The Nominees Ranked By Which Actress Should Win:
- Keri Russell for FX's The Americans - "The Summit"
- Sandra Oh for BBC America's Killing Eve - "I Have a Thing About Bathrooms"
- Tatiana Maslany for BBC America's Orphan Black - "To Right the Wrongs of Many"
- Elisabeth Moss for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale - "The Last Ceremony"
- Claire Foy for Netflix's The Crown - "Dear Mrs. Kennedy"
- Evan Rachel Wood for HBO's Westworld - "Reunion"
This is an insanely packed category of talented women this year. In fact, there are many contenders who I want to win. That's what made it so difficult to actually rank them. They are all so deserving and delivered some stunning performances in the last year of television. As I've been saying in all the categories it's nominated in though, I have to throw my full support behind The Americans. That final season was incredible. It was a tremendous year for Keri Russell as her character was beaten down and more active than ever before. It was grueling but so emotionally rewarding. And yet, Killing Eve was a breakout show this spring and Sandra Oh was able to ground the main investigation while still easily playing the obsessive beats of her character to great effect. Meanwhile, Tatiana Maslany continued to excel at playing a dozen characters in a final season that decided to put them all through the emotional ringer in the hopes that they could have a happy family in the end. And Elisabeth Moss was still absolutely haunting in The Handmaid's Tale. That continues to be another highlight of her already impressive career. Again, all of these women are doing career-best work. It's hard to signal out one as being better than the rest. That's what will make this race so exciting to talk about.
The Nominees Ranked by Which Actress Will Win:
- Elisabeth Moss for Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale - "The Last Ceremony"
- Keri Russell for FX's The Americans - "The Summit"
- Sandra Oh for BBC America's Killing Eve - "I Have a Thing About Bathrooms"
- Claire Foy for Netflix's The Crown - "Dear Mrs. Kennedy"
- Tatiana Maslany for BBC America's Orphan Black - "To Right the Wrongs of Many"
- Evan Rachel Wood for HBO's Westworld - "Reunion"
Instinctively, I have to think that the two former winners in this category have the best chances at winning. Moss and Maslany have prevailed before for the characters they are once again nominated for. Maslany's previous win was somewhat a consolation prize after being snubbed for the first few seasons of Orphan Black. She continues to be excellent. I just don't think it will be a performance the voters reward multiple times. They did it once and that should be enough. Meanwhile, Moss finally won an Emmy last year after only being nominated for Mad Men and Top of the Lake. She could easily start a winning streak in this category similar to what Bryan Cranston did with Breaking Bad or Julia Louis-Dreyfus did with Veep. It would still feel very deserving and not one out of complacency and repetition. And yet, there are three women who could easily surprise with a victory. Again, Killing Eve was a huge breakout success with Oh also getting plenty of stories written about her being the first actor of Asian descent to be nominated in this category. That's a narrative the voters could get behind in an attempt to prove that they continue to make advancements in diversity and inclusion. Meanwhile, this is the final time that Russell or Foy can win in this race. That too may give the voters some urgency in needing them to win for their fantastic performances. So, many different options and only one trophy to go around.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments below!
