Emmy Review: Lead Actress in a Drama

By Abe Friedtanzer

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…

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Emmy Review: Lead Actor in a Drama

By Abe Friedtanzer

Will Succession produce a Best Actor winner? There are two options.

This was going to be the year that Bob Odenkirk finally took home an Emmy for Better Call Saul on his fifth try with a slam dunk episode submission of “Bagman.” But, like Richard Madden for Bodyguard last year, the expected frontrunner got snubbed altogether, leaving the field totally open. There are six great choices for the win. Half this field is new, and this is actually one of the first times that Golden Globe winner Brian Cox and Critics Choice winner Jeremy Strong are nominated against each other, which sets up a major showdown not unlike the one that happens between their characters on Succession. 

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…

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Emmy Review: Guest Actress in a Drama

By Juan Carlos Ojano

For the last three years, The Handmaid’s Tale has dominated this category with wins for Alexis Bledel (2017), Samira Wiley (2018), and Cherry Jones (2019). This year, Bledel is poised for a victory lap in this category after competing in Supporting last season. Last year’s winner Jones is also back, but for a different show. She even pulled off a surprise win last year over Phylicia Rashad, who reappears in this category. Aside from Jones, Succession gets another nomination for Harriet Walter. Meanwhile, category mainstays Cox and Tyson are in for the fourth and fifth time, respectively, for their characters in their final seasons (though neither has won for these roles).

Let’s consider each nominee...

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Emmy Review: Guest Actor in a Drama

By Juan Carlos Ojano

While the Comedy Guest categories are exciting, the Drama Guest categories are just hard to decipher. Last year’s winner, Bradley Whitford for The Handmaid’s Tale, was bumped up to regular supporting (and is actually nominated there). Meanwhile, none of his co-stars submitted in this category made it. Only two of the nominees are from Drama Series contenders and one of them was a surprise inclusion. One nominee is already on his fourth consecutive nomination playing the same role in the same series. Another nominee is actually a giving a lead performance. 

With no obvious frontrunner in sight, let’s consider each nominee...

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Emmy Review: Guest Actress in a Comedy

By Juan Carlos Ojano

More complicated than it seems, this race features acting veterans, comedic geniuses, and double the Maya Rudolph. Saturday Night Live has been dominant in this category since 2009 (the first year they were allowed to compete with the "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program" category discontinued). So dominant, in fact, that they've only missed a nomination one year (2015) and in most of those 11 years they've had multiple nominations. SNL has won nearly 50% of the time since it began competing here. Meanwhile, Maya Rudolph makes history as the  first actress to be nominated in this category twice in the same year. Does that support her cause or result in a vote split? 

Let’s consider each nominee…

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