Since Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, and Nancy Marchand all received nominations for the 2000 Best TV Drama Actress SAG Award for their work on “The Sopranos,” the category has seen one more trio and eight more pairs of costars compete directly against each other. Including rematches, there have been 15 total instances that have resulted in four wins for Falco (2000 and 2003; the latter time over just Bracco), Allison Janney (“The West Wing,” 2002; over Stockard Channing), and Gillian Anderson (“The Crown,” 2021; over Olivia Colman and Emma Corrin).
Bracco and Falco set the still-intact overall female rematch record of two in 2003. It has since been matched by their fellow drama nominees Julia Garner and Laura Linney of “Ozark” as well as comedy contenders Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin of “Grace and Frankie.” All three pairs rank behind “Frasier” duo Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce (seven) and “NYPD Blue” actors Dennis Franz and Jimmy Smits (three) on the genderless list.
The 2002, 2003, and 2021 drama actress lineups included more than one costar showdown apiece, with the last having involved the three “Crown” performers and the “Ozark” twosome. This was the first of the six individual TV SAG Awards categories in which three performers from the same show duked it out and, along with Best TV Movie/Miniseries Actress, is one of only two in which this has happened twice.
Scroll through our photo gallery to learn more about the 16 cases of dual nominations in this category, and be sure to tune in to the 29th SAG Awards ceremony, streaming live on Netflix’s YouTube channel on Sunday, February 26.
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Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, and Nancy Marchand (‘The Sopranos,’ 2000)
Image Credit: HBO Characters: Jennifer Melfi, Carmela Soprano, and Livia Soprano
Characters’ relationships: Psychiatrist, wife, and mother of mobster Tony Soprano
Season: 1
Result:
Falco won -
Lorraine Bracco and Edie Falco (‘The Sopranos,’ 2002-2003)
Image Credit: HBO Characters: Jennifer Melfi and Carmela Soprano
Characters’ relationship: Psychiatrist and wife of mobster Tony Soprano
Seasons: 3 – 4
Results:
2002 – Both lost to Allison Janney (“The West Wing”)
2003 – Falco won -
Stockard Channing and Allison Janney (‘The West Wing,’ 2002; 2004)
Image Credit: NBC Characters: Abbey Bartlet and C.J. Cregg
Characters’ relationship: U.S. First Lady and Press Secretary
Seasons: 2 – 5
Results:
2002 – Janney won
2004 – Both lost to Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”) -
Allison Janney and Lily Tomlin (‘The West Wing,’ 2003)
Image Credit: NBC Characters: C.J. Cregg and Debbie Fiderer
Characters’ relationship: U.S. president’s press and personal secretaries
Seasons: 3 – 4
Result:
Both lost to Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”) -
Drea de Matteo and Edie Falco (‘The Sopranos,’ 2005)
Image Credit: HBO Characters: Adriana La Cerva and Carmela Soprano
Characters’ relationship: Romantic partners of organized crime associates
Season: 5
Result:
Both lost to Jennifer Garner (“Alias”) -
Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith (‘Downton Abbey,’ 2013)
Image Credit: ITV Characters: Mary Crawley and Violet Crawley
Characters’ relationship: Granddaughter and grandmother
Season: 3
Result:
Both lost to Claire Danes (“Homeland”) -
Millie Bobby Brown and Winona Ryder (‘Stranger Things,’ 2017)
Image Credit: Netflix Characters: Eleven and Joyce Byers
Characters’ relationship: Friend and mother of teenager Will Byers
Season: 1
Result:
Both lost to Claire Foy (“The Crown”) -
Julia Garner and Laura Linney (‘Ozark,’ 2019; 2021; 2023)
Image Credit: Netflix Characters: Ruth Langmore and Wendy Byrde
Characters’ relationship: Criminal associates
Seasons: 2 – 4
Results:
2019 – Both lost to Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)
2021 – Both lost to Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)
2023 – Pending -
Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Colman (‘The Crown,’ 2020)
Image Credit: Netflix Characters: Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II
Characters’ relationship: Sisters
Season: 3
Result:
Both lost to Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”) -
Gillian Anderson, Olivia Colman, and Emma Corrin (‘The Crown,’ 2021)
Image Credit: Netflix Characters: Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and Princess Diana
Characters’ relationships: U.K. Prime Minister and ruler (Thatcher and Elizabeth); Mother and daughter-in-law (Elizabeth and Diana)
Season: 4
Result:
Anderson won -
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon (‘The Morning Show,’ 2022)
Image Credit: Apple TV+ Characters: Alex Levy and Bradley Jackson
Characters’ relationship: Morning show cohosts
Season: 2
Result:
Both lost to Jung Ho-yeon (“Squid Game”)
