As has been the case for pretty much
the entire decade this category is filled with a vast array of talent and an
overwhelming favorite. We have three previous winners from this decade, a TV
icon nominated for playing another TV iconic role and a brilliant young actress
in this category for the for her second TV comedy who hasn't even turned 28
yet.
Next year we're going to have a wide
open race where someone new will prevail but for now, let's go through the nominees.
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary. For
Playing: Janine, an elementary school teacher finding her way through
occupational and personal difficulties. Pro: Just as with the show itself, every year I keep thinking
that there's no way that Brunson can top what she's done in the previous
season. And every year Brunson keeps finding ways to prove me wrong. Sometimes
it's opening entirely new fronts, such as when she broke up with Gregory and
then got so completely drunk that she reached a level of unpleasantness that
managed to stun Ava who'd brought her on that night out. Sometimes its with her
basic goodness as we see her trying to find new strategies to get Abbott out of
the mall and manage to save the livelihood of everybody. And in recent years
it’s the delightful fun we get with her romantic byplay with Gregory, whether
it is nerdy love in their Halloween costumes, the way they do role play to buy
a new home, the way that they break up over going on a trip and the way they
find their way to back each other. (You know, with a little help.) Brunson
continues to astonish as a writer and a performer and there's never a moment I
don't love her onscreen. Con: Brunson actually has gotten more than
enough respect from the Emmys already with a prize for writing in its freshman
season and for acting in its second. I have no objection to her getting more
down the road but there are more deserving performers who do deserve more
recognition.
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear. For
Playing: Sydney, the lead chef of a restaurant which is on a deadline before it
goes bankrupt. Pro: Edebiri
is the only actor on this show who has been nominated every season its been on
the air. With good reason. In a series where nearly every character is
suffering from trauma so deep it has made their ability to function almost
impossible Syd is the only one who is capable of seeing beyond the trauma with
a genuine vision, a support system and a
genuine love for what she does. Even as the pressure on The Bear mounts to
succeed or bust – literally - Syd manages
to find a way to keep going that is awe-inspiring on a show that barely
registers as a comedy most times. She's already become a hyphenate both on TV
and film and in a season that was big on style and low on sense she kept things
going. Con: The moment she lost to Jean Smart two years ago was the first
domino that led to The Bear peaking in the minds of the critical and
audience imagination. There are signs that the show may have regained its
forward momentum for its final season but Edebiri has never beaten Jean Smart
and that's not going to change this year.
Elle Fanning, Margo's Got Money
Troubles (Dark Horse). For Playing: Margo, a college dropout turned single
mother who turns to OnlyFans to find financial security. Pro: She's a distant, distant second in
this category but much like the title character she plays one can never truly
rule Fanning out. Her work as Margo was arguably the greatest comic performance
by an actress in a freshman series (Matthew Rhys had the one by an actor) and
that was because she made Margo a complete mess and yet lovable every step of
the way. She was trying to be a good mother, trying to find a way to use her
literary gifts and trying to find a way to be a good daughter. And I loved the
way she did it all the way through, whether its rating penises like Pokémon
characters, going into fight against unknown forces or Only Fans leads,
creating a web personality based on a wrestling character, singing with her
mother in Vegas or getting to know her father. I had no use for any of
Fanning's work in The Great; Margo shows that she has all of the talent
that her sister has in this format. The fact that her sister is also nominated
this year in a different category makes for one of the best stories this Emmy
season. Con: Honestly she can afford to wait. Margo's Got Money
Troubles has been renewed for a second season which means she'll be back in
the ranks soon enough. She's got time for the Emmys to give her her due.
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback. For
Playing: Valerie Cherish, a former TV star who is leading a new sitcom that is
entirely being written by AI. Pro: You
have to love a show where the lead character has done three seasons in twenty
years and somehow still hasn't learned a damn thing. Its amazing that every
decade Kudrow brings Val back and somehow she's simultaneously completely
behind the times and has a perfect view of the industry. We see this as Val
finds herself fighting her dream of running her own comedy but is now at the
forefront of a battle she has no comprehension of how to fight. It's hysterical
that a woman who has a camera on her at all times really can't seem to
understand her industry and Kudrow has been exceptional and making you realize
that Val is not the hero Hollywood asked for but the hero…that doesn't even
know the meaning of the word. It's really astonishing Kudrow has been nominated
for every season her show has been on the era but that's because she is the
icon that Val only believes she is and she never lets us forget it. Con: The
thing is, The Comeback has always been more of a critical sensation then
an awards one and the critics keep forgetting. The Comeback was favored
by some to be among the leaders in nominations in this category and instead it
only received three with Kudrow being another one. And as much as the critics love Val its
always been a cult sensation in an era where that's basically becoming rarer.
Even if Kudrow didn't have the misfortune of competing against another icon, I
really don't think she'd have much of a chance of winning.
Jean Smart, Hacks. (EXPERTS
PICK, MY PICK) For Playing: Deb Vance, trying to write the final line of
her legacy in a long and storied career. Pro: My readers know that during the 2010s
in particular I was very annoyed when the same actors and actresses won the
Emmy in one category year in and year out. So why am I not bothered that Jean
Smart is doing the exact same thing I abhorred the Emmys doing for Julia
Louis-Dreyfus six consecutive years? Honestly because Smart deserves it more.
During the first two decades of this century she was playing iconic roles in
some of the best dramas and limited series of that period and she never got an
Emmy. Also Veep was a much crueler comedy then Hacks is, a show
that is about a love story between Deb Vance and Ava Daniels. And honestly
watching the final season of Hacks I didn't want the show to end because
it meant I was never going to see another moment of Smart's incredible work as
Deb and how she kept finding new ways to make her character funnier and
lovable. Her determination to form her legacy after being cancelled from late
night. Trying to build a nightclub and casino in Vegas. Going on The Amazing
Race with DJ. Pretending to be the lesbian lover of Ava so she can get a
Bob Mackie outfit. Fighting back after being beaten by the network to end up
doing the biggest crowd in a comedy event in Central Park. And in the series
finale making plans to end her life on her own terms – and then comedy saves
her yet again. How can I not want Smart to tie the records held by such talents
as Alison Janney and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for most Emmys won by a female
performer? That's a legacy Deb could be proud of. Con: The off, off
chance that the Emmys will recognize someone else. But this is the final season
of Hacks. They're not going to ruin her legacy any more than the show
is.
PREDICTION: The final season of Hacks cemented
the legacy of Deb Vance. The Emmys will cement Smart's in a month.
Tomorrow I deal with Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Comedy. I have the same prediction for the winner last
year…but we saw how that played out.
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