The nominations are in for The 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. So now, it's time to speculate on who will and should win in each major category. Next up for analysis is Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
The Nominees Ranked By Which Actress Should Win:
- Pamela Adlon for FX's Better Things - "Eulogy"
- Rachel Brosnahan for Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - "Thank You and Good Night"
- Issa Rae for HBO's Insecure - "Hella Great"
- Tracee Ellis Ross for ABC's Black-ish - "Elder. Scam."
- Allison Janney for CBS' Mom - "Phone Confetti and a Wee Dingle"
- Lily Tomlin for Netflix's Grace and Frankie - "The Home"
Pamela Adlon has delivered such an inspired and unique show in Better Things. It's a show that only got better in its second season too. She was a powerful voice both in front of and behind the camera. It's such a shame that the show itself didn't receive more nominations. Adlon is basically it. And yet, it's very deserved as well. Meanwhile, Rachel Brosnahan was absolutely stunning in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. After several successful supporting roles, she stepped up in a major way for a lead performance. The show simply wouldn't work without her. She has to balance so much. She makes it all look so effortless as well. Elsewhere, it was such a welcome surprise to see Issa Rae make this field of nominees. Like Better Things, her show didn't receive broad support elsewhere on the ballot. But Rae's nomination is enough to validate that the voters are aware of some of the most provocative and imaginative shows currently out there. And finally, Tracee Ellis Ross continued to be amazing in the fourth season of Black-ish. Of course, it's strange that she didn't pick one of the more dramatic episodes from the separation arc. She was terrific in those. Instead, she went for a broader episode. But that still is a solid showcase for how vital a component she is to the success of that show.
The Nominees Ranked by Which Actress Will Win:
- Rachel Brosnahan for Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - "Thank You and Good Night"
- Tracee Ellis Ross for ABC's Black-ish - "Elder. Scam."
- Allison Janney for CBS' Mom - "Phone Confetti and a Wee Dingle"
- Lily Tomlin for Netflix's Grace and Frankie - "The Home"
- Issa Rae for HBO's Insecure - "Hella Great"
- Pamela Adlon for FX's Better Things - "Eulogy"
A new winner is going to be crowned in this category this year. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won for the past six years. She has won in this category more than any other performer. And now, Veep has been on a hiatus so she isn't eligible in this category this year. And so, there are many different opportunities for winners. Ross and Lily Tomlin have been the perennial nominees in this category who have lost on multiple occasions to Louis-Dreyfus. This could be the year that the voters reward them for the body of work on their respective series instead of their select episodes. Or the new blood in the race could prevail. These are the first nominations for Brosnahan and Rae. They are starring in some truly defining shows of the moment as well. In fact, the awards promise to be a big night for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It's because that show has so much broad support across the entire Emmy ballot that Brosnahan seems like the slam dunk winner here. Yes, there are a few former Emmy winners who could surprise thanks to the overall love for them as performers. But this is just the surest thing when it comes to the Amazon dramedy winning a major award. The other comedy races are much tighter thanks to competition from Atlanta and Barry.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments below!
