2016 Emmy Contenders: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

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