winner Predictions: Best Actress in a TV Series – Comedy/Musical

The competition:
Lily Collins (Emily in Paris) plays American transplant Emily Cooper in the first season of the Netflix series. She was previously nominated for her performance in the film “Rules Don’t Apply” in 2016. Her show is up for Best TV Series – Comedy/Musical. She also stars in the film nominations leader this year, “Mank.”

Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant) plays flight attendant Cassie Bowden in the first season of the HBO Max comedic thriller. Though her previous show, “The Big Bang Theory,” earned seven Globe nominations over the course of its run, this is Cuoco’s first nomination. Her show is also nominated for Best TV Series – Comedy/Musical.

Elle Fanning (The Great) plays forward-thinking empress Catherine the Great in the first season of the Hulu period satire. This is her first Globe nomination. Her show is up for Best TV Series – Comedy/Musical, and costar Nicholas Hoult is also nominated.

Jane Levy (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) plays coder Zoey Clarke in the first and second seasons of the NBC musical series. This her the first Globe nomination for Levy. She is the lone representative for her show.

Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) plays actress Moira Rose in the sixth and final season of the Pop TV comedy. This is her first Globe nomination. Her show is nominated for Best TV Series – Comedy/Musical, and all three of her main costars are in contention this year too.

Additional notes: The last nominee from a musical, Rachel Bloom, won this award even without her show nominated for the top prize, but in that case, only one actress had her show nominated along with her, whereas this time around Levy is the only one who doesn’t. O’Hara won the Emmy this past fall, when Fanning and Levy weren’t nominated and Cuoco and Collins’ shows hadn’t yet premiered. A few past nominees – Christina Applegate, Debra Messing, Pamela Adlon, Issa Rae, and Tracee Ellis Ross – were eligible this time but didn’t make the cut.
Who should win? I didn’t watch past the pilot of Collins’ show, though she was charming enough in what I saw. I’m not as into O’Hara’s show as everyone else, so she wouldn’t be my choice. Levy is a lot of fun, and Cuoco is also great, so I’d be happy if either of them won. Fanning would be my pick, however, for a truly fantastic and unmatched turn.
Who will win? The smart choice is probably O’Hara, the risky choice is Levy, and my in-the-middle pick is Cuoco based on her show peaking very recently.