2015 Emmy Nomination Predictions: Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

2015 Emmy Nomination Predictions
Uzo Aduba "Orange is the New Black"
Christine Baranski "The Big Bang Theory"
Lena Heady "Game of Thrones"
Christina Hendricks "Mad Men"
Maggie Smith "Downton Abbey"
Lorraine Touissant "Orange is the New Black"

Other Contenders - Joanne Froggatt "Downton Abbey", Sissy Spacek "Bloodline", Kate Mulgrew "Orange is the New Black", Laverne Cox "Orange is the New Black", Danielle Brooks "Orange is the New Black", Emilia Clarke "Game of Thrones", Carrie Coon "The Leftovers", Joelle Carter "Justified", Maura Tierney "The Affair", Jane Fonda "The Newsroom", Molly Parker "House of Cards", Linda Cardellini "Bloodline", Chloe Sevigny "Bloodline", Kelly MacDonald "Boardwalk Empire", Maisie Williams "Game of Thrones", Archie Panjabi "The Good Wife", January Jones "Mad Men", Bellamy Young "Scandal", Melissa McBride "The Walking Dead", Laura Carmichael "Downton Abbey", Lily James "Downton Abbey", Katheryn Winnick "Vikings", Jada Pinkett Smith "Gotham", Alfre Woodard "State of Affairs", Geena Davis "Grey's Anatomy", Chandra Wilson "Grey's Anatomy", Sara Ramirez "Grey's Anatomy", Sarah Drew "Grey's Anatomy", Jessica Capshaw "Grey's Anatomy", Charlotte Rampling "Broadchurch", Monica Potter "Parenthood", Mae Whitman "Parenthood", Bonnie Bedelia "Parenthood", Lauren Graham "Parenthood", Erika Christensen "Parenthood", Joy Bryant "Parenthood", Ann Dowd "The Leftovers", Amy Brenneman "The Leftovers", Caitlin FitzGerald "Masters of Sex", Annaleigh Ashford "Masters of Sex", Betsy Brandt "Masters of Sex", Kim Dickens "House of Cards", Eve Hewson "The Knick", Aja Naomi King "How to Get Away With Murder", Annet Mahendru "The Americans", Patina Miller "Madam Secretary", Liza Weil "How to Get Away With Murder"

Commentary - Maggie Smith is a shoo-in, Christina Hendricks is a favorite, and Christine Baranski better get in this year for her work on The Good Wife. I think these three favorites are safe bets to return, although this year, as is the case the last several, the acting categories are so stacked there are few 100% nominations anymore. That leaves three slots, and they are highly competitive. By stacking all of the Orange is the New Black crew into Supporting, and switching to Drama from comedy, has throne their Emmy fortunes into a whirlwind. I don't know if more than one can make it (although I wouldn't be surprised if they get more), and that one is going to be tough. Kate Mulgrew got in for Supporting on the Comedy side, but this year with os much internal competition, I think two performers are going to jump ahead of her and of Laverne Cox. Uzo Aduba won on the Comedy side because Crazy Eyes was the one funny part of the show. I don't know if she is as safe as most people assume in the jump to Drama. She won the SAG (comedy SAG), and is announcing the nominees. Plus, she is so popular right now as an actress on the rise. So I think she gets in. But I don't know how you leave out Lorraine Touissant (who did win the CCTA this year). Any fan of the show should recognize her incredible arc this season, and the fact that she was the best part of Season 2. I think that she gets rewarded for it. Finally, after being nominated last year, and having yet another knock-em-dead season on Game of Thrones, I think that Lena Heady will return to the race. There is only one problem with this lineup. It leaves out Joanne Froggatt and Sissy Spacek. Spacek is a legend, with several Emmy nominations. But is Bloodline getting enough buzz? Maybe for an Emmy magnet like Kyle Chandler, but this race could be tougher for Spacek. And Joanne Froggatt is the one that concerns me. I predicted her last year when so many weren't because I knew that the older voters of the Academy love Downton Abbey. They still do, and I expect it to do well, but can Froggatt and Dockery continue to hold on with this onslaught of new contenders? Maybe, but for now I am hesitantly leaving her out. Previous nominee Emilia Clarke, and the rest of the Orange is the New Black cast are huge contenders. Also throw in the likes of Jane Fonda, Carrie Coon, Joelle Carter, Maura Tierney, Archie Panjabi, Bellamy Young, and Katheryn Winnick, and this race is one, like so many this year, that could have some surprise nominees come Thursday morning.