OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
I still think there’s a really argument for more than five nominees in this category. I’m still immensely irked not to see Jane Levy here – the HCA more than demonstrated that she was a winning possibility – but unlike the previous category, it’s not like there are any bad choices here.
Aidy Bryant, Shrill: 9-2. For Playing: Annie Easton, a woman trying to change her life without changing her body. Pro: I’ll admit when I first learned of Bryant’s nomination I thought it was similar to Thompson for Best Actor. In hindsight, however, I think giving Bryant this nomination was a different kind of reaction from the Emmys – an attempt to right a wrong. Because Shrill was a series that was much loved and laughed at by a lot of people, entertaining and heartfelt and angry too. And given how busy Bryant is – and frankly, how funny she is – she most likely should’ve got a nomination for this role before. But given how crowded the Best Comedy Actress has been, they probably couldn’t fit her in until now. Do I still wish Jane Levy was here? Yes. But Bryant deserved to be recognized. Con: Sadly Bryant has the exact obverse problem as the other brilliant Hulu series that was nominated for Best Comedy, Pen 15: no nominations anywhere else. And frankly, you need a base to work with to get recognition. (Which doesn’t mean Bryant won’t elsewhere.)
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant: 39-10. For Playing: Cassie Bowden, a heavy drinking, heavy partying flight attendant whose one-night stand with a passenger ends in a bloody death – and is just the start of her problems. Pro: For twelve years, Kaley Cuoco did something truly remarkable: she appeared on one of the biggest critical and popular sitcoms in network history and never truly got credit for it. Everyone seemed to get a nomination from the Emmys but her. She took a rest of about five minutes before taking the lead in by far the darkest and most mesmerizing role of her career: a flight attendant who wakes up in the middle of murder, gets involved in the world of espionage and spies, and keeps hurting everybody around her while never quite being sober. This is the kind of role that most actresses spend their careers dreaming of. The fact that it’s also the complete opposite of Penny on The Big Bang Theory testifies just how much of a great actress she is – and how little we appreciated it then. Con: Timing, timing, timing. When The Flight Attendant began its run on the end of year awards shows, Cuoco had the misfortune of going against Catherine O’Hara finishing her sweep of awards for her extraordinary work on Schitt’s Creek. Once it was done, she was the front-runner… until May when Hacks debuted on the same service The Flight Attendant did no less. There is a possibility she’ll win, but it’s just as likely she will be once again overlooked by another comic legend giving another extraordinary performance. There’s always Season 2.
Allison Janney, Mom: 9-2. For Playing: Bonnie, the recovering alcoholic, drug addict trying to keep sober and her marriage going. Pro: I can’t really think of another word other than ‘legend’ to describe Allison Janney. This is the second iconic character that she’s created in the past twenty years – a woman who struggles to get through despite her best efforts. The fact that Mom managed to be successful in its final season without the presence of co-lead Anna Faris was in a large part to the series’ confidence in Janney. The series became more of an ensemble piece the longer it was on the air, but she always made it sing. The fact that the show ended before it could say a proper goodbye might be a reason to give her one more prize. Con: At this point, I think even Janney herself would say: “I have more than enough awards at this point in my life, thank you.” With seven Emmys total – two alone for Mom - I think rewarding again would be a little excessive.
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish: 9-2. For Playing: ‘Bow’ Johnson, the force of calm and frustration as the African-American mother of a family of five. Pro: Ross has been one of the greatest comic actresseses the past several years on black-ish and actually has a longer link back to a hit comedy series of the past and an interesting spinoff of this series that was unfortunately cancelled. Ross has always been a barrel of laughs, trying to restrain her husband’s excesses, her mother-in-law’s built in disappointment of her, and so many struggles with her children. Even in the era of Peak TV, there haven’t been enough characters like Rainbow Johnson, which is a loss… but then there aren’t a lot of actresses like Ross either. She deserves to win. Con: Sadly, Ross probably missed her best chance in 2017 when she was the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical. The fact that the prize went to Julia-Louis Dreyfus for the sixth consecutive year was another reason I couldn’t take the Emmys that seriously. There have been too many great performers in this category since, and I don’t think she’ll ever prevail.
Jean Smart, Hacks: 31-10. For Playing: Deborah Vance, a Las Vegas legend forced to reevaluate her act as she turns seventy. Pro: Jean Smart is one of the greatest actresses in television history. Every five or six years, TV remembers that and gives her a great role to play. To say that Deborah is that role is a bit of an exaggeration considering she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in A Limited Series this year and last. (Seriously, she should own stock in HBO.) Even when I wasn’t sure of this series greatness, I was utterly won by the power and humor of Smart’s work. I’d be hard pressed to consider even her greatest role in the last five years. But it is the first time that she has ever received a nomination for playing the lead. And if you’ve seen just the last two major roles she had for HBO, then you realize what a truly remarkable turn this is for her. It’s not even the funniest role she’s ever played. But as much as Deborah herself would make a joke of the term, it is the role of a lifetime for her. Last year the Emmys took the opportunity to recognize two of comedy’s all time legends with awards for appearing in a truly great show. It makes perfect sense that they would do the same here. Con: It seems a little unfair to consider anything about Hacks conventional, but there are some who might argue that compared some of the previous winners the last few years (leaving out that most of them were Julia-Louis Dreyfus) some might consider it a bit clichéd. Not me.
Prediction: Cuoco might be able to pull out an upset, but I think the odds are the voters will make the Smart choice. (That’s a line Deborah Vance would appreciate.)
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