Think my job is easy? You try narrowing down the potential nominees for the best supporting actress in a drama Emmy to just six finalists. I could make the case for at least a dozen candidates, but alas, Emmy rules allow for only half that many (I stretched it to a seventh, because I literally could not eliminate any of the women below). And the supporting actor category wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, either. Anyway, you know the drill, voters: Use this list of recommendations as your guide when the balloting process gets underway next week. We’ll see how closely you paid attention when the nods come out on July 16. (Coming up tomorrow: my picks for best lead actor and actress in a comedy and drama.)
Best Supporting Actress (Drama)
* Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights): Episode 8. When her character
realizes she isn’t going to be getting her new dream home. Excitement.
Desperation. Resignation. All in three minutes. She deserves her own
category.
* Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love): It’d be easy to overlook her sunny character as mere comic relief. Easy and wrong.
* Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy): Though the cancer arc tested my
patience, damned if she didn’t sell the material like her life depended
on it. (Memo to Shonda Rhimes: As such, please don’t kill her off.)
* Christina Hendricks (Mad Men): If it takes a strong woman to show her
soft side, this one’s Hercules in heels. Hers is my favorite Mad Men character
by far.
* Alison Pill (In Treatment): As a young cancer patient purging her soul, she was part sad, part inspiring, all perfection.
* CCH Pounder (The Shield): She fought two evil foes (lupus, Mackey) with
fierce determination. If Mackey was this show’s driving force,
Claudette was its secret weapon.
* Chloe Sevigny (Big Love): The sneakier her character got, the more I wanted to give her a hug. Oh, and an Emmy!
Best Supporting Actor (Drama)
* Walton Goggins (The Shield): Right down to his character’s dying breath, he kept us gasping in awe. A mesmerizing performance.
* Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad): Slowly stepping out of Bryan Cranston’s
shadow, he revealed himself to be a powerhouse actor in his own right.
* John Noble (Fringe): You know how the show kinda feels familiar? Well,
there’s nothing familiar about Noble’s kooky, quirky scientist.
* Jeremy Davies (Lost): As the show was nearly swallowed up by mythology, he supplied much of the heart that kept us invested.
* Ryan Kwanten (True Blood): Yes, he’s pretty. He’s also pretty amazing.
(You can argue with me after you’ve played an extended-erection subplot
with the kind of go-for-broke abandon that he did.)
* Jon Voight (24): The acting vet’s challenge: Play a power hungry,
murdering evildoer without coming off as a cartoon. Mission
accomplished!
More Dream Emmy
Best supporting actor and actress (comedy)
Comments (1-30) of 624 Add your comment
Christina Hendricks is the perfect choice. She’s just amazing on Mad Men, especcially this last season.
WHERE IS LISA EDELSTEIN !
BLASPHEMY !
No Michael Emerson (LOST)?? Failure.
i agree with the bulk of these — but where the hell was Justin Chambers. He had his chance to shine this year and boy did he pull out all the stops. All the (former) interns have had their chance at an Emmy — he’s past due for his IMO.
I’d sub any of those ladies for Rutina Wesley in True Blood.
Connie Britton should just be handed the Emmy for her work on FNL this season…but as best lead, not supporting, actress. The Taylors are the heart of that show.
What, no Annie Wersching? Or will she show in a category other than “Supporting”?
Where is Lisa Edelstein and Robert Sean Leonard? Are you kidding me?
ausiello i am shocked at you how could you put katherine heigl up and not put sandrah oh or justin chambers up, there performaces were so much better then hers!
Lisa Edelstein deserves it more than anyone.
Ditto on Justin Chambers…Alex is the only likeable thing about Izzie.
How about Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy)? She puts in phenomenal performances every single week, easily outshining her costars. I would also put in for Josh Holloway (Sawyer on Lost), who was given some great material this season and really did great work.
Katey Sagal for “Sons of Anarchy” she played the strongest female character I have ever seen on tv!
Please, Ausiello, don´t be stupid.
Where´s Lisa Edelstein????
She deserves it!!!!!!
I expected people to overlook Josh Holloway’s amazing-ness this year…but Elizabeth Mitchell really does deserve a nomination! More so then JD. And Jon Voight is just playing the same characters on repeat.
I guess we’ve completely forgotten that Battlestar Galactica was on this past season. Not a single nom?
No Elizabeth Mitchell?!? I’m gonna tell Doc Jensen on you! Seriously, two from Big Love and no love for Juliet?! That’s just WRONG, Michael.
“WHERE IS LISA EDELSTEIN”
And if Lisa Edelstein goes on that list, every member of the House cast deserves to get on it as well. Especially Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer for suffering through the Chameron wedding and still being able to make Chase and Cameron look happy.
Not on the list, and it’s good that way, the other performances were better
Missing from Supporting Actress…Elizabeth Mitchell for LOST and Dianne Wiest for In Treatment.
I agree – Rutina Wesley for True Blood (she stole most of her scenes) and add Elizabeth Mitchell for Lost.
Agree totally with C Hendricks. She transforms utterly into Joan. Would swap Chandra Wilson for Heigl. John Slatterly deserves a nod. So does John Mahoney for In Treatment (week 6 particularly).
Really? No ‘Rescue Me’ love? No Callie Thorne or John Scurti? (I know, I know, it’s hard.)
I am reaporting you to Doc Jensen, no Elizabeth Mitchell for Best Supporting Actress????
How could you NOT include Lisa Edelstein?! Her performance this season was excellent and truly breath-taking. She represents a whole load of women in this day and age with her representation of the ‘Mother’ Cuddy. She should have RECOGNITION. I disagree fully and really think Lisa should have made the list of your dream Emmy for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA. Her performance in such episodes like Joy, Joy to the World, Under My Skin & Both Sides Now to name a few were fantastic.
No Kate Vernon, Katee Sackoff, Trisha Helfer, Grace Park??? You’re worse than the Emmy voters themselves – always forgetting the best show on TV.
BSG BABY!!!
Thank god you are not responsible for the Emmy.
IMO Connie should be nominated in the lead category…
Ausielo: you wrote the recaps for the best BSG season and you couldn’t find a single supporting actor/actress to suggest?
Aaron Paul, YES, thank you. We’re on the same boat there. He is phenominal, especially in the episode in which he inadvertantly took care of the druged out parent’s young son. Heart-wrenching, truly.
LISA EDELSTEIN NEEDS AN EMMY!!!!