Emmys 2022: Supporting Actress In A Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees!

Need further proof that we're living in a new golden age of television? Take a look at our Dream Emmy short list for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, which features a category-busting nine nominees.

In our defense, we're actually not bending the rules all that much. Last year, the TV Academy once again expanded the field to eight nominees (from the traditional five).

Also of note: Seven of those eight nominees in 2021 were for performers from The Handmaid's Tale and The Crown — both of which are not even in the running this year. In other words, this is another Emmy race primed for a major shake-up.

UPDATE: Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly's 11th hour decision to switch to Lead Actress has eased some of the congestion.

Scroll through the list below to review all of our Dream Nominees (remember, these aren't predictions; they're wish lists) and then tell us if our picks warrant a "Hell, yes!," "Um, no" or "How could you leave off so-and-so?!"For the record, 2022 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 16-27, and unveiled on July 12. The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Monday, Sept. 12 on NBC.

Scroll down for links to our previous Dream Emmy categories:

Outstanding Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — Our Dream NomineesOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: With two Emmys already on her mantle for her breakout work as the plucky, potty-mouthed Ruth in the Netflix thriller, Garner in Season 4 not only maintained the high bar she set for herself — she exceeded it. Of particular note was her work in the Season 4A finale, which climaxed with the actress unleashing a two-minute explosion of pain and grief that took our breath away. And left us gutted.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: We never quite knew what Sheryl was up to — or whose control she was under — throughout the Paramount+ drama's second season. But we knew we were all in as Lahti did some of her best work in the series to date. She was amazing throughout the sophomore run, but two scenes stand out in our memory: the knowing "gotcha" with which she infused Sheryl's run-in with daughter Kristen, who'd just cheated on her husband; and the abject terror she conveyed as a paralyzed Sheryl realized she'd been left to Edward and Leland's demonic devices. Scary good, all of it.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: No one on TV this year had more fun than Ricci, whose Misty was the kookiest — and, simultaneously, scariest — of the plane crash's survivors in Showtime's thriller. Mixing physical comedy (that scene in the motel room with Nat and the faceful of drugs still has us rolling) with calculating fury (the way she casually poisoned Jessica), Ricci created a character whose unhinged moments and wells of deep hurt made us unable to take our eyes off her. We never truly know what Misty is thinking, and trying to figure it out is a pure delight, courtesy of an actress who never disappoints.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Rosheuvel, whose stage credits include Macbeth and Porgy and Bess, brought undeniable gravitas to every Season 2 scene she inhabited as the regal and mischievous Queen Charlotte on Netflix's hit Regency-era drama. Although her weighted and wacky wigs made it difficult to easily move her neck and head, the Shakespearean-trained actress compensated with her twinkling eyes, expressive countenance and snuff sniffing. But it was the Guyanese-born thespian's blend of vulnerability and toughness that endeared her to us the most, as Rosheuvel's monarch deftly dealt with the Ton's unyielding judgment and her king's ever-fading mental health.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: In the spirit of Kim Wexler, we won't mince words: The fact that Seehorn has not even been nominated yet for her outstanding work as the ultra-efficient attorney is, frankly, ridiculous. Seehorn has been Saul's stealth MVP for years now, bringing brains and grit to a tricky role, and with Kim fully going over to the dark side in the final season, Seehorn is showing us new layers to Kim that are fascinating... and terrifying. There's still time to remedy this grave injustice, Emmy voters. We rest our case.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Shiv Roy had a rough year on HBO's riveting boardroom drama, but it brought out the best in Snook. As Shiv attempted to win her father Logan's approval, she found herself harshly cut out of his inner circle, and Snook let us see the bruised ego peeking out around the edges of Shiv's impervious facade. Plus, her husband Tom betrayed her — and did you see that awkward dance of hers? Shiv got in a few good verbal barbs along the way, as usual, but Snook deftly showed us that all this corporate wrangling is taking a heavy toll.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Ward-Hammond has made it tough for us to adequately convey the depth, vulnerability and guttural conviction that make up her moving performance in the AMC drama. Embodying the agonizing pain and unrelenting determination of a Black mother who refuses to let her son be swallowed up by Chicago's criminal justice system, Ward-Hammond delivers a heartfelt performance that cuts right to the core. Though she doesn't appear in every scene, her presence is felt throughout all eight episodes. Pure excellence.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: As the elderly Sunja, Youn is the beating heart of Apple TV+'s trilingual saga. Youn's performance truly kicked off when Solomon took his grandmother to help sweet-talk a stubborn landowner; instead, with but a bite of white rice imported from South Korea, Sunja deeply realized how much home means to her, as well. What followed was a wave of conflicting emotions — the familiar, the forever-changed — that swept over Sunja. Sunja over many decades has experienced so much (including having loved and lost), and we feel that with every look into her seen-it-all eyes.