2023 Emmy Award for Best Female in Comedy Predictions

March 23, 2023

With two-time winner Jean Smart likely out of the running this year, there’s a good chance TV personalities like Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”) and Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) will get plenty of Emmys.

We’ll be updating this article with all of our predictions throughout the season, so be sure to check IndieWire for the latest news on the 2023 Emmys. The nomination round of voting runs from June 15 to June 26, with the official Emmy nominations announced on Wednesday, July 12. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be presented over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10. an edited presentation of the ceremonies that will air on FXX at a later date. Finally, the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, September 18 and will air live on FOX at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT.

State of the species

Jean Smart, who won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, is likely out of this year’s Emmy race as she recovers from heart surgery and returns to filming “Hacks” Season 3, offering many possibilities for who she could be. win in absentia.

The easiest guess is Quinta Brunson, the creator and star of “Abbott Elementary,” which won several awards this year, including a Golden Globe. Other contestants with circumstances to consider include former winner Rachel Brosnahan, who is making her final run as ‘The Wonderful Mrs Maisel’. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are also participating in the farewell tour for Netflix’s “Dead to Me,” for which they were both previously nominated in the category. Although the stakes are even higher in Applegate’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. The actress indicated that this could be her last awards season in general, as she is finding a new normal in terms of her health.

The last current nominee to return is Elle Fanning, who is in the running for Season 3 of Hulu’s historical comedy “The Great,” but there are actresses who were on the verge of making it last year and came back stronger with their second. season as Devery Jacobs (“Reservation Dogs”), Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”) and Bridget Everett (“Somebody Somewhere”).

Ana Gasteyer (“American Auto”) and Rose McIver (“Ghosts”) are two other examples who could be included on the list but are different from the rest of the pack by being stars of network sitcoms. An interesting question to ponder this Emmy season is whether “Abbott Elementary” is an outlier, or if TV Academy voters are returning to prime-time TV comedies in general this year.

As for contestants in their debut seasons, the most likely candidates are “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega” and “Poker Face” creator/star Natasha Lyonne, whose streaming series managed to capture the zeitgeist, but it would be unwise to discount them. the Emmy chances of “Unprisoned” star Kerry Washington and “Loot” star Maya Rudolph, two actresses who are popular at the TV Academy.

Current contestants (in alphabetical order):
Christina Applegate: Dead to Me (Netflix)
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime Video)
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
Linda Cardellini: Dead to Me (Netflix)
Bridget Everett: Somewhere Somewhere (HBO)
Elle Fanning, “The Big One” (Hulu)
Ana Gasteyer, “American Auto” (NBC)
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Devery Jacobs, “Reservation Dogs” (FX)
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face” (Peacock)
Rose McIver, “Ghosts” (CBS)
Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday” (Netflix)
Maya Rudolph, “Loot” (Apple TV+)
Kerry Washington, “Jail Free” (Hulu)
Ali Wong, “Beef” (Netflix)

More comedy category predictions:
Excellent comedy series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Click here for IndieWire’s full predictions for the 75th Emmy Awards.

Last year’s winner: Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Still eligible: No.
Hot Streaks: With Smart out, there is no great prospect of any kind of hot streak. Even the “Hacks” network is on, HBO Max, with little to no prospects in that category this year.
Notable Non-Eligible Series: Jean Smart, “Hacks” (Season 3 ineligible); Tracee Ellis Ross, “Black-ish” (End)

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