Jalal Haddad surveys the top contenders and possible dark horses in the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series 2017 Emmy race in our latest Awards Tracker.
We have at least four returning nominees. Julia Louis-Dreyfus appears bound to win her sixth Emmy in a row. So, the Actress in a Comedy Series race risks becoming a little too familiar and stale. Still, Emmy voters could celebrate a crop of new auteur-driven comedies (a category the Emmys usually reserve to celebrate men) led by actresses like Issa Rae, Rachel Bloom, and even possibly bringing back Lena Dunham. Hopefully, Emmy voters will remember that as they push Julia Louis-Dreyfus towards the finish line (maybe for the last time). The race will be a lot more interesting to watch if she is surrounded by the future of television than if the same old names are next to her again.
Top Contenders
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) Fresh off of her first Golden Globe win, Tracee Ellis Ross seems the only actress capable of winning a popularity vote against Julia Louis-Dreyfus, even if her chances are wishful thinking at best. Whether she is fighting with Jenifer Lewis or protesting white dolls at the toy store, her personality is as infectious as it is endearing. Voters will flock to her if they want to shake things up. If anything she’s gearing up to be the frontrunner in 2018’s race, assuming no JLD.
Lily Tomlin (Grace & Frankie) Fresh off of a SAG lifetime achievement award and another nomination for Grace & Frankie, Lily Tomlin appears to do no wrong in the eyes of her peers. A 24th Emmy nomination appears inevitable. Still, Grace & Frankie is a show with a limited fan base, and if voters obsess over more popular shows, she could be surprisingly left out.
Possibilities
Issa Rae (Insecure) Guild voters ignored Issa Rae and her debut comedy last winter. That weakened her chances at her first Emmy nomination. However, if any network knows how to sell a great show to Emmy voters, it’s HBO. In a lineup that feels a little stale, voters may be easily swayed by a voice as fresh as Rae’s, especially if word of mouth begins to build as we get closer to the second season in July.
Lena Dunham (Girls) Emmy voters have mostly moved on from the HBO dramedy, but in a such a weak actress lineup, Emmy voters might invite Lena Dunham back for the final season. Particularly since this final season may be the best season since the premiere of the show. Last year, the acting branch proved they’re still watching Girls by awarding Peter Scolari a surprise Emmy. Another nomination for Dunham might not be that far behind.
Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) Surprisingly, voters started listening to critics by embracing the likes of The Americans and Tatiana Maslany recently. If critics incessantly sing the praises of a show, maybe voters will eventually catch on, which is great news for Rachel Bloom and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Voters in some of the craft categories have already embraced the TV musical, and now that both seasons are available on Netflix it seems that Bloom is finally getting the audience she deserves.
Worth Mentioning
Jane Fonda (Grace & Frankie) Emmy voters ignored the Oscar winner for the first two seasons of Grace & Frankie, and signs don’t indicate that anything will change for the first season. Except, of course, her surprising individual SAG nomination earlier this year. That could prove incredibly telling since almost every comedic actress has gone on to be nominated by both awards groups in the 21st century with the exception of Tracey Ullman (although the years don’t always lineup).
Sarah Jessica Parker (Divorce) When Divorce premiered last fall, the automatic assumption was that this would be Sarah Jessica Parker’s big return to the Emmys. However, after audiences and critics grew disinterested with the dramedy, a nomination feels less than certain. A show about two upper-class white people reacting terribly to their divorce isn’t an easily sell (especially with our current political climate), and most voters will likely ignore the show altogether.
Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) We at ADTV love O’Hara’s performance on Schitt’s Creek so much that any mention of her name could be easily dismissed as wishful thinking. Yet, the show broke out this year thanks to streaming on Netflix. This year feels as if it could be the year for O’Hara to break into the race. Emmy voters love rewarding underrated actors, and no other actress in the race deserves comedic recognition more than Catherine O’Hara. Schitt’s Creek will probably go down as one of the best shows to never earn an Emmy nomination, but as the show grows in cult status, she could become one of the best choices ever made by Emmy voters.
Yet to Premiere
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) When Julia Louis-Dreyfuss wins her sixth (and potentially final) Emmy for Veep this summer, she’ll break her record for the most wins for a single role (Louis-Dreyfus, Candice Bergen, and Don Knotts are tied with five) and be further cemented into Emmy history. On top of that, she’ll become the only actor to win an Emmy for the entire run of a show that lasted more than two seasons (Barbara Bain, Hope Lange, and Blythe Danner have all won a pair of Emmys for short-lived and barely remembered shows). Even without seeing a single episode of the final season, it’s hard to imagine anyone else winning even if the finale jumps the shark now that Selina Meyer is out of office.
Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) The third season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has yet to premiere, but Kemper is probably safe for a second nomination after SAG voters nominated her for a second time in a row.
Early Predictions
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