2013 Emmy preview: Jennifer Carpenter, Joanne Froggatt challenge Anna Gunn
If there is an Emmy category out there that does need some sort of freshening up, it’s Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. We know most pundits have Maggie Smith listed as the top contender again for “Downton Abbey,” but is she really deserving based on the body of work in the past year? While she was great as always, she didn’t necessarily blow us away. This category, to us, is about people who either upped their game, or blew us away with a performance that we never saw coming in a million years.
These are just our personal picks to be nominated, and we of course want you to be a part of the discussion. Do you agree or disagree? Leave your thoughts with a comment below, and you can check out the rest of our picks for other Emmy catagories in the article over at the link here.
Morena Baccarin, “Homeland” (Showtime) – What we like about both Baccarin and Gunn on this list is that while both Jess Brody and Skyler White are characters that you could easily be very sympathetic for, they don’t just play them as people out for pity parties. They are broken women who are trying to navigate through horrible parts of their lives, and are prone to mistakes. With Baccarin, you desperately want to see her cling to something, or to at least figure out the man Brody really is and run far away.
Jennifer Carpenter, “Dexter” (Showtime) – It is not just Deb who has improved as a character over the course of the season; Carpenter has also upped her game with each passing year. The writers gave her a chance to shine on equal footing with Michael C. Hall this past season, and she came through and delivered with an emotional, gut-wrenching performance.
Gwendoline Christie, “Game of Thrones” (HBO) – Even though Brienne wasn’t even in every episode, Christie still won us over with a character that could have seemed rather numb in other hands through earlier scenes. She made every line mean something, and then blew us away with the amazing bathtub scene with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, which we will argue was the best overall moment of the entire third season (even more than the Red Wedding).
Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad” (AMC) – Gunn’s best moment this past year came without her even facing the camera, as we watched her slowly sink into the swimming pool. The natural way she tried to throw herself into the water was absolutely terrifying, and overall, these past eight episodes may have had a better ratio of great Skyler moments (like having Jesse over for dinner) than any other collection thus far.
Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey” (PBS) – The best “Downton Abbey” actress of the year got our vote through what was a painful story about Mr. Bates not receiving her letters in prison. While Anna is an easy person to in inherently like, Froggatt managed to turn the character into someone we could not watch the show without.
Monica Potter, “Parenthood” (NBC) – Thanks in a large part to the cancer storyline, Potter really got a chance this season to show just what she can do. “Parenthood” is always a show deserving of a little bit of love, and she may actually be the network’s best shot at a nomination this year when you look at the heavy competition.
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