“The Good Place’s” awards profile has risen gradually over the course of its three seasons, and it’s possible Kristen Bell will finally capitalize on that. She’s in a crowded Emmy race for Best Comedy Actress, and if she makes the cut it’ll be the first primetime nomination of her career, just in time for the return of what should have been the first primetime nomination (and win) of her career: “Veronica Mars.”
Bell became a star thanks to her performance in the title role on that short-lived drama, which ran for two seasons on UPN (2004-2006) and then for one more season on CW (2006-2007) after UPN merged with the WB. Veronica was a teenage private eye, mature beyond her years and maintaining a razor-sharp sense of humor despite traumas that would get the better of most people twice her age, including the murder of her best friend and a sexual assault. The series was honored by the American Film Institute in 2006 and earned nominations from the Writers Guild and the Television Critics Association, but it never received an Emmy nomination — not a single one, even in Creative Arts categories.
“Veronica Mars” was cancelled after three seasons, but ardent fans kept it alive, first with a 2014 Kickstarter-funded movie and now with an eight-episode revival, which is set to premiere on Hulu on Friday, July 26. That premiere date is 10 days after the Emmy nominations are unveiled, so if Bell does make the cut for “The Good Place,” “Mars” will be there to remind voters of her big IOU when they pick the winners in August.
Even under the best of circumstances, it would he difficult for Bell to beat the two reigning champs, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) and Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), but the extra boost in publicity couldn’t hurt. And since the TV academy has embraced Hulu much more than they ever embraced UPN or CW, it could even set her up for her first “Mars” nomination in 2020, a sweet 16 years after she originated the character.
In “The Good Place” Bell plays Eleanor, who navigates the afterlife after her untimely death. The show was snubbed entirely by the Emmys in 2017, but then it received a pair of nominations in 2018 for lead actor Ted Danson and guest star Maya Rudolph. And over the 2018-2019 winter awards season it earned first-ever noms from the Writers Guild, Producers Guild, American Cinema Editors and Art Directors Guild, while Bell earned her first-ever bid at the Golden Globes. That may suggest the show is poised for an Emmy windfall this time around.
Bell is a 100/1 long shot for Best Comedy Actress according to our latest racetrack odds, which are based on the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users. But one of our Top 24 Users who got the highest scores predicting last year’s Emmy nominations is predicting her to make the cut, as are two of our All-Star Top 24 who got the highest scores when you combine the last two years’ Emmy forecasts. Are they right that the Emmys will finally take notice, or are we truly in the bad place?
Be sure to make your Emmy predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before nominations are announced on July 16. And join in the fun debate over the 2019 Emmy taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our television forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
