By Spencer Coile
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It really is a blessing and a curse when the Television Academy gives us eight nominees for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - a trend they can’t seem to depart from. It’s a blessing because we see a rich field of actresses getting their dues. Yet it’s a curse because, more than any other category this past decade, the previous year's winner seems to repeat at least once. Between McKinnon, Allison Janney for Mom, and my arch nemesis Julie Bowen for Modern Family, the winner pool isn’t as rich.
With last year’s winner Alex Borstein still very much a part of the conversation, are we going to see another repeat victory?
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Nominees:
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Alex Borstein as “Susie Myerson” on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: “Vote for Kennedy, Vote for Kennedy”
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Anna Chlumsky as “Amy Brookheimer” on Veep: “Pledge”
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Sian Clifford as “Claire” on Fleabag: “Episode 3”
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Olivia Colman as “Godmother” on Fleabag: “Episode 4”
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Betty Gilpin as “Debbie Eagan” on GLOW: “Mother of All Matches”
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Sarah Goldberg as “Sally Reed” on Barry: “The Audition”
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Marin Hinkle as “Rose Weissman” on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: “Simone”
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Kate McKinnon as Various Characters on Saturday Night Live: “Host: Liev Schreiber”
Will Win: This year, the Emmys seem to have fallen out of love with GLOW, so consider Gilpin’s nomination her reward. Rarely has this category seen an actress take multiple wins, lose, and then win again. McKinnon may still be a bright spot on SNL, but she’ll probably have to settle for her two Emmy wins. Hinkle and Clifford, both turning in sneakily hilarious work on their respective series, may be overshadowed by their co-stars also nominated in this category. The two HBO ladies are certainly competitive, but if Chlumsky was going to win, she probably would have years ago with stronger material. And Goldberg’s submission has one of the most ingenious monologues I’ve seen on television recently (I had to rewind it and watch her twice because I was laughing so hard). With Barry overperforming in nominations, she might get swept up in the support.
Right now, though, I would consider this a largely two-person race. Borstein is great as ever and the Academy still love the show. And if the series isn’t going to sweep like it did last year, this could be an easy place to reward it. Then again, Colman is coming hot off her Oscar victory for The Favourite with a show people can’t stop raving about. The material she has on “Episode 4” isn’t as plentiful, plus she will dominate the Drama categories next year for The Crown, so they may want to start showering her with Emmys next year. It’s a tough call, but I’m still going to say Borstein repeats.
Should Win: Having eight nominees makes a decision like this tough, but if we’re going just off submission tapes (which, even if it's obsolete, is still fun to assess), Gilpin hands down takes this. I vividly remember watching “Mother of All Matches” last year, thinking “If Betty Gilpin doesn’t win an Emmy for this, I will riot.” She may not win, but I can at least celebrate she’s still nominated.
Could Spoil: As I debate between Borstein and Colman, the only other name that keeps popping up is Goldberg. She is really good and they really went for Barry this year - more than last year even! Then again, they also really went for Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag...
Please please please make this race exciting, Academy! These nominations are fantastic, so let’s hope for a left-field win on Sunday September 22nd. Who do you think will win? Who should win?