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Emmys 2014: Predicting Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Reid Nakamura |
August 22, 2014 | 10:35 a.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

Emmy darling Julia Louis-Dreyfus has already won three awards for lead actress in a comedy (Twitter/@ClarinsNews).
Emmy darling Julia Louis-Dreyfus has already won three awards for lead actress in a comedy (Twitter/@ClarinsNews).

Taken at face value, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series should be one of the most competitive categories at this year’s Emmys ceremony. All six nominees are at the top of their game, starring in some of the most talked about series currently on the air.

Melissa McCarthy has recently been one of the hottest comedic actresses in the business since her breakout role in the movie “Bridesmaids,” while Edie Falco has been acting in high profile shows—both comedy and drama—for decades.

Lena Dunham and her show “Girls” may be divisive, but in the best way possible. There isn’t a person in the country who hasn’t at some point argued about the show’s lack of diversity or talked about how often Dunham appears naked.

Beyond being among the most beloved actresses in the industry, Amy Poehler’s work in “Parks and Recreation” is unmatched. In its six seasons “Parks” has become a cult hit and Poehler is inarguably the biggest draw.

Netflix’s choice to submit “Orange Is the New Black” as a comedy series was an odd one, but Taylor Schilling remains as deserving of a nomination—and a win—as any of the other women in the category. Though some of the wilder characters got most of the attention, Schilling ably handled her role as audience surrogate and carried much of the first season’s narrative on her shoulders.

In the end, though, this award is a foregone conclusion. With eight nominations in the last nine years (Only skipping a year when she didn’t have a show on the air), Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the reigning queen of this category. Her record is tied with that of Lucille Ball and bested only by Mary Tyler Moore, Bea Arthur and Betty White. She’s already on a two-year winning streak for her current show “Veep,” and it’s hard to see anyone competing with that.

See the rest of Neon Tommy's 2014 Emmys coverage here.

Reach staff reporter Reid Nakamura here.



 

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