Emmy Watch: Will 'The Crown' or 'Handmaid's Tale' take up the majority of Drama Supporting Actress?
Friday, June 4, 2021 at 10:32AM
Our team is breaking down the top contenders in all the major Emmy races and highlighting some of our favorites over the next few weeks. Today, we’re looking at Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Ann Dowd ("The Handmaid's Tale") is the only former winner still eligible for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series this year.By: Christopher James
When the Emmys fall in love with a show, they really fall hard. Specifically, Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series can get filled with multiple nominees from a single show. For example, the final season of Game of Thrones in 2019 earned four nominations in this category alone (Gwendoline Christie, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams). While that show is no longer on the air, The Handmaid’s Tale has also seen a large number of women nominated. Ann Dowd won the category in 2017 and the following women have been nominated for past seasons: Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel and Yvonne Strahovski. Will The Handmaid’s Tale continue to dominate this category, or will another show, like The Crown, take up the most slots?
Helena Bonham Carter could return to this category for her role as Princess Margaret in "The Crown."
The Returning Nominees
It’s always best to start with returning nominees when sizing up an Emmy category. Of the two remaining eligible nominees from last year, Helena Bonham Carter stands the best chance of showing up again for her role as Princess Margaret in The Crown. Season four was not as much of a showcase for Margaret but Bonham Carter always manages to be an incredible screen presence. Her Golden Globe nomination shows that people are still fans of her work this season. Additionally, The Crown is the overall Emmy favorite this year, and Carter will be an easy get for the show’s (presumed) monster nomination haul.
This season of The Handmaid’s Tale has not been tested against any awards precursors, so it is unclear which of the four former nominees will earn favor. Last year, only Samira Wiley earned a nomination, demonstrating long standing love for her character Moira. As one of only two returning players from last year, we should count her in. Similarly, we shouldn’t count out former winner Ann Dowd. The legendary character actress continues to dazzle in the villainous part, and voters have loved to reward her in the past. Yvonne Strahovski gets more and more to do each season and is a fan favorite. If voters have fallen in love with the show again (it’s nomination count dropped last year, including an Elisabeth Moss snub), she may be the show’s third nomination here. Alexis Bledel has had great material in the past, but is more under the radar this season.
The first season of This Is Us brought a nomination for Chrissy Metz in Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Since 2017, Metz has not been back to this category, though Sterling K. Brown keeps showing up in Best Actor. Once someone falls out of Emmy’s good graces, it’s unlikely they make a triumphant return, unless the show is expected to have a big comeback. This Is Us has been waning in nominations year after year, so Metz is unlikely.
If voters are watching "Lovecraft Country," Wunmi Mosaku stands a great chance at an Emmy nomination.
Freshman Series Stars
Two wild cards in this category could not be more different. HBO’s Lovecraft Country earned rave reviews this summer. The genre-defying epic has a host of great performances. In this category, most of the buzz has gone to rising star Wunmi Mosaku, who earned a Critics Choice nomination for her performance. Since the show has earned attention in other awards shows, including the Golden Globes and SAG Ensemble Award, voters are likely watching. If they love it, they may very well nominate Mosaku and possibly previous Emmy nominee Aunjanue Ellis.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s Ratched was met with mixed to negative reviews. Still, Ryan Murphy’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest prequel boasts a star-studded cast and strong viewership numbers. This helped the series earn three Globe nominations including a supporting bid for previous Emmy winner Cynthia Nixon. Her pedigree and starpower will likely get her a nomination in this category. If voters love the show more than critics, former nominee Judy Davis could also sneak in.
It’s no secret that the Emmys become smitten with certain performers. Tatiana Maslany pulled off a surprise win for Orphan Black a few years ago for Best Actress in a Drama Series. The award was surprising not due to the quality of the performance, but because the show never earned more nominations. Still, Maslany’s impressive work spoke for itself. If they are still big fans of hers, they may take notice of her work in HBO’s Perry Mason, which was a fall hit. With Emmy winner Matthew Rhys headlining, the show has pedigree but does it have enough to contend in multiple categories?
Other potential newcomers that could break in this year include Brooke Smith (Big Sky) and Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton).
Gillian Anderson has swept every precursor for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in "The Crown."
Coattails From Emmy Favorites
The frontrunner for the win is surely Gillian Anderson, who tackles the role of Margaret Thatcher in the latest season of The Crown. She won Best Actress at the SAG Awards (beating out her lead co-stars - Olivia Colman and Emma Corwin) and Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice. In many ways, this has become the juggernaut performance of the year; If she can take out lead contenders at SAG, nothing is standing in her way of the Emmy.
Anderson and Helena Bonham Carter aren’t the only people from The Crown vying for a supporting actress nomination. Recent Oscar winning writer/director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), who began her career as an actress, earned positive reviews for her role as Camilla Parker Bowles. There has long been an Oscar afterglow effect for actors when it comes to the Emmys. However, there aren’t many cases where a writing win has translated to an acting Emmy nomination. Still, Fennell and The Crown are both hot properties and that's sometimes all you need in an awards race.
We also should not forget Pose, which is in its final season on FX. The drama set in the 80s/90s ballroom scene earned a Drama Series nomination for its first season. That same year, it also won Best Actor for Billy Porter, who plays the ball announcer, Pray Tell. Though Porter and the show have done well, it’s a shame that none of the fabulous trans actresses have received similar accolades. Indya Moore has been a standout, particularly in the early seasons, as Angel, a fashion model. However, this final season hasn’t put her in the spotlight as much. Meanwhile, Dominique Jackson continues to get more to do in the final season. Her Grand Dame, Electra, even gets a whole episode dedicated to her backstory. She could be a dark horse in the category.
PREDICTIONS
- Gillian Anderson - The Crown
- Helena Bonham Carter - The Crown
- Samira Wiley - The Handmaid’s Tale
- Ann Dowd - The Handmaid’s Tale
- Wunmi Mosaku - Lovecraft Country
- Cynthia Nixon - Ratched
- Emerald Fennell - The Crown
- Tatiana Maslany - Perry Mason
Who are you rooting for in Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series this year?
more on the upcoming Emmys
- COMEDY
- Actress Comedy
- Actor Comedy
- Supporting Actress, Comedy
- Supporting Actor, Comedy
- DRAMA
- Actress Drama
- Actor Drama
- Supporting Actress, Drama
- Supporting Actor, Drama
- MORE...
- Emmy Ballots
- FYC The Handmaid's Tale
- FYC Marielle Heller, Queen's Gambit
- FYC Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
- FYC I May Destroy You
- FYC For All Mankind
Reader Comments (26)
THE HANDMAID'S TALE "is no longer on the air." It's not?
Never mind. I misread the sentence. You were, of course, referring to GAME OF THRONES.
I wish Marnee Carpenter from CLARICE was in the conversation. She has been slaying it on that show, playing Catherine Martin from THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Rebecca Breeds should be in talks for a nomination in the Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series category, too.
If people are actually watching the shows and not just automatically ticking boxes, then I agree that Dominique Jackson stands a good chance given how much range she was able to show in her spotlight episode this season. Similarly, Madeline Brewer has only had more to do this season on The Handmaid's Tale but, of course, her co-stars are more famous...
I'd love to see Wunmi Mosaku get in, since she was outstanding in a very tricky role on Lovecraft Country.
I hope Ann Dowd returns. She has been given a lot to play with this season, I think her own story sort of mirrors the story of trauma that Moss' character has been going through. Her part feels more complex than it was during season 3, and it's easy to see her get rewarded. On the other, Strahovski, who has been good this season, hasn't been given enough to do. She'll need a standout episode in the next few weeks to really seal the deal, but I don;t think that will happen.
Is Bledel going supporting or guest? She's been in quite a few episodes this season.
I'm excited to see Gillian win. She had a great season on the Crown, and although her performance has been called drag worthy, I really love how much her performance clashed with the family, but the tone of show. Margaret is so different, and it was great to see that depicted. I'm also just happy to see her claim a second emmy after her snubs for the Fall, Sex Education, and even her Globe/SAG/Oscar Snub for Mirth.
It's interesting that it was usually young people who didn't like Gillian's Thatcher, while those who remember that era think that she was exactly like that.
Joe G: Not that that matters. If I've got this right, any "standout episode" in these last few weeks is a "hanging episode" that counts toward 2021-2022 Emmys, not the 2020-2021 Emmys.
Tatiana Maslany totally deserves to be nominated. She and Lili Taylor should both be in the running for Perry Mason.
@Wimsey I've noticed that too. Thatcher was just as Anderson played her, an almost absurdly over-the-top monster. I was so much more impressed by what she was doing with that character than what Emma Corrin was doing with Diana, for instance.
Is Mandy Moore going lead or supporting?
Lazy turn from voters to point Cynthia Nixon as the standout supporting actress from Ratched, while Judy Davis, Sophie Okonedo and even Sharon Stone are standing right there.
Is Halston eligible this season? That Liza Minelli girl is just awesome!
@Volvagia, maybe. It looks like if Hulu uploaded their hanging episodes to the platform for voters by May 31, then those episodes will count for this year. I'm not sure what their strategy is, so we may need more episodes.
https://www.emmys.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/emmy-rules-changes-201204-v2.pdf
Adepero Oduye, Erin Kellyman, & Julia Louis-Dreyfus-The Falcon and the Winter Soldier should be in consideration.
Can't wait for the next seasons of The Crown with two of my favorites: Olivia Williams playing Camilla Parker-Bowles.
yeah, this has felt like Anderson's to lose since the moment S4 of the Crown dropped,the question here is who else is getting in
I didn't care much for Gillian Anderson's take on Margaret Thatcher. I much preferred Helena Bonham Carter in the limited screentime that she had.
Judy Davis was hands-down the MVP of ‘Ratched’ if anybody from that show is getting a nomination.
Agreed.
I watched Ratched for the Judy Davis scenes and she never missed a beat. That part where she changed her voice to wheedle Sarah Paulson's Ratched made me chuckle several times: "Ooh someone's cranky. She sure could use a peach". With Judy Davis, it's her presence, gravitas maybe, that commands the scene each time.
thevoid99, nobody says that but yes.
I don't care if Anderson sweeps this (she'll deserve it); I just want my Handmaids ladies (Dowd, Wiley, Strahovski, and Brewer) to make it in Supporting Actress.
Bledel goes guest, but I'm rooting for Mckenna Grace there!
I wish Dominique Jackson is nominated. Mother Elektra deserves it.
to POSE fans -- has Dominique Jackson's acting improved? It's a really fun character but her acting was rough in season 1.
@Nathaniel She has a spotlight episode this season, which gives her character a lot more depth. I think she's very affecting, and smartly able to add new shades to Elektra without sacrificing what makes that character so fun in the first place.
Dominique Jackson? You're joking, right? Maybe Worst Supporting Actress, but not Best acting anything. I have never seen one scene with her, including in her so-called lauded spotlight episode this season, where it didn't feel like she was just reciting lines. Just awful. I would rather see MJ Rodriguez as Blanca get nominated for Best Actress - now that would be something great and truly groundbreaking.
I love Maslany, but Gayle Rankin is *the* Perry Mason supporting actress. Honorable mention to Juliet Rylance.
It feels like Pose is pushing Indya Moore, since she's on the cover of Harper's Bazaar with Janet Mock and MJ Rodriguez. Honestly, I'm not sure that any of the supporting women from that show deserve a nomination over the other women cited here. Apart from Billy Porter, acting isn't the show's strong suit.