2021 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Tyler Doster August 30, 2021

With the Emmys coming soon and winner voting underway, it’s time to look at even more Emmy categories. Looking at these categories can provide a look at the future and who will be awarded in each one. One of the most competitive categories this year is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie, which has six women in the category. These women have all turned in excellent performances, both on the stage and on the screen. Some are newcomers, some are old vets, but the excitement stays the same.

Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit) – “End Game” (Netflix)

When looking at The Queen’s Gambit, everyone was expecting Marielle Heller to receive a nomination in this category for playing Beth Harmon’s adoptive mother. What happened was a shock to everyone: Moses Ingram pulled out a nomination instead. Ingram plays a lifelong friend to the chess prodigy, Jolene, a woman who comes back into Beth’s life right when she’s needed. She even puts up the money for Beth to go to a chess tournament down the road. But can Ingram take home the trophy? Though the series is going into the ceremony with 18 nominations, it doesn’t seem like this category will be one they emerge victorious in. Moses Ingram seems to have the least chance of winning the Emmy when it comes to word-of-mouth and critical acclaim. She might have to just be honored to be nominated this year.

Renée Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo (Hamilton) – Full Movie (Disney+)

The ladies from Hamilton are nominated in this category as well, with Phillipa Soo and Renée Elise Goldsberry both receiving nominations for their performances in the play. Soo plays Elizabeth (“Eliza”) Schuyler while Goldsberry plays her sister, Angelica Schuyler. The Schuyler sisters are extremely important to the events of the musical and both actresses play their roles quite effectively, with ample time given to both to showcase their talents. Goldsberry has the track “Satisfied” to shine on, a song about her love for Alexander Hamilton and the decision to instead introduce him to her sister, Eliza. The song is full of emotion and beautiful lyricism and Goldsberry plays it perfectly. Soo also gets her own turn to showcase an emotional ballad with “Burn”, a song her character sings after finding out that her husband has been cheating on her with another woman, a younger woman. Both women exceed expectations, but will Emmy voters vote for a filmed musical? They obviously liked it enough to nominate them, so we’ll have to see. The two being up against each other will likely mean nothing in accordance with their votes (which means no instances of “vote splitting”) and the individual performances speak for themselves.

Jean Smart and Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown) – “Sacrament” (HBO)

Another series that managed to nab two nominations in this category is Mare of Easttown. Both Julianne Nicholson and Jean Smart grabbed nominations in this category for their supporting work on the HBO limited series. Smart plays Helen, the titular Mare’s mother. Helen is a woman who lives with her daughter and tries to keep her on the right path but can’t always keep her from doing what she wants. Nicholson plays Lori, a friend of Mare’s that talks to her near constantly about the cases she’s working on. Smart is the one with less of a chance here, as she’s also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Being a double nominee is cool, but she likely won’t win both (she’s being perceived as the frontrunner for the comedy category). This is another category with two actors from the same show and to be clear, I do not believe there will be any “vote splitting” happening in either of these cases. Nicholson is the one here with a real chance of taking home the gold. She gave a worthy performance all season, but the final episode is where Nicholson truly takes over and shines. This part of her performance might send her over the edge to become the winner of this category.

Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision) – “Breaking the Fourth Wall” (Disney+)

Last, but not least, it was Agatha all along! Kathryn Hahn is nominated in this category for her other-worldly performance of Agnes the Nosey Neighbor on WandaVision. It is revealed in one of the episodes the Agnes has actually been disguising herself since Wanda got to town, and her real name is Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch. Hahn dives deep into the mind of this woman, giving a comedic yet serious performance of a witch trying to control a powerful woman (The Scarlet Witch). The role provides her with plenty of room to provide laughs for the audience while also providing an excellent story for the viewer to grab onto. Hahn eats up every scene she’s in, nailing the comedy of the different sitcom eras all the way to nailing flying around in the air, attacking Wanda. Hahn seems to have a good chance of winning this award, as she received a great amount of acclaim for her role on the series, including winning supporting awards from the Hollywood Critics Association and and GALECA last night, but she’ll need to fend off the other five women in the category to do so. Will she be able to cast a spell on the competition? We’ll find out Emmy night.

My ranked predictions for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie.

1. Julianne Nicholson (Mare Of Easttown) – “Sacrament” (HBO)

2. Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision) – “Breaking the Fourth Wall” (Disney+)

3. Jean Smart (Mare Of Easttown) – “Sacrament” (HBO)

4. Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) – Full Movie (Disney+)

5. Phillipa Soo (Hamilton) – Full Movie (Disney+)

6. Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit) – “End Game” (Netflix)

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Tyler Doster

Tyler is the TV Awards Editor for AwardsWatch and from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He’s been obsessed with movies and the oscars since he was about 14. He enjoys reading, but even more, talking about Amy Adams more and will, at any given moment, bring up her Oscar snub for Arrival. The only thing he spends more time on than watching TV is sitting on Twitter. If you ever want to discuss the movie Carol at length, he’s your guy. You can find Tyler at @wordswithtyler