Emmy Review: Lead Actress in a Drama
Sunday, August 23, 2020 at 6:00PM
Last year’s winner in this highly competitive category – Jodie Comer – is back after her show, Killing Eve, performed much better than most thought it would. This race will surely be close, with a defending champion, three potential new victors, and one dark horse surprise (who I think may just win).
I’ll try to avoid major plot details in my analysis – but if you'd like more spoiler-filled descriptions, click on the episode titles. Let’s consider each nominee…
Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy in The Morning Show (Apple TV Plus)
Episode: “In the Dark Night of the Soul It’s Always 3:30 in the Morning”
Aniston earned five Emmy nominations and one win for playing Rachel Green on Friends, and also contended for a guest spot on 30 Rock back in 2009. Now, she’s here for a much more serious role, one that won her a SAG Award back in January. Aniston could really have chosen any of the ten episodes in which she plays a TV anchor since she’s angry and memorable in all of them, and her selection of the pilot is a strong one. Though her show missed the top category, she still has a very good shot since she’s well-liked and her dramatic work has obviously impressed her peers. And it really is a tour de force performance. Even better, it feels nothing like the role that made her famous.
Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown (Netflix)
Episode: “Cri de Coeur”
Colman surprised by winning an Oscar two years for another regal role in The Favourite and has two previous Emmy bids, last year for Fleabag and four years ago for The Night Manager. Claire Foy won an Emmy for season two of her show, and now Colman has taken over playing the long-reigning monarch. Colman’s work is excellent, and the fact that Elizabeth is not always warm or likeable makes her submission of the season finale smart, since she’s more endearing than usual in her treatment of her sister and her acknowledgment of her position. Colman won the Globe and it also helps that this queen is the complete opposite of her character in The Favourite, and she plays both equally well.
Jodie Comer as Villanelle in Killing Eve (AMC)
Episode: “Are You From Pinner?”
Comer was inexplicably snubbed for the first season of her show and then managed to overtake costar and expected winner Sandra Oh last year to claim this prize. She’s easily the best part of her show as an assassin who truly enjoys killing. The hour she chose to spotlight her work finds her returning home to Russia, and she’s the only regular cast member featured. That’s a real change from last year’s, which had her interacting with Oh constantly, but it’s still a great performance. She has a magnificent, unhinged spark that makes her character intensely watchable. Despite its impressive Emmy showing, I continue to think the show is losing buzz and a repeat win extremely unlikely.
Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde in Ozark (Netflix)
Episode: “Fire Pink”
Linney is a four-time Emmy winner, collecting trophies for TV movie Wild Iris, miniseries John Adams, the final season of The Big C, and a guest spot on Frasier. She was first nominated last year for playing one half of a couple running casinos and laundering money in Missouri. The third season was a fantastic platform for Linney to dominate all of her scenes, and much of her work in the first half of the season could have made for great submissions. Instead she chose the penultimate installment that deals largely with her brother Ben, played by the unfortunately snubbed Tom Pelphrey. But she's a legitimate contender to beat out showier turns by the other actresses in this category for this marvelously controlled performance that draws on Wendy’s desire to be on top of every situation and anticipate the next moves of all her allies and adversaries.
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri in Killing Eve (AMC)
Episode: “Are You Leading Or Am I?”
Oh collected trophies at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critics Choice Awards for the first season of her show, and then found herself snubbed by all three organizations this past year after losing the Emmy for season two to costar Jodie Comer. It was a surprise to see her included again in a crowded field, but those still watching her show can appreciate the work she is doing, even if it’s not as focused or captivating as it used to be. Her choice of the season finale is a fun episode that finds her character sharing many scenes with Comer’s Villanelle, but it’s hard to imagine that she could eclipse Comer this time around, let alone any of the other nominees in this race.
Zendaya as Rue Bennett in Euphoria (HBO)
Episode: “Made You Look”
This was a less expected but extremely welcome inclusion, representing a different kind of show and performance than the rest in this field. As Rue, a recovering teenage drug addict, Zendaya delivers a disarmingly casual turn that becomes deadly serious in an instant when she faces the consequences of her actions, something that the twenty-three-year-old actress conveys mesmerizingly. The third episode of her show is a knockout submission that finds her hitting a range of emotions. She is a definite dark horse who could follow past underdog champions in this category like Jodie Comer and Tatiana Maslany to a fantastic upset victory.
Personal Ranking:
- Zendaya, Euphoria
- Olivia Colman, The Crown
- Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
- Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
- Laura Linney, Ozark
- Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Predicted Winner: Zendaya – Euphoria
Potential Spoiler: Laura Linney – Ozark
Colman won the Golden Globe, Aniston won the SAG, and now Linney is in the mix? That seems like too many frontrunners for one category. Therefore, I think Zendaya might be able to squeak out a win that will shock many and delight most. But it could easily be any of those four, or even Comer again. Only Oh would be a true shock. Who are you rooting for?
DRAMA
Actress | Actor | Supp Actress | Supp Actor | Guest Actress | Guest Actor
COMEDY
Actress | Actor | Supp. Actress | Supp Actor | Guest Actress | Guest Actor
LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
TV Movie | Actress | Actor | Supp Actor | Supp Actress
MISC
Costumes, Fantasy | Costumes, Period | Animated Program
Reader Comments (49)
Literally anyone but Mr. Bean, please.
You lost me at saying Linney's best episodes are in the first half of the season. Everyone was talking about "Fire Pink" and her breakdown scene in the car. It's a controlled performance but I wouldn't say that it's not showy.
Anniston like Carrell could win as a show of support to Morning since it can't win the top award. They may also want to give Oh an Emmy finally. But I think Linney is the one to beat. Her show got a lot of attention and viewers. If Ozark isn't winning the top prize this could be a consolation.
While I would love to believe Zendaya will win this - that feels like a Globes win and the nomination is the win here - the entire internet banded together to get Maslany the win and Comer had won the BAFTA by the time she won the Emmy hadn't she?
I suspect Colman will take it but I wouldn't be surprised by Aniston :)
I love when a favourite of mine suprises me and that's what Laura Linney has been doing in Ozark. She's amazing in season 3. At a Glenn Close level.
I would love zendaya to win, somone of color and for the younger generation to get noticed as well. Zendaya did a an amazing performance in Euphoria that should be recognized in the Emmys🤩🤩
Personally, I'm rooting for Linney.
But I believe it's going to be an Aniston win, with Zendaya as a dark horse due to vote splitting between Aniston, Colman and Linney.
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Such a strong year in this category... It still is hard to accept Moss, Kidman and Davis were left out! Which shows how strong this year really was
Rooting for Zendaya's truly stunning work, but there's a part of me that would love to see Sandra Oh emerge victorious. She's just SO overdue, and though KILLING EVE S3 was disappointing and muddled in its writing (especially with regards to Eve's character), Oh consistently rose above those limitations to deliver genuinely great work, in my opinion.
Add a me-too from me for Laura Linney in Ozark. She was a quiet storm in Seasons 1 & 2 that by the latter part of Season 2 and all of Season 3 she slowly, quietly and effectively became a believable character who will resort to radical even murderous alternatives to keep the family together and get the rightful fringe benefits that come with the task. While Marty can be emotionally distant, Wendy made her brand of vileness riveting, almost mesmerising.
I think Peggy Sue said it best though, so I concur with an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
The Emmys are actually very good at identifying quality television. Even when they have their "darlings," it's The West Wing, The Sopranos, 30 Rock, Veep...objectively great shows that sustained long runs and hold up. Ozark feels like one of those shows (that voters actually watch and invest in) so I'm guessing this is Linney's to lose. Imagine the same voters who gave Julia Garner the win last year choosing Aniston or Zendaya over Linney this year. I'd be surprised.
On that note,the blogosphere is not good at identifying quality television. It functions more like the HFPA in that respect—why aren't the Emmy's recognizing X comedy series I found on page 4 of Hulu that people in my Twitter feed called "groundbreaking?!"
“Blimey I’m pissed! Ahh. Uh. Erm. Oh. Ahh never expected this! My husband. Uhh eeeek. I’m pissed. Blurb. Uhhhhh. I have no speech. Arghh” - Olivia Coleman’s future Emmy acceptance speech.
D - I still am at a loss as to understand why people find her endearing or charming. She is like the K-Mart version of Emma Thompson.
I'm not sure it matters anymore but Colman picked very well -that final shot is very Merteuil- and Aniston picked very bad. She's totally passive in the pilot. She should have gone with the big fight with her daughter.
Zendaya winning sounds like a pipe dream, but one I would welcome. I think Aniston is going to take this.
I'm rooting for Olivia Colman (I love that she made this itiration of Queen Elizabeth her own, while still a believable extension of Claire Foy's work in the first two seasons), even though this is a stacked category where pretty much anyone would be a deserving winner (I haven't seen the third season of Ozark yet, but I just finished the second season and I like what Laura Linney has done thus far). My one qualm is that I would have nominated Reese Witherspoon along with Jennifer Aniston, because while Aniston has the higher highs, Witherspoon gave the more consistent of the two performances and they were both at their best when they were on screen together (proving that chemistry they had when they played sisters on Friends is still there).
Zendaya I keep being told is a big name, and I'm sure she's getting bigger, but for the voting pool is she known enough and is the show that buzzed about?
i agree with peggy sue on aniston's submission. she's magnificent in that fight scene with her daughter...playing it with smarter comic brio than probably any other actress would have found. linney and colman may be better actors, but jen's morning show role is the perfect match of part and actor, and she was awfully resourceful and unsentimental all season long...i'm hoping she wins.
Linney is the easy choice for me. I like many have been following her career for decades and what she accomplished in the later half of Ozark season 3 is at a level I’ve never personally seen Linney play at before. The breakdown in the car which ends her submitted episode is breath taking and should seal her the win.
I love Colmen but I have to admit I wasn’t blown away by her Queen and she suffered due to the weaker writing this season. Aniston is good on a terrible show, Zendaya is good (from what I saw of the show I gave up after 4 episodes because it was doing nothing for me) and the Killing Eve women had an awful third season so awarding someone like Sandra would only be because she’s due.
Of this list of nominees I fully support Linney and as a person who only started binging the show when the third was released I can admit the third season was a major step up in quality.
Feels like it's a four way race for me, keep changing my prediction between Aniston, Colman and Linney but then the Emmys love rewarding the same people continuously and I could see Comer winning again.
Nathaniel, comment moderation is stupid if you aren't going to stop the trolls that are even worse than the imposters: the ones who see 'Colman ' and have to turn toxic or invoke the name of Close out of thin air. Please don't do that thing where you are occasionally a hypocrite for allowing troll behavior of one sort, but not for an equivalent troll comment. Or maybe you personally know the Anti-Colman trolls and support them?
D - But how are you going to make it funny?
Tyler - Emma Thompson is actually the KMart. She had a few surprisingly nice things for sale back in the day, but now it's mostly cheap and riding on reputation. Colman is more a boutique. The taste and stock isn't for everybody, but the current output is varied, great and built its business up through sheer hard work and longtime dues paying that a corporation like KMart hasn't done in a long ass time.
Glenn Close is a rare member of the Inevitable's. Her career will end with her IMDB page saying Won 1 Oscar. Amy Adams is the other prominent member.
There are some odd choices from the frontrunners. Colman choosing the finale is a miss. Sure, she gets Some good scenes at the end, but the entire episode feels interested in Margaret. Aberfan, an episode Emmy voters obviously love given its writing/directing noms would have cinched her win.
Aniston chose poorly. She’s good in her episode, but the big problem is she’s the only good thing in her episode. The Morning Show got progressively better over the season, and the pilot really stinks. I think episode 6, where she fights with her daughter would have been better.
I think this might be between Linney and Zendaya if tapes matter.
I suspect it'll be Linney, though I'd personally cast my vote for Colman.
Laura Linney is only 5th on your list.
She's the best performance this year by far.
Nathaniel has absolutely nothing to do with the way I feel about Colman. Carry on.
BefairNat -- are you by chance a member of QAnon? Why do you support these conspiracy theories? Do you think I have time to investigate every comment. Or weigh each of them by some random criteria like "is this obnoxious?" or "do i agree with it?" The only thing I'm trying to do is stop people from being super toxic with each other (name-calling, etcetera) and to stop people from imitating each other to sow discord or make innocent people seem vicious (like Claudio or Adri or whomever).
For example, I can't for the life of me figure out why people hate Olivia Colman. I personally love her. Great actress. But if people don't like her that's their perogative.
This blog is a hard job. I only do it out of love of cinema and community and comments like this (as well as the trolls) make the job very unpleasant.
It's a shame that you think so ill of me but in the end I do not care what you think of me. I don't know who you are. I don't know who 98% of the readers are. I'm doing the best I can at making this site a good place to visit with intersesting articles and a fun community.
I think it's going to be Aniston as the one big award for Apple+ and The Morning Show. She had all the buzz from that show, she was the biggest star, and she gave the most acclaimed performance.
They also like to reward actors in their debut seasons. And they know they can reward Colman next year and Linney beyond that.
Linney is gonna win but I do hope they finally give something to Oh
I have not seen Euphoria though
TMS is overrated and the less said about the boring, ugly queen the better
Can’t wait for Staunton to take over in The Crown
Peggy, keep comparing every single performance to the great Glenn Close.
D, Colman is a very gifted actress but her whole accepting awards routine feels a bit worn by now, so thank you.
When The Morning Show debuted everything I read about it was negative; It was a mediocre money pit on a clumsy streaming service. Too expensive, messy...
How exactly did it rehabilitate itself? When did it become Aniston's tour de force two full steps above some of Laura Linney's finest acting ever, lol? I guess it's not a shock that the Globes went for it or that SAG voters like Jennifer Aniston, but come on...
You occasionally seem to go easier on certain commenter saying what would get reprimanded by others, or very mean spirited comments that are maybe directed towards people you don't care for get a pass and any glowing or positive comments about that person is "trolling" It's a tightrope walk I understand and I am sure you'll improve on your internal biases now you are aware.
Also /3rtful coming through with the truth. Bluntly stated as usual, but nothing but facts.
Tyler - Good to hear. I still improved and elaborated on your fairly basic and iffy analogy with more incisiveness and accuracy. I'm always happy to help when a comment is more bare bones to add facts and clarity. Hope you are well in this time Tyler. I enjoy having commenters like you safe and heathy to add to the discourse and give me something to build and improve upon. I wouldn't have thought of my spot on analogy without your prompt.
F - But how are you going to make it funny?
@JF, it rehabilitated itself by getting much better, The first three episodes (released to critics and audiences) weren't great. However, by episode 4/5 the season really kicked into gear and told a story that was complicated and exceedingly relevant. In particular, the show started taking apart its #MeToo in an interesting direction by questioning what it means for women to be complicit. You also just get more of Reese and Aniston together, as well as Gugu and Karen Pittman developing in interesting ways.
Clearly, I became a fan. However, the show really stunk at first and got much more interesting (if still imperfect).
I loathe Zendaya, she ruins everything she's in. Linney has my vote!
If you deservedly win an award like Colman for God's sake prepare a speech! You just know our girl has had 7 phenomenal ones up her sleeve every time. If /3rtful wasn't logical and correct in his astute categorization of the 'Inevitables' I'd be steamed.
Perry and /3rtful, for displaying incisiveness and an astute understanding of actressing and awards above those commenting around you, condragulations you are both the winners of this week's challenge. Winner Winner TWO chicken dinners!
"JF" -- that's a GREAT question. I have been wondering the same thing but hadn't put it in those words.
befair Nat" -- you're doing A LOT OF PROJECTING AND ASSUMING. i do not have time to read and judge and respond to every comment. What's more I have never called compliments from one commenter to another "trolling" -- good lord, where are you getting this from? This is what I mean by projecting/assuming. I wish y'all did more of that complimenting each other.
I see, so the only problem with the first 10 episodes of The Morning Show is that 5 of them are not good. Otherwise it's Aniston's tour de force. Cake, but make it television!
What on earth happens in episode 5? Do they scrap the whole production and have Laura Linney read Apple's terms and conditions for 5 hours?
It's Emmy. Always bet on the repeat, which in this case could either be Comer (the actress) or Colman (the role). I'm leaning toward the latter.
I get people love Laura Linney, and justifiably so, but the worst of these shows is Ozark. It gets all of these nominations because it's Netflix's only major drama series and it airs right before voting, like all of Netflix's awards contenders.
I haven't seen all of these performances, but it's hard for me to imagine that any of these actresses wouldn't be worthy in some way. That being said, I'm rooting for Zendaya. Her work on Euphoria (which really came into its own once it settled down) is stunning.
And Nat, can I just say that I really value what you and your team do on this site for movie lovers like myself. As someone who doesn't have a ton of cinema obsessed friends IRL, it has both provided a sense of community and been a huge resource for my continued film education. I hope the negativity that springs up from time-to-time doesn't dishearten you too much. Your work is so appreciated!
I understand why Jodie Comer submitted that episode, and it's probably a big reason she got nominated, but I felt it was the weakest episode of the season because she had to carry a story by herself and didn't get to act off of the other regulars, which is her strength. (If she wins, I suspect it's because the voters got to see her develop more in Sandra Oh's episode submission, the season finale.)
Season 3 of Killing Eve wasn't great for either lead actress. Fiona Shaw had a real showcase, but her competition in the supporting category includes two actresses with Oscars and two other actresses with an Emmy.
I apologize for my disparaging remarks on Colman. I certainly don't mean to cause drama for Nathaniel and I do want this to be a positive space for everyone. I won't do so again.
@JF, the show got five acting nominations and a directing nom. The Morning Show had issues, but it got much better - several reviewers said as much during the finale. There are a ton of shows that take time to find their footing and ultimately end up with Emmy nominations during their first uneven seasons.
I *wish* Zendaya was taking this Emmy... Euphoria was incredible, and so was she. I was actually shocked that the show was so overlooked and Zendaya was a "surprise" nominee. I for sure expected it to be competing even multiple categories, even the top prize. I pray that she can pull it off, but I do have my doubts.
Morning Show looks terrible from everything I've seen. Ozark looks great and Laura Linney is fantastic, but she has multiple Emmys.
I wouldn't mind Olivia Colman getting the E for her EGOT... or Sandra Oh since she was sadly snubbed after being projected to win a year or two ago.
But ultimately, I want Zendaya. If not her, Laura Linney.
Also, Nathaniel... at a certain point, don't even respond to the troll. You give them life. It ain't even worth it.