After five nominations for playing Sheila Jackson on “Shameless,” Joan Cusack finally took home the guest actress prize last year. And just in time — she didn’t appear in the show’s most recent season.
That opens the cateogry to a whole new winner, and it might just be someone who will be doubling up on noms this year. Ellen Burstyn [“Mom”] is also a potential nominee for her work on the drama “House of Cards,” as is Carrie Fisher [“Catastrophe”] for “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.” Tovah Feldshuh stole the show with her “Where’s the Bathroom” number in “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” but could also score a nod on the drama side for her guest work on ‘The Walking Dead.”
Natasha Lyonne [“Portlandia”] did standout work on “Orange Is the New Black,” where her character is sorely missed. Cynthia Nixon [“Broad City”] and Judy Greer [“Mom”] are other actresses pulling double duty on the comedy and drama sides.
Some actresses could even find themselves competing against themselves. Rhea Perlman is eligible for both “Mom” and “Getting On” this year. And Tina Fey is in a unique position; she was nominated here last year for her work as an attorney who bore a striking resemblance to Marcia Clark on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” This year, she appeared on the same show as a therapist with a penchant for drinking. But she’s also eligible for hosting “Saturday Night Live” and in a rare move, she’s submitted with her co-host Amy Poehler.
“Kimmy Schmidt” has an embarrassment of riches, with Lisa Kudrow appearing as Kimmy’s mother and Amy Sedaris stealing every moment as the social-climbing friend to Jane Krakowski’s divorcee.
Frontrunners
Christine Baranski
THE BIG BANG THEORY
Ellen Burstyn
MOM
Claire Danes
MASTER OF NONE
Tina Fey
UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
Carrie Fisher
CATASTROPHE
Anjelica Huston
TRANSPARENT
Lisa Kudrow
UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
Melissa McCarthy
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Rosie O’Donnell
MOM
Amy Sedaris
UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
On the Bubble
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Kathryn Hahn
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Linda Lavin
MOM
Melissa Leo
BROAD CITY
Rita Moreno
JANE THE VIRGIN
Emily Osment
MOM
Estelle Parsons
GRACE AND FRANKIE
Rhea Perlman
GETTING ON
Maya Rudolph
DRUNK HISTORY
Amy Schumer
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Kyra Sedgwick
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Jenny Slate
GIRLS
Mira Sorvino
LADY DYNAMITE
Betty White
CROWDED
Dark Horses
Sasha Alexander
SHAMELESS
Becky Ann Baker
GIRLS
Lorraine Bracco
DICE
Alison Brie
TEACHERS
Danielle Brooks
MASTER OF NONE
Tovah Feldshuh
CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND
Kathie Lee Gifford
DIFFICULT PEOPLE
Ariana Grande
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Judy Greer
MOM
Regina Hall
BLACK-ISH
Melora Hardin
TRANSPARENT
Natasha Lyonne
PORTLANDIA
Kate McKinnon
DIFFICULT PEOPLE
Kathy Najimy
YOUNGER
Cynthia Nixon
BROAD CITY
Archie Panjabi
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Rhea Perlman
MOM
Martha Plimpton
YOUNGER
Katey Sagal
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
Sarah Silverman
LADY DYNAMITE
Octavia Spencer
DRUNK HISTORY
June Squibb
MOM
Michaela Watkins
TRANSPARENT