CarterMatt Awards 2015: Megan Boone, Candice Patton, Sonequa Martin-Green up for Underrated Actress

The CarterMatt Awards are now getting into full swing, and today we are back to profile the last of our “underrated” categories in Underrated Actress. The people who are listed here are all fantastic performers who consistently deliver week in and week out. Yet, they are consistently overshadowed one way or another. Not today! We’ve spotlight six of our favorite women from all categories of TV, and we’re turning the power over to you in order to determine who you think is most deserving of the honor this year.

Voting is open for this category until December 27 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Megan Boone, “The Blacklist” (NBC) – As we said yesterday when discussing Ryan Eggold’s performance, we feel like we’re going to get to discussing the amazing James Spader later on in this series. For now, let’s talk Boone, who has had a tremendous opportunity to take on so many different chapters of Elizabeth Keen’s life. She has been an FBI agent-in-training cut off somewhat from her truth, a crime-stopping machine with the help of Reddington, a fugitive from justice, and now a prisoner. Through all of these different permutations, she has brought such a sense of urgency and passion to every nano-second, and that leaves us compelled to see her every chance we can.

Sonequa Martin-Green, “The Walking Dead” (AMC) – Everyone has endured a certain degree of suffering within the zombie apocalypse, but no one has suffered on “The Walking Dead” more recently than Sasha. She’s lost two important people in her life in Tyreese and Bob, and also cut herself off from much of her humanity as a result. Martin-Green has given weight to some of the show’s most devastating sequences, and there was something so tender in seeing her potentially find someone in Abraham this season who understands her pain. A standout performance amidst a sea of great actors.

Candice Patton, “The Flash” (The CW) – Patton has an enormous challenge on a superhero show: Be one of the few “normal” characters without powers, and still find a way to stand out and be important. This is even harder when you remember that Iris West doesn’t work for the Central City PD, and nor is she technically in the employ of STAR Labs. Yet, Patton makes sure that her character is never too far from your mind, and she tackled comedy, drama, romance, and heartache fantastically in 2015. Her scenes are often some of the most compelling, and they rest solely on the strength of her performance.

Sarah Rafferty, “Suits” (USA) – Donna has always been a wonderful character on what is one of the consistently great shows on TV. Yet, this season has lifted her to another level thanks to her decision to work alongside Louis Litt rather than Harvey Specter. It showed off some of the character’s tenacity, heart, and passion to never be anything other than first-rate. Rafferty’s performance is wonderfully layered, making you laugh one moment only to then have you stand up cheering for her a few seconds later.

Samira Wiley, “Orange Is the New Black” (Netflix) – There are so many different actors on the Netflix mega-hit that sometimes, great actors can get lost in the awards-season shuffle. Samira Wiley is one of these such actors. Despite Poussey Washington being one of the show’s most well-rounded and fascinating characters, she has yet to be nominated for an individual award by either the Emmys, the Screen Actors Guild, or the Golden Globes. That should be corrected, and maybe this honor is just the beginning of the path that will bring her to this place.

Katheryn Winnick, “Vikings” (History) – Lagertha is an incredible character, one who is strong yet complicated. Her relationship with Ragnar Lothbrok remains one of the most stellar components of the series, but even without him around she delivers in every single scene that she is in. Sometimes history can feel drab, knowing at least to a certain extent how certain events are going to conclude; thanks to the performance of Winnick and others, “Vikings” never feels this way in the slightest.

Photo: NBC