Category Analysis: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at 5:55PM Team Experience is discussing all of the main Emmy categories
The 7 actresses with costars nominated don't really appear in scenes together, so here's an extra photo of the only one who is solely representing her show!
This category includes eight actresses from just three shows, which surely doesn’t represent the vast array of talented actress out there, like the 280 other eligible women who didn’t make the cut. Though it’s not exactly spreading the wealth, the nominees here are all fine actresses who do great work on television, including in this past season. There’s one clear frontrunner but it’s a formidable list, with two-time defending champ Julia Garner out of the running since Ozark, like so many other shows, didn’t release new episodes this season.
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…
Gillian Anderson as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown (Netflix)
Episode: “Favourites”
Anderson has five previous Emmy nominations, one for Bleak House and four for The X-Files. She triumphed once, in 1997, for the latter. Now she’s back in the running for playing a historical figure whose likeness most recently won Meryl Streep an Oscar. Anderson has already cleaned up at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critics Choice Awards, and there’s every expectation that she’ll do the same here. I described this episode, in which Margaret is dismayed at the disappearance of her son, as a “superb showcase” for Anderson, and so a beloved, acclaimed actress and a knockout episode submission make for a pretty unbeatable combination.
Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret in The Crown (Netflix)
Episode: “The Hereditary Principle”
In addition to her bid last year for this performance, Carter has three previous Emmy nominations, for TV movies Burton and Taylor and Live from Baghdad and miniseries Merlin. Last year, she was the only one nominated for her show, and now she’s joined by two costars, falling distinctly in the middle between them in terms of screen time. She does get the whole focus of her episode, which finds her questioning family practices, and it’s a much stronger submission than she had last year. Carter is fantastic as always, but I don’t think she can eclipse her costar who plays another Margaret.
Madeline Brewer as Janine in The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Episode: “Testimony”
This is the first nomination for Brewer, who has been an integral part of her show since it began. Janine had an even more prominent and consistent role in season four, and so it makes sense that the actress has finally been welcomed into the lineup. Her episode submission, however, doesn’t really reflect the growth that her character went through, giving her just a short but arguably very powerful showcase in which she has to confront her fate after a brief period of hope. She’s probably the least likely of her costars to win, but it’s good to see her nominated.
Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Episode: “Progress”
Dowd returns to this category after being nominated for seasons one and two of her show, along with a guest bid for The Leftovers that first year. She beat out two of her costars for the win for season one of this show, and now she’s back for a slightly more introspective and somber exploration of her character in season four. In her submission, she looks for out for one handmaid while beginning to train another, which doesn’t give her the best material even if she’s just as good as ever. A victory for her this time around would definitely be a surprise.
Aunjanue Ellis as Hippolyta Freeman in Lovecraft Country (Amazon Prime Video)
Episode: “I Am.”
Many Emmy enthusiasts, myself included, expected this slot to go to Ellis’ costar Wunmi Mosaku, but instead Ellis, a past Emmy nominee for “When They See Us,” scored for her truly memorable turn on this one-season HBO horror-fantasy spectacular. If episode submissions were all that mattered, Ellis would likely win given that Hippolyta gets to travel through time and step into so many intense battle scenarios that give her a chance to exact some therapeutic revenge on those who mistreat people. She’s also the only one who isn’t up against a costar. If there was anyone who could pull off an upset against Anderson, I think it would be her, but I don’t see that as likely.
Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown (Netflix)
Episode: “Fairytale”
Fennell definitely rode a wave of popularity for her show and her recent Oscar win for the Promising Young Woman screenplay to a nomination for this relatively minor role. That’s not to say that she isn’t terrific, because she is, and she shares very strong scenes with Emma Corrin’s Princess Diana in her submitted episode, where she is indeed a focus despite another being the bride. Previously Emmy-nominated for writing and producing Killing Eve, the nomination is the win here for Fennell, who will surely do great things on both sides of the camera in the future. Expect her character replacement, actress Olivia Williams, to be here for season five.
Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Episode: “Home”
Strahovski is back in the race after a previous nomination for season two. In season four, her role changes dramatically as do her circumstances, and it’s interesting to see a different side of Serena Joy. Strahovski is a fantastic actress and has deserved to be included for the entirety of the show, and she also has one of the strongest submissions of her cast. Acting opposite Elisabeth Moss in one of the season’s most dramatic hours might get her noticed, but nothing compares to the excellent showcase she had on her last nomination, which didn’t manage to win her the award.
Samira Wiley as Moira Strand in The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Episode: “Vows”
Wiley is actually one of only two performers from her show to have been nominated for all four seasons, though she and Alexis Bledel have never contended in the same category. This is Wiley’s third bid in this category, and she won for season two, when she was considered a guest. She’s much more part of the regular plotline in season four, and she gets a major showcase in her submitted episode, one that shows the great work she does and how she relates to the show’s protagonist in an impossible and unexpected scenario. Being up against three costars doesn’t make for great odds, and she’ll almost definitely be back for future seasons, when she might have a better shot.
Predictions
- Gillian Anderson, The Crown
- Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country
- Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
- Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Emerald Fennell, The Crown
- Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid’s Tale
Personal Ranking
- Gillian Anderson, The Crown
- Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
- Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country
- Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
- Emerald Fennell, The Crown
- Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid’s Tale
PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS
- Limited - Supporting Actress
- Limited - Supporting Actor
- Limited - Directing
- Limited - Writing
- Comedy - Supporting Actor
- Comedy - Guest Actress
- Comedy - Guest Actor
- Comedy - Directing
- Comedy - Writing
- Drama - Supporting Actress
- Drama - Supporting Actor
- Drama - Guest Actress
- Drama - Guest Actor
- Drama - Directing
- Drama - Writing
- Outstanding Editing
- Outstanding Unstructured Reality
- Outstanding Main Title Design
Reader Comments (13)
This is such a weird category this year - I'd love to see some of the 280 names that were left out - there were definitely more than three shows on right?
Anderson deserves it but I was partial to Bonham Carter this year - her work was more tender, lovely and heartfelt whereas Anderson's was pure theatre. Also, the scene between Bonham Carter and Anderson in the Balmoral Tests was lovely and hinted at what could have been if the show was more fluid rather than each episode being it's own contained movie.
Fennell's nomination was odd - even if I did think her performance was actually great (the scene of her and Charles telling their 'joke' was brilliant and summed up why he loved Camilla so much - she just gets him and who he is in all his weirdness).
Don't watch the Handmaid's tale as life is hard enough but surely we didn't need all four nominees, even if they're all very talented ladies. Would love to know who else people might have nominated?
I personally would have loved to have seen Cynthia Nixon here for Ratched for acting on another level and in another show - one I wanted to watch rather than what we got and even maybe Adjoa Andoh for Bridgerton (or even Polly Walker as a make up nod for Rome)...
My personal ranking:
Anderson
(tie) Bonham Carter | Brewer
(tie) Strahovski | Ellis
(tie) Dowd | Wiley
Fennell
(And Fennell was great as Camilla fwiw.)
My prediction: Anderson.
Am I the only person that loves Bonham Carter the best out of all the CROWN women? That episode selection is aces and a marvelous showcase.
@ Cláudio
Last season, yes. But Anderson managed to create a three-dimensional caricature every moment she was onscreen as Thatcher, a feat that never ceases to blow me away.
morganb123 -- i feel the same way about THE HANDMAID'S TALE. One season was more than enough for me. way too traumatic. Yes, they're all very good actresses but they've already been honored for this show so we didn't need *all of them* again... i refuse to believe there's ever been a year in the modern era where one show (out of multiple hundreds of shows) had half of the best everything in any given acting category. That even accounts for shows i love. TED LASSO is divine but it doesn't really deserve to hog all of the supporting actor nominations. There are hundreds of other shows!!!
Anderson please.
Wish they would have nominated the exquisite Dominique Jackson for Pose. A natural born scene-stealer.
I am torn between HBC and Gillian Anderson. Both of them seemed absolutely born to play those particular parts. In the end I would vote for HBC because she is always good value on the screen and enormous fun when she does any kind of speech.
LadyEdith-- that's a very good point. When it's a tossup go with the person who gives great speech ;)
It'll be a slum dunk for Anderson, though I think Carter sports the strongest submission and Brewer had the best overall season.
This is a case of people not winning for the right seasons. Strahovski should’ve won for season two, Bonham Carter should have won last time. As it stands, Gillian is the best of this bunch.
I second Cynthia Nixon (or Judy Davis!) for Ratched.. definitely mild snubs here.
It's hard to see Gillian Anderson losing here. If you look at the women on the drama side, the only supporting winner to have ever won the SAG and lose the emmy was Sandra Oh. On the comedy side, all of the supporting women had won recently or would go on to win (e.g., Baranski won in the fall and won in the winter, JLD did too). The only real outlier is Lisa Kudrow and Megan Mullally, who won just a few years after they secured the emmy.
I think Gillian's performance is divisive, and there's been some criticism of it. But, I think tonally she does so much for the show, and her performance really clashes so productively with that of the royals. It's my favorite of the year, and she really sinks her teeth into ever moment. Emmy voters also went for Winston, so I suspect they'll go for her too.
HBC and Ellis are the runners up if they watch the tapes.
It's Gillian Anderson and the rest