Emmy Predictions: Supporting Actress (Comedy) – Are Three Slots Reserved for the Women of ‘Abbott Elementary?’
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UPDATED: June 8, 2023
2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Weekly Commentary: Janelle James’ arc was expanded in season two, cementing her status as a fan favorite for her ABC sitcom. She could hold the crown for her work on this year’s “Abbott Elementary,” which is sure to include her Emmy winning co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph and incredibly talented Lisa Ann Walter, who deserves her first nomination.
They’ll battle other talented contenders such as Ayo Edebiri from FX’s “The Bear” and Jessica Williams’ from Apple TV’s “Shrinking.” In addition to Williams, her two co-stars — Christa Miller as the nosey neighbor Liz and Lukita Maxwell as Jimmy’s grief-stricken daughter — are also magnetic in their roles.
As always, it won’t be easy with heavy hitters and former winners such as Hannah Waddingham from her Apple counterpart “Ted Lasso” and Alex Borstein from Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
Also in the mix again is Sarah Goldberg, the MVP in the final season of HBO’s “Barry.” The former nominee conveys a dynamic range of emotions similar to former winners like Anna Gunn from “Breaking Bad.”
I also wouldn’t count out any of the sketch comedy performers such as Ego Nwodim and Cecily Strong from “Saturday Night Live” and Gabrielle Dennis and Skye Townsend, both impeccably funny and talented on HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” a show that’s due for acting recognition.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories.
Emmy Nominations voting runs from June 15-26. The Primetime Emmy nominations will be announced on July 12. Check back every Thursday for the latest updates. All information is preliminary and is subject to change.
And the Predicted Nominees Are:
Janelle James — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Hannah Waddingham — “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
Sheryl Lee Ralph — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Alex Borstein — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
Sarah Goldberg — “Barry” (HBO)
Ayo Edebiri — “The Bear” (FX)
Jessica Williams — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
Lisa Ann Walter — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Next in Line
Other Top-Tier Possibilities
Cecily Strong— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Ego Nwodim— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Michelle Yeoh — “American Born Chinese” (Disney+)
Jane Krakowski — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)
Zazie Beetz — “Atlanta” (FX)
Marin Hinkle — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
Gabrielle Dennis — “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)
Gwendoline Christie — “Wednesday” (Netflix)
Skye Townsend — “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)
Lukita Maxwell — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
All Eligible Titles (Alphabetized by Network)**
Janelle James — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Sheryl Lee Ralph — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Lisa Ann Walter — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Laurie Metcalf — “The Conners” (ABC)
Mireille Enos — “Lucky Hank” (AMC)
Djouliet Amara — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)
Elizabeth Hunter — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)
Ally Maki — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)
Gabrielle Dennis — “The Big Door Prize” (Apple TV+)
Michaela Jay Rodriguez — “Loot” (Apple TV+)
Dove Cameron — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)
Kristen Chenoweth — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)
Ariana DeBose — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)
Jane Krakowski — “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV+)
Heidi Gardener — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
Christa Miller — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
Lukita Maxwell — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
Lily Rabe — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
Jessica Williams — “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)
Juno Temple — “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
Hannah Waddingham — “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
Danielle Pinnock — “Ghosts” (CBS)
Rebecca Wisocky — “Ghosts” (CBS)
Michelle Yeoh — “American Born Chinese” (Disney+)
Susan Berger — “Jury Duty” (Freevee)
Cassandra Blair — “Jury Duty” (Freevee)
Zazie Beetz — “Atlanta” (FX)
Ayo Edebiri — “The Bear” (FX)
Abby Elliott — “The Bear” (FX)
Rachel Bloom — “Reboot” (FX)
D’Arcy Carden — “Barry” (HBO)
Sarah Goldberg — “Barry” (HBO)
Gabrielle Dennis — “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)
Skye Townsend — “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)
Judith Light — “Julia” (HBO)
Rachel Bloom — “Julia” (HBO)
Molly Shannon — “The Other Two” (HBO)
Cara Delevingne — “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Jayne Houdyshell — “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Wanda Sykes — “History of the World Part II” (Hulu)
Chloe Fineman— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Heidi Gardner— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Punkie Johnson— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Molly Kearney— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC) **
Ego Nwodim— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Sarah Sherman— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Cecily Strong— “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Courtney Henggeler — “Cobra Kai” (Netflix)
Mary Mouser — “Cobra Kai” (Netflix)
Diana Maria Riva — “Dead to Me” (Netflix)
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu — “Emily in Paris” (Netflix)
Ashley Park — “Emily in Paris” (Netflix)
Camille Razat — “Emily in Paris” (Netflix)
Farah Bsieso — “Mo” (Netflix)
Teresa Ruiz — “Mo” (Netflix)
Poorna Jagannathan — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)
Richa Moorjani — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)
Lee Rodriguez — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)
Megan Suri — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)
Ramona Young — “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)
Sian Clifford — “Unstable” (Netflix)
Emma Ferreira — “Unstable” (Netflix)
Rachel Marsh — “Unstable” (Netflix)
Journey Christine — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)
Gabrielle Dennis — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)
Khali Spraggins — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)
Wanda Sykes — “The Upshaws” (Netflix)
Gwendoline Christie — “Wednesday” (Netflix)
Riki Lindhome — “Wednesday” (Netflix)
Christina Ricci — “Wednesday” (Netflix)
Adriyan Rae — “The Game” (Paramount+)
Analisa Velez — “The Game” (Paramount+)
Edie Falco — “Bupkis” (Peacock)
Grace Byers — “Harlem” (Prime Video)
Jerrie Johnson — “Harlem” (Prime Video)
Shoniqua Shandai — “Harlem” (Prime Video)
D’Arcy Carden — “A League of Their Own” (Prime Video)
Sally Hawkins — “Mammals” (Prime Video)
Alex Borstein — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
Marin Hinkle — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
Caroline Aaron — “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
Jennifer Garner — “Party Down” (Starz)
Jane Lynch — “Party Down” (Starz)
Megan Mullally — “Party Down” (Starz)
** This list or category submission is not yet complete or confirmed and is subject to change.
2022 category winner: Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC) — Season 1
Emmy Awards Predictions Categories
DRAMA SERIES | COMEDY SERIES | LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES | TV MOVIE | LEAD ACTOR (DRAMA) | LEAD ACTOR (COMEDY) | LEAD ACTOR (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | LEAD ACTRESS (DRAMA) | LEAD ACTRESS (COMEDY) | LEAD ACTRESS (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (DRAMA) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (COMEDY) | SUPPORTING ACTOR (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (DRAMA) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (COMEDY) | SUPPORTING ACTRESS (LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | TALK SERIES | SCRIPTED VARIETY | GAME SHOW | DIRECTING (DRAMA, COMEDY, LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | WRITING (DRAMA, COMEDY, LIMITED/TV MOVIE) | REALITY (COMPETITION, STRUCTURED, UNSTRUCTURED, HOST)
Creative Arts and Other Emmy Categories
GUEST ACTOR (DRAMA) | GUEST ACTRESS (DRAMA) | GUEST ACTOR (COMEDY) | GUEST ACTRESS (COMEDY) | VOICE-OVER | SHORT FORM | DOCUMENTARY | MUSIC | ANIMATED |
About the Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known as the Emmys, are given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Since 1949, the awards have recognized excellence in American primetime television programming. They are divided into three classes – Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (honors artisan achievements), and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards (recognizes significant engineering and technological contributions). The typical eligibility period is between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. The Television Academy comprises over 25,000 members, representing 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans, and executives.
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