Who will win the Emmy for Best Comedy Supporting Actress? Gold Derby editor Marcus James Dixon is convinced that Allison Janney (“Mom”) is a lock to win her seventh career Emmy, however Rob Licuria and Charles Bright argue it’s not a done deal and that Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”) could potentially upset the frontrunner. Watch our new video slugfest at the bottom of this post.
Click here to see the updated list of all 2015 Emmy episode submissions
Janney won last year for the freshman season of this CBS laffer and defends her title in a super-sized category of seven others, including returning nominees Mayim Bialik (“The Big Bang Theory”), Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”), Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”) and Chlumsky. Also contending are first-timers for their shows Gaby Hoffmann (“Transparent”), Jane Krakowski (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) and Niecy Nash (“Getting On”).
Janney picked up her sixth career Emmy for playing Bonnie Plunkett, a recovering alcohol and drug addict on “Mom.” Her episode submission is the 18th of the second season (“Dropped Soap and a Big Guy on a Throne”) in which Christy and Bonnie face temptation when Bonnie is prescribed pain medication for a back injury.
Gold Derby odds to win: 8/15
Chlumsky reaped her third straight bid for playing presidential chief of staff Amy Brookheimer on the HBO comedy. Her entry is the fifth episode of the fourth season (“Convention”) in which Amy is annoyed by the president’s new adviser, who’s helping Catherine with her First Daughter speech.
Gold Derby odds to win: 9/2
Krakowski previously earned four nominations in this category for “30 Rock,” and this is her first for the freshman Netflix comedy in which she plays socialite Jacqueline Voorhees. On the second episode of the series (“Kimmy Gets a Job”), Kimmy tries to keep her job with the wealthy Voorhees family by throwing a children’s birthday party. Jacqueline is devastated when she learns her husband will not attend the party and believes he is cheating on her.
Gold Derby odds to win: 25/1
Two-time category champ Bowen earned her sixth straight nomination for playing frenzied mom Claire Dunphy on the ABC comedy. She won in 2011 and 2012. Her selection is the appropriately numbered 14th episode of the sixth season (“Valentine’s Day 4: Twisted Sister”) in which the Dunphys hatch another amorous adventure as Clive and Juliana for Valentine’s Day, but Claire is afraid that Phil might be a little too into her alter ego.
Gold Derby odds to win: 25/1
Hoffmann is also contending as Best Comedy Guest Actress for “Girls.” On the Amazon show, she plays Ali Pfefferman, the perpetually unemployed youngest daughter of a California family. She is submitting the third episode of the debut season (“Rollin'”) in which Maura moves out of the family house and into a lively new apartment complex, while Ali finds some new boundaries to cross.
Gold Derby odds to win: 50/1
Bialik is in the running for the fourth year in a row for playing neurobiologist Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on the long-running CBS comedy. She went with the eighth episode of the eighth season (“The Prom Equivalency”) in which Amy and Bernadette organize a prom to be held atop the guys’ apartment complex, but Sheldon is leery of all the prom pomp, circumstance and romancing that goes with it.
Gold Derby odds to win: 50/1
This marks the first career nomination for Nash, who plays return-to-work nurse Didi Ortley on the HBO show. She went with the fourth episode of this second season (“7th Annual Christmas Card Competition”). Didi develops a crush on Dr. Parker Owens, a visiting orthopedic surgeon, while an explicit photograph accidentally makes its way into the hospital Christmas card competition.
Gold Derby odds to win: 50/1
McKinnon was nominated last year in this category for her work on NBC’s long-running sketch variety series and for an original song. She entered an episode (“Host: Taraji P. Henson”) where she portrays Hillary Clinton, Jane Lynch, a QVC host, and commentator Cecilia Gimenez.
Gold Derby odds to win: 100/1
See Dixon’s Emmy predictions here, Licuria’s here and Bright’s here. Compare their Emmy predix to the overall combined Gold Derby odds and rankings here.
Experts Emmy predictions: All 32 categories
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