Who will win the Emmy for Best Drama Supporting Actress? Gold Derby editors Rob Licuria and Ralph Galvan are convinced that recent SAG winner Uzo Aduba (“Orange is the New Black”) is a lock, while Marcus James Dixon thinks Lena Headey‘s walk of shame on “Game of Thrones” will put her over the edge and Charles Bright is rooting for Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”). Watch our new video slugfest at the bottom of this post.
Click here to see the updated list of all 2015 Emmy episode submissions
While last year’s winner Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”) will not be back at the Emmys in 2015, four of her competitors for Best Drama Supporting Actress will return: Christine Baranski (“The Good Wife”), Joanne Froggatt (“Downton Abbey”), Headey and Hendricks. Previous nominee Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) and last year’s guest actress winner Aduba join the category.
This year marks the second consecutive nomination for Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister, the politically ambitious and sadistic former queen. Her episode (“Mother’s Mercy”) is the finale of the fifth season, with Cersei forced to take a “walk of shame” naked with the crowd jeering and throwing things at her. She is then received by the Small Council.
Gold Derby odds to win: 1/1
Hendricks earned her sixth nomination for her role as advertising office manager and partner Joan Harris. For the 12th episode of the seventh and final season (“Lost Horizon”), Joan learns that her accounts are in jeopardy because of incompetence of a male co-worker. She is also mistreated by chauvinist executives, so she decides to report the abuses to the company’s boss. He thinks she is a troublemaker and offers to buy her out of her contract for half of its worth. She does not want to leave, but Roger convinces her that the time is right.
Gold Derby odds to win: 7/2
Aduba prevailed last year for her role as prisoner Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the Best Comedy Guest Actress category. Due to a committee ruling, her show is now a drama and she was upped to series regular. In her episode (“Hugs Can Be Deceiving”), viewers see flashbacks where her white mother pushed her to show her worthiness and talents. She was urged to sing at her high school graduation, but stage fright caused an embarrassing outburst. In the present-day prison world, it is shown that she became distraught after a pageant and punched Piper. Vee then used her desperation to manipulate her.
Gold Derby odds to win: 4/1
Froggatt now has her third Emmy nomination for playing lady’s maid Anna Bates on the British period piece airing on PBS. For the eighth episode of the fifth season, Rose’s big wedding day finally arrives, but family tensions on both sides threaten to derail proceedings. The storm clouds that have been gathering over Anna and Bates finally burst when she is arrested under suspicion of murder.
Gold Derby odds to win: 25/1
This is the sixth consecutive Emmy nomination for Baranski as attorney Diane Lockhart on the CBS drama. She is also nominated this year as Best Comedy Guest Actress for an appearance on “The Big Bang Theory,” bringing her career total to 14. She won on her very first bid back in 1995 for her supporting role on the laffer “Cybill” but has lost ever race since. Her episode (“Loser Edit”) is the 18th of the sixth season. In the plot, Alicia is questioned about leaked emails during a TV interview. Meanwhile, Diane takes a case that pits her sympathies toward gay marriage against the rights of religious freedom; and an investigator begins looking into the evidence Diane used to get Cary out of prison.
Gold Derby odds to win: 33/1
Clarke was nominated at the Emmys two years ago for playing Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons. Her episode (“The Dance of Dragons”) is the ninth of the fifth season for the HBO fantasy epic. In it, Daenerys oversees a celebration of athleticism. She is surprised to see Jorah among the competitors. After Drogon arrives, she mounts her dragon and flies away to Meereen while everyone watches her in awe.
Gold Derby odds to win: 100/1
See Dixon’s Emmy predictions here, Licuria’s here, Bright’s here and Galvan’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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