This year’s contenders on the Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category are consists of two previous winners, three previous nominees, and two first-time nominees. One of them was Rory Gilmore. One of them was on the recent Mission: Impossible movie. One of them was on The Leftovers. This is an exciting category and we can’t to find out this September 17 if last year’s winner, Ann Dowd, will reclaim the glory or someone will dethrone her. Here’s my analysis and predictions in this category.
Alexis Bledel – The Handmaid’s Tale
Alexis Bledel plays the role of Emily. This is her second nomination and she won last year for her performance on the show in the guest category. She submitted the episode “Unwomen.” Will she win again? Maybe. Since she won last year for this performance in the guest category, she is on the radar and there is no doubt that a repeat could happen in this new category placement. Her episode submission centers a lot on her character in which her backstory was explored. She is also playing an LGBT character. The downside is that she might vote-split with two of her co-stars who are also nominated in this category.
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
Millie Bobby Brown plays the role of Eleven. This is her second consecutive nomination. She submitted the episode “Chapter Three: The Pollywog.” Will she win? Maybe. She is playing a fan favorite character and the voters might easily vote her for that. She is part of the beloved show that earned a lot of nominations. The downside is that she is a young actress and voters don’t usually go for that. The popularity regarding her character is also not the same as last year. It’s also a very competitive category that she has to overcome.
Ann Dowd – The Handmaid’s Tale
Ann Dowd plays the role of Aunt Lydia. This is her second consecutive nomination for the show and the category’s defending champion. She also earned a nomination last year for her guest role on The Leftovers. She submitted the season two premiere episode “June.” Will she win again? Possibly. As I’ve mentioned, she is the defending champion in this category and repeat wins usually happen. She is also more prominent this season and her character is also considered a fan favorite. Additionally, Aunt Lydia was mentioned on Michelle Wolf’s infamous White House Correspondents Dinner speech as reference to Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The downside is that she might vote-split with two of her co-stars who are also nominated in this category.
Lena Headey – Game of Thrones
Lena Headey plays the role of Cersei Lannister. This is her fourth nomination. She submitted the season seven finale episode “The Dragon and the Wolf.” Will she win? Maybe. She has the overdue factor since this is her fourth nomination without any win yet. She is also playing a fan favorite character. Her episode submission is a good acting showcase for her. The downside is that the buzz regarding her character have died down compared to her previous nominations. Voters might prefer voting for her when the show is on its last year at the Emmys.
Vanessa Kirby – The Crown
Vanessa Kirby played the role of Princess Margaret. This is her first nomination. She submitted the episode “Beryl.” Will she win? Possibly. She has the best episode submission as it centers mostly on her character and it features her best acting showcase on the show. She is also playing a beloved character and there are large number of fans who support her. The show also performed well at the nominations. She also recently won a BAFTA for her performances on the show. This is also the last and only time that the voters can honor her for this performance. The downside is that this is a very competitive category and she might have a hard time overcoming it.
Thandie Newton – Westworld
Thandie Newton plays the role of Maeve Millay. This is her second consecutive nomination. She submitted the episode “Akane no Mai.” Will she win? Possibly. Recently, I’ve been researching on articles that feature anonymous Emmy voters this year. Most of them mentioned that they voted for Newton. I think she is in a better position to win this year given how the three The Handmaid’s Tale nominees might vote-split and her performance showed more range since she gets to fluently speak in Japanese, particularly on her episode submission. The downside is that this is a very competitive category that she has to overcome.
Yvonne Strahovski – The Handmaid’s Tale
Yvonne Strahovski plays the role of Serena Joy Waterford. This is her first nomination. She submitted the episode “Women’s Work.” Will she win? Possibly. Out of all nominees from the show in this category, her character has the most prominent storyline during the second season. She also has a great episode submission. She became this love/hate character and memorable that the voters might go for her. The downside is that she might vote-split with her two co-stars who are also nominated in this category.
VERDICT: To be honest, I’m having a hard time predicting this category. Right now, I will go for Thandie Newton of Westworld due to my findings on the research. But, if there’s any alternative, it could be Yvonne Strahovski, Vanessa Kirby, or Ann Dowd again.
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