The Nominees:
- Becky Ann Baker for HBO's Girls - "Gummies"
- Angela Bassett for Netflix's Master of None - "Thanksgiving"
- Carrie Fisher for Amazon's Catastrophe - "Episode 6"
- Melissa McCarthy for NBC's Saturday Night Live - "Host: Melissa McCarthy"
- Wanda Sykes for ABC's Black-ish - "Lemons"
- Kristen Wiig for NBC's Saturday Night Live - "Host: Kristen Wiig"
The moment Melissa McCarthy came out on the Saturday Night Live stage as Sean Spicer the race for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series seemed locked up. She was going to win. That first sketch was one of the best political sketches the show has done over the past few years. It's easy to understand why it became a recurring bit even though it was never quite as good as the first one. Of course, McCarthy didn't choose that episode for her submission. She instead opted for the episode that she actually hosted. It still seems like a winning year for her though because she was such a part of the cultural zeitgeist that enveloped around the election and the new administration. This was her fifth time hosting. She's been nominated the previous four times but has never won. This seems like her year. Kristen Wiig has solid odds as well for her Saturday Night Live episode. She never won despite nominations when she was a part of the regular cast. But it would seem like a major upset if someone from Saturday Night Live won who wasn't McCarthy in this particular year.
Of course, there are a couple of key wildcards in this race as well. Posthumously nominations are very erratic when it comes to awards recognition. Sometimes they win and sometimes they don't. Voters really aren't as sentimental as you meant believe them to be. Catastrophe doesn't really have a strong track record at the Emmys either. It got a writing nod last year but not this year. And now, Carrie Fisher is the only actor to get nominated. It's a very deserved nomination as well because she was truly hilarious on the show. But is there enough momentum for her to win? This would be the last chance for Emmy voters to recognize her. But again, they aren't all that sentimental. They largely just look at the work. On the basis of that, it seems unlikely for Fisher to emerge victorious.
And then, Angela Bassett stars in one of the most acclaimed episodes of the year. I'm fully expecting the "Thanksgiving" episode of Master of None to be a frontrunner in every race it is nominated in. It was truly special and unique. Bassett has a pivotal role in it as well. More importantly though, Bassett is a well-regarded actor in the industry. She's been nominated for an Emmy on several occasions. She has never won though. It would be fitting if this was her first victory. Again, she has the episode to pull of an upset.
And finally, Becky Ann Baker and Wanda Sykes seem like long shots in this race. However, Sykes' episode is the big post-election episode of Black-ish which rightfully got a ton of attention and acclaim earlier this year. I'd say it's more of a showcase for Anthony Anderson than Sykes. But she's strong in it. Meanwhile, Baker could upset just like Peter Scolari did in the guest actor race a year ago. It would seem like the buzz around Girls at the Emmys has past. But it surprised with a victory last year and got even more acting nominations this year. Baker probably has a solid episode as well - though I should once again note that I gave up on the show a long time ago.
Should Win: Melissa McCarthy
Will Win: Melissa McCarthy
Dark Horse: Carrie Fisher and Angela Bassett
Of course, there are a couple of key wildcards in this race as well. Posthumously nominations are very erratic when it comes to awards recognition. Sometimes they win and sometimes they don't. Voters really aren't as sentimental as you meant believe them to be. Catastrophe doesn't really have a strong track record at the Emmys either. It got a writing nod last year but not this year. And now, Carrie Fisher is the only actor to get nominated. It's a very deserved nomination as well because she was truly hilarious on the show. But is there enough momentum for her to win? This would be the last chance for Emmy voters to recognize her. But again, they aren't all that sentimental. They largely just look at the work. On the basis of that, it seems unlikely for Fisher to emerge victorious.
And then, Angela Bassett stars in one of the most acclaimed episodes of the year. I'm fully expecting the "Thanksgiving" episode of Master of None to be a frontrunner in every race it is nominated in. It was truly special and unique. Bassett has a pivotal role in it as well. More importantly though, Bassett is a well-regarded actor in the industry. She's been nominated for an Emmy on several occasions. She has never won though. It would be fitting if this was her first victory. Again, she has the episode to pull of an upset.
And finally, Becky Ann Baker and Wanda Sykes seem like long shots in this race. However, Sykes' episode is the big post-election episode of Black-ish which rightfully got a ton of attention and acclaim earlier this year. I'd say it's more of a showcase for Anthony Anderson than Sykes. But she's strong in it. Meanwhile, Baker could upset just like Peter Scolari did in the guest actor race a year ago. It would seem like the buzz around Girls at the Emmys has past. But it surprised with a victory last year and got even more acting nominations this year. Baker probably has a solid episode as well - though I should once again note that I gave up on the show a long time ago.
Should Win: Melissa McCarthy
Will Win: Melissa McCarthy
Dark Horse: Carrie Fisher and Angela Bassett
