Emmys 2020: Supporting Actress, Comedy — Our Dream Nominees

The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards will be airing (in some form!) on Sept. 20. Before the real nominees are unveiled on July 28, we at TVLine have come up with our own dream nominations in 15 major categories. Scroll down to see our ideal contenders for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, then give us your thoughts!

ANNIE MURPHY, SCHITT'S CREEK

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Emmy voters should've put their dinosaur hands together years ago to applaud Murphy's evolution of Alexis Rose from shallow socialite to self-aware brand invigorator. But they can still make up for the slight by acknowledging the way she completed her character's uplifting arc in Season 6. Whether the PR whiz was sweetly setting free both herself and boyfriend Ted or realizing that the Rosebud Motel had given her family much more than a roof over their heads, Murphy evinced inspiring growth while remaining, thankfully, a little bit Alexis.

BETTY GILPIN, GLOW

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Gilpin is perfection, year-in and year-out, and Season 3 of the wrestling series was no different as Debbie made shrewd business decisions and painful personal ones. Gilpin sunk so much glee into her portrayal of Debbie as a formidable media magnate-in-training, you couldn't help but cheer. And the actress was so relatable as a mom whose professional goals conflicted with her desire to be with her son, it made us ache. Imagine us asking this in our best Bash-as-announcer voice: How... Does... She... Do... It?!?

D'ARCY CARDEN, THE GOOD PLACE

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Carden topped herself in the final season of NBC's afterlife comedy, bringing fresh nuance and depth to the ever-peppy virtual assistant Janet. Her journey toward understanding humanity was truly touching, and her courtship with dopey Jason was one of the sweetest TV romances we've witnessed on any plane of existence. (Not to mention Carden also gave us the gifts of Bad Janet, Neutral Janet... and Disco Janet!) It's not too late to honor this singular performance, Emmy voters.

EDI PATTERSON, THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Of all the emotionally stunted Gemstone siblings, Patterson's Judy emerged as the most fascinating throughout HBO's religiously tinged comedy: Even as Judy longed to have a bigger role in the family business, she couldn't seem to get out of her own way, and Patterson played each one of Judy's blunders with no-holds-barred, expletive-laced commitment. Few performances were as fearlessly funny this year as Judy's Episode 9 monologue to BJ, which Patterson delivered with all the anguish of a woman scorned... and a side-splitting lack of self-awareness.

EMMA MACKEY, SEX EDUCATION

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: The rebellious, eye-rolling teen is a well-worn TV trope, but Mackey revitalized it in the Netflix comedy's sophomore season as the perpetually sullen Maeve Wiley tentatively began to open up. She gave us plenty of eye-rolls too, but Maeve also dared to get hurt in Season 2, reconnecting with her disappointment of a mother, putting her substantial brains to use on the school quiz team and confronting her growing feelings for Otis. Mackey's empathetic, expertly layered work reminded us that underneath every hard shell is a big old softie.

POORNA JAGANNATHAN, NEVER HAVE I EVER

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: We loved Jagannathan's portrayal of Devi's grieving mom from the very first episode of Netflix's coming-of-age comedy. But that love hit heretofore unknown levels by the time we hit Episode 10, in which Jagannathan methodically dismantled Nalini's gruff exterior and revealed the scared woman struggling to keep it all together. The actress turned in some delicate — and yes, still funny — work as Nalini tried not to cry while admitting that she feared she was failing her teen daughter. (And serious bonus points for that sight gag she nailed at the end of the scene!)

REGINA HALL, BLACK MONDAY

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Frankly, Hall belongs on this list just for her deliciously wicked line readings of Black Monday's many zingers. But Season 2 of Showtime's Wall Street satire has also served as a marvelous showcase for Hall's dramatic talents as Dawn leads her own brokerage firm. It's been obvious from the start that Dawn is just as talented and ambitious as any of her male colleagues, but Hall has nevertheless captivated us as her character seizes much-deserved power in the financial world — and deftly handles the consequences of possessing it.