The Film Experience

Team Experience will be taking a regular look at the episode submissions for major Emmy categories from now until the big night.

Former "Saturday Night Live" cast members Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig face off against each other in Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

by Christopher James

Sketch comedy thrives in the guest acting categories. While Saturday Night Live hosts have long been a staple of this category, HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show has recently had success here, too. Those two shows take up four of the six guest acting slots in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category. The other two nominees are a famous actress in an underappreciated show (Bernadette Peters - Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) and an underappreciated actress in an Emmy favorite (Jane Adams - Hacks).

In short, there are many ways the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category could go this year. With the Emmys, it’s always best to expect the unexpected. So who is most likely to win? Let’s dig into the nominees and their episode submissions...

Jane Adams as Nina Daniels in Hacks

Submission: “I Think She Will”

Description (from ballot): The recently widowed Nina Daniels is going through a lot. She needs her daughter Ava to help her with her cable bill, funeral arrangements and not breaking down every five minutes. She finally enjoys some relief and laughter when comedy legend Deborah Vance delivers a surprise eulogy/roast at her husband’s funeral.

Losing one’s partner is a maddening, traumatizing experience. It can also be filled with unintentional comedic moments. Hung star Jane Adams delivers a richly calibrated performance that finds shades of comedy and sadness within Nina’s overbearing grief. She’s never a one note “nagging mother” and instead is a real person racked with anxiety as her world crumbles around her. When Ava (Hannah Einbender) comes home, she’s consumed with cancelling her husband’s sports package, eventually blurting that he’s died. Ava and Nina’s relationship is based around conflict. Nina would rather stifle Ava’s emotions (not having her talk at her Dad’s funeral) than risk having Ava make it all about herself. Even when Nina isn’t the subject of the scene, Adams knows how to make sure she is always reacting in character. When Deborah (Jean Smart) leads everyone in sharing memories about her husband, Nina’s dour facade cracks a smile as she joins in. In just a short episode, Adams gives Nina a real arc that feels believable.

There is a real path for Jane Adams to win here. It always helps to be a performance that separates themselves from the group. Four out of six of the nominees are from sketch comedy, and Bernadette Peters is a bit of a wild card musical nominee. Adams’ performance is by far the most dramatic of the group, though she knows how to infuse comedy into Nina’s low point. Plus. it's clear that the Emmys love Hacks (15 nominations) and Adams is a key part to why the ending hits so hard. Voters who love Hacks will probably vote for Adams.

Yvette Nicole Brown as Judge Harper in A Black Lady Sketch Show

Submission: “But The Tilapias Are Fine Though, Right?”

Description (from ballot): In “Courtroom Kiki Pt. 2,” Yvette returns as Judge Harper, leader of the fabled Black lady courtroom. When a man arrives and disrupts the celebration of Black womanhood, Judge Harper compassionately dismisses him so she, her colleagues, and the jury can resume their commemoration of this rare occurrence.

Robin Thede’s A Black Lady Sketch Show was an utter delight in its second season on HBO Max. In the season premiere, the “Courtroom Kiki” sketch was an absolute highlight. By sheer coincidence, all members of the courtroom are black women. By the end of the sketch, this includes both lawyers, the bailiff, the entire jury and the judge, played by Yvette Nicole Brown. The delight is infectious among all members of the “black lady courtroom,” led by Brown from behind the bench. Brown charts the way Judge Harper’s professionalism vanishes the minute she realizes she’s solely among black women. The joy and conversational joie de vivre pours out from her almost immediately. It’s a fun sketch that demonstrates the importance of being surrounded by similar people, especially when you’re often in the minority in settings like a courtroom.

Yvette Nicole Brown has often been a TV scene stealer (see Community) and is more than deserving of her first Emmy nomination. As fun as she is in the “Courtroom Kiki” sketch, this is just one sketch in the full 30 minute episode. Comparatively, the Saturday Night Live guest hosts get quite a bit more airtime than Brown and fellow nominee Issa Rae. For Brown, the nomination is likely the win.

Bernadette Peters as Deb in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Submission: “Zoey’s Extraordinary Girls Night”

Description (from ballot): Zoey gets more than she bargained for when she tries to help Emily with a problem. Maggie reconnects with an old friend. Max, Simon and Mo have a bonding night together.

Who wouldn’t love watching Bernadette Peters sing “Cheap Thrills” while busting into Mary Steenburgen’s dining room? The whole performance has a lot of great energy and fits in well with the vibe of the show. However, Deb steals moments, rather than scenes. Her motivation is to get Maggie (Steenburgen) out on the town after Maggie’s husband’s death. They end up going to a casino a few towns over where Maggie lies about her identity and has a great time. While Deb is a fun instigator, Maggie is the star of this storyline and Steeburgen outshines Peters.

While Peters is a legend, she’s likely far off from the win. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist was just cancelled by NBC and of its five nominations this was the only acting nomination. While beloved on Broadway, Peters has not had as much success at the Emmys. This nomination is only the third of her career, despite plenty of TV performances in shows like Mozart in the Jungle, The Good Fight, Smash and Grey’s Anatomy (the latter two have earned her guest nominations in the past).

Issa Rae as Jess in A Black Lady Sketch Show

Submission: “My Booty Look Juicy, Don’t It?”

Description (from ballot): In “Gang Retreat,” Issa returns as Jess, the wise-cracking Coral Reefs gang member. Jess gleefully thwarts the gang-leader’s attempts to facilitate a corporate retreat by cracking jokes during every activity. After being banished to the juice bar, Jess contritely returns to the group with better(ish) behavior to continue bonding.

Some surprise nominations inspire excitement. Others lead to head scratching. Issa Rae is incredibly talented (Insecure has been one of my favorite shows) and A Black Lady Sketch Show has been even better in season two. Yet, Rae's role in "Gang Retreat" as Jess is too small to really make an impact. She gets a couple fun moments as a troublemaking member of the Coral Reefs who isn't quite up to the wellness bar demanded of her. Yet, the line "so what you're saying is our breast exams was... a bust" is basically her only punchline. It's great the show got recognized. Unfortunately, Issa Rae doesn't make her moment stand out in the same way that Yvette Nicole Brown does elsewhere in the shortlist.

Issa Rae has made major inroads in the TV Academy. This marks her fifth Emmy nomination and third for acting. The previous two acting nominations were for Insecure in the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category. While she does not make much of an impact in her episode, Rae also appears in Yvette Nicole Brown’s episode selection and arguably makes more of an impression there. In that episode, she plays a petty thief honored to be on trial at the Black Lady Courtroom. Her name recognition and performance across both episodes likely pushes her ahead of Brown in the ranking. Still, this isn't enough to make her a major contender this time.

Maya Rudolph as Host in Saturday Night Live

Submission: “Host: Maya Rudolph”

Description (from ballot): Maya's monologue recalls her early days at SNL. Sketches include Maya as Kamala Harris hosting a Unity Seder and Maya singing with the cast about boomers excited about being vaccinated. In a parody of "The Shining", Maya takes a stroll down memory lane at SNL.

Is there anything that Maya Rudolph can’t do? This year, she had a healthy presence on Saturday Night Live playing Vice President Kamala Harris. She does an incredible job with this intimidating task, and gets to show that off in her episode selection. Yet, her hosting episode gives her so many other opportunities to shine. Her opening monologue wisely plays into her long history with Saturday Night Live. This also comes back around in a fun play on The Shining towards the end of the episode. The funniest moment from any episode in this batch was Rudolph's work as Beyonce in the Hot Ones video. She also benefits from being great in Kristen Wiig’s episode, and vice versa. The two are an inseparable comic pair.

Rudolph is an Emmy favorite. She has earned eight career nominations, six of which have been in this category. She is also nominated for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for her incredible work as Connie the Hormone Monster in Big Mouth. In fact, it's the same two nominations she snagged last year and she won both (Guest for Saturday Night Live / Voice-Over for Big Mouth). Clearly, the Emmys are in love with her hot streak. The fact that her episode also delivers the funny only strengthens her position to win. If she could win last year for just a short cameo, winning for a hosting gig should be very easy. Plus, Saturday Night Live stars tend to win when playing political figures (see Alec Baldwin, Kate McKinnon, Tina Fey and Melissa McCarthy).

Kristen Wiig as Host in Saturday Night Live

Submission: “Host: Kristen Wiig”

Description (from ballot): Kristen sings her own version of "My Favorite Things" in her monologue. Parodies include Mike Pence getting vaccinated; a 1950's game show; "Home Alone" and a naughty Grinch. In a Christmas morning film, Kristen sings about the only gift she got as the mom: a robe. Performances by Dua Lipa.

Who doesn’t love Kristen Wiig? She brings to life many different characters, both old (Mindy-Elise Brasing, Aunt Sue) and new (Brenda Fricker in Home Alone 2). In terms of highlights that made the rounds on the internet, her dance with Bowen Yang and Dua Lipa in USO attire was a clear viral standout. Moment to moment, Wiig has a more consistently funny episode than even Maya Rudolph. Yet, none of her sketch performances were quite as memorable as Maya Rudolph's Hot Ones sketch.

As great as Wiig is, voters will likely go to Rudolph, again, thanks to her appearance in Wiig’s episode and the timeliness of her Kamala Harris impression. Still, Wiig has never won an Emmy and this is her ninth nomination. Voters may think she is overdue. However, all this will likely siphon off votes from our frontrunner, Maya Rudolph. If that happens, Jane Adams will likely sneak in for the win.

Predictions

Maya Rudolph - Saturday Night Live
Jane Adams - Hacks
Issa Rae - A Black Lady Sketch Show
Kristen Wiig - Saturday Night Live
Bernadette Peters - Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Yvette Nicole Brown - A Black Lady Sketch Show

Personal Ranking

Jane Adams - Hacks
Maya Rudolph - Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig - Saturday Night Live
Yvette Nicole Brown - A Black Lady Sketch Show
Bernadette Peters - Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Issa Rae - A Black Lady Sketch Show

Who do you think will win and who would you vote for?

PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS