2013 Emmy preview: Emilia Clarke, Christina Hendricks, Anna Gunn do battle
While we’ve labeled both the Best Actor and Actress in a Drama Series categories to be fairly cut-and-dry in terms of the favorites for the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards, we don’t really think the Supporting Actress in a Drama field is quite so neat and tidy. While you have one woman who is probably the leader, we can imagine a good 66% of the nominees here actually scoring a trophy two weeks from Sunday.
6. Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife” – We really don’t think that you can ignore the entire first half of the show’s season with this award. “The Good Wife” recovered, and even though Baranski is great, this really does not feel like her year.
5. Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones” – So much buzz as a young star, but is that really going to be enough to propel her to this trophy? Peter Dinklage is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to the Emmys handing out awards to fantasy actors, and we actually think that Michelle Fairley may have had more of a chance thanks to the buzz around the Red Wedding (which she surely would have submitted).
4. Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men” – It wasn’t the best season ever for Joan, but it was still a great year for Christina. Just being on this show alone is enough to be worthy of some consideration, and we keep saying that sooner or later, a “Mad Men” actor may finally win a trophy that they have long deserved.
3. Morena Baccarin, “Homeland” – Morena is probably the most underrated performer among “Homeland’s” four primary adult cast members, mostly because she has the smallest amount of material to work with. But she plays Jess perfectly, making her appear human and never fully convinced by Brody. You really felt for her, even though she was also clearly imperfect.
2. Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad” – The moment of Skyler walking into the pool was some of the best physical dramatic work all of last year, and it is for that handful of episodes that “Breaking Bad” is eligible.
1. Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey” – While we base this award partially on personal preference, you also have to look at voting trends. While we would probably have Maggie at #5 on this list if it was just our opinion, the Emmys love her, and in the absence of a standout favorite, they will probably just go with the status quo. She is a great actor still, and makes the most out of the lines given to her.
Since this is an interactive experience here on the site, we of course want to hear some of your own thoughts / picks below! If you want to read the rest of our predictions pieces, you really don’t have to look any further than the link here. Also be sure to cast your vote in our poll.
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