2016 Emmy Contenders: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Last year, Margo Martindale triumphed in this category with her turn on “The Americans,” a show that has been woefully underrepresented at the Emmys. While she could repeat this year, she will have to battle some fierce competitors in the form of previous winners.

Both Allison Janney [“Masters of Sex”] and Carrie Preston [“The Good Wife”] have won for their roles before. And several potential nominees are previous winners. Ellen Burstyn [“House of Cards”] is an Emmy winner in this category for “Law & Order: SVU,” and has seven noms and two wins total. [Don’t forget Burstyn is beloved; she was famously nominated for her work in “Mrs. Harris,” which consisted of fewer than 20 seconds of screen time.] Laurie Metcalf has three Emmys from “Roseanne,” but her work as the ex-wife of Louis C.K. in “Horace and Pete” is unlike anything we’ve seen her in before. Stockard Channing has won two Emmys, both in 2002, and could score a third for the final season of “The Good Wife.” Cynthia Nixon also has two Emmys — one in this category for “Law & Order: SVU” — but her work in “The Affair” could score her third. And Cicely Tyson could add a fourth trophy for her work as Viola Davis’ mother on “How to Get Away With Murder.”

Among the competition are ladies who are legends, including Patti LuPone [“Penny Dreadful”] and Carrie Fisher [“Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce”]. Who wouldn’t love to hear Fisher’s acceptance speech?

Frontrunners

Ellen Burstyn
HOUSE OF CARDS

Stockard Channing
THE GOOD WIFE

Allison Janney
MASTERS OF SEX

Patti LuPone
PENNY DREADFUL

Margo Martindale
THE AMERICANS

Laurie Metcalf
HORACE AND PETE

Cynthia Nixon
THE AFFAIR

Carrie Preston
THE GOOD WIFE

Cicely Tyson
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

On the Bubble

Ana de la Reguera
NARCOS

Carrie Fisher
GIRLFRIENDS’ GUIDE TO DIVORCE

Whoopi Goldberg
LAW & ORDER: SVU