Emmys 2024 Supporting Actress in a Limited Series Dream Nominees

Lauren E. Banks, Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Image Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: It’s fun to watch grounded, subdued characters get pushed to a point where they lose their cool. It’s even more fun when the performers behind those characters are as captivating as Banks. In the Paramount+ drama’s finale, when Jennie gave in to the roiling emotions raised by her former mistress’ unannounced visit, Banks took her character from annoyed (those eye-rolls!) to furious, slapping the woman with a quickness fueled by her deepest fear: that her family would lose its freedom. And the intensity Banks conveyed when Jennie allowed her dread to surface in shaky breaths and tears? The terrible situation led to some gorgeous work on Banks’ part. — Kimberly Roots
Sarayu Blue, Expats

Image Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Blue’s character may not have been the one who lost a child in the Prime Video drama, but the actress still had heaps of complex emotions to process. In Expats‘ short six episodes, Hilary faced her abusive father head-on, painfully revisiting trauma from her past ahead of his major surgery, an operation he didn’t survive. Simultaneously, her marriage deteriorated, and little by little, her unflappable demeanor began to crumble. As the character’s typical eloquence began to drown in tears, Blue delivered a performance that was not only vulnerable and raw, but demanding of our attention and empathy. — Nick Caruso
Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer

Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Baby Reindeer had us experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions throughout its seven-episode run, and much of the credit for that belongs to Gunning. Although we often felt rage toward the actress’ unhinged alter ego for the hellscape she turned Donny’s (Richard Gadd) life into, Gunning’s ability to shine a light on the pain fueling her character’s reign of terror had us frequently — and miraculously — sympathizing with Martha. — Michael Ausiello
Aja Naomi King, Lessons in Chemistry

Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: In the Apple TV+ adaptation, Harriet Sloane emerged as a quiet heroine, thanks to King’s honest and loving performance. Without any blueprint from the novel — Harriet was completely reimagined in the series — King noticeably injected her performance with small, punchy lines and movements that made her character come alive in unexpected ways. And in Episode 6, during Harriet’s peaceful standoff with police, King proved that to be evocative, one doesn’t need to go over the top. With just one look amid the chaos unfolding around her, King effectively fostered a compelling sense of emotional intimacy. — Claire Franken
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fargo

Image Credit: Courtesy of FX

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: At first, we were saving a place for Leigh’s obscenely wealthy matriarch Lorraine Lyon on our list of Fargo’s best villains ever, as Leigh brought a chilly elegance to Lorraine with her superior vocal tone and bored demeanor. But Lorraine turned out to be a big softie, and it was highly satisfying to watch Leigh direct Lorraine’s withering insults at Jon Hamm’s bullying jerk Roy Tillman, swiftly cutting him down to size and proving that billionaires aren’t all bad. — Dave Nemetz
Archie Panjabi, Under the Bridge

Image Credit: Courtesy of Hulu

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Hulu brought a deep bench of talented performers to its devastating true-crime miniseries, but Panjabi consistently stood out as grieving mother Suman Virk. Across eight episodes, Panjabi painted a haunting portrait of a woman not only reeling from her daughter Reena’s murder, but grappling with forever-unresolved tension between her and her daughter that she’d never get a chance to make right. Suman’s anguish and bitter resentment were palpable throughout, namely in Suman’s finale confrontation with teenager Warren Glowatski. Forced by her faith to offer Warren forgiveness, but visibly tormented by the idea of showing him mercy, Suman was more conflicted than ever, and Panjabi, in turn, was at her nuanced best. — Rebecca Iannucci
Kate Siegel, The Fall of the House of Usher

Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Camille L’Espanaye was our favorite among Roderick Usher’s children, and that’s because of the excellent work Siegel did in Netflix’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptation. In Siegel’s hands, Camille was at once an eminently quotable master of sarcasm and a black hole of need; Siegel made both facets of her character’s personality shine to beautiful perfection during her visit to Leo’s apartment after Perry’s death. In the course of one scene, we watched her play both PR-maven-on-a-mission and what-does-it-all-really-mean-anyway wonder, guided by the edible Camille ingested and Siegel’s considerable skill. No monkeying around (too soon?): Siegel, a staple of Mike Flanagan’s productions, did not disappoint in his latest. — K.R.

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Andy says:

June 20, 2024 at 6:11 AM

Fall of the House of Usher was full of great performances, but considering the rarity with which the Academy awards horror projects, T’Nia Miller definitely should get kudos over Kate Siegel.

Craig says:

June 20, 2024 at 6:46 AM

Gunning should have this one sewn up. Great performance, one of the best i’ve seen this year

ScreenSavant says:

June 20, 2024 at 9:52 AM

While I normally love Jennifer Jason Leigh, I thought her Fargo performance and accent were a bit over the top. I might replace her (or one of the others, though I haven’t seen them all to fairly judge) with Hadas Yuron, beautifully anguished in her separation from her daughter as Mila in We Were the Lucky Ones. I do agree with the above comment about this being Gunning’s award to lose though.

Stacey says:

June 20, 2024 at 11:07 AM

No, just no, honestly, if anyone deserves it, it’s Samantha Sloyan for that death scene alone.

Isabella P. says:

June 20, 2024 at 11:28 AM

Seriously, why her? She wasn’t that outstanding in ‘Usher.’ and I thought she was just okay in Midnight Mass.

DreamRose311 says:

June 26, 2024 at 1:39 PM

I’d love for a Fall of the House of Usher sweep in all the categories, but since they’re unlikely to even be nominated, I definitely agree most with Aja Naomi King. She was so good in Lessons in Chemistry. Course I haven’t watched Baby Reindeer yet, so it could be Gunning’s to lose for all I know

Emmys 2024: Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie — Our Dream Nominees!

Michael Ausiello

President & Editorial Director

Lauren E. Banks, Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Sarayu Blue, Expats

Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer

Aja Naomi King, Lessons in Chemistry

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fargo

Archie Panjabi, Under the Bridge

Kate Siegel, The Fall of the House of Usher

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