Emmys 2023: Supporting Actress In A Drama Series — Our Dream Nominees!

Let's not kid ourselves: With Succession's Sarah Snook bringing her buzzy frontrunner status to Emmy's Lead Actress race this year, the Supporting Actress in a Drama Series trophy is Jennifer Coolidge's to lose. After winning in 2022 for her role as White Lotus' boozy socialite Tanya McQuoid (albeit as a limited series performer), Coolidge will very likely — and deservedly! — pull off a repeat for her triumphant farewell in Season 2.

That said, for the purposes of our Dream Emmy short list, we decided to throw our weight behind two of Coolidge's equally-as-worthy — and a smidge more under the radar — White Lotus co-stars.

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, 2023 Emmy nominations will be voted on from June 15-26, and unveiled on July 12. The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled to air on Monday, Sept. 18 on Fox.

Scroll down for links to our previous Dream Emmy categories:

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

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Oh, Diane Farr was a force to be reckoned with. Imbued with oft-vicious vim by Chau, the White House chief of staff was someone you wanted in your corner — if at any given moment you thought you could trust her. Chau and that fabulous wig stole every scene she was in, but Episode 9 of the Netflix hit is what stands out for us. Chau explored the widest range of material in that hour, including a fierce face-off between Diane and VP Redfield. And later, when confronted by Peter with her treachery, Chau amazingly made us feel for Diane, who had herself been blindsided.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Fahy was an instant standout in The White Lotus' Season 2 ensemble, expertly bringing a likable sunniness to wealthy wife Daphne without compromising her intelligence. As the HBO satire's sophomore run unfolded, Fahy proceeded to show us — via the subtlest of body language and line reading choices — just how complicated Daphne's marriage to Theo James' Cameron really was. Fahy was especially astonishing in the season finale, when, after being confronted with the notion that Cameron cheated on her with Harper, Daphne silently worked through a 30-second storm of emotions that were etched all over Fahy's face, from anguish to resolve and back again.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: We've been big fans of Plaza's brand of acid-tongued sarcasm since her days on Parks and Rec, and she brought plenty of that to the table on HBO's luxury vacation dramedy. But she also brought a wounded soul and a sly sexuality to the role of frustrated wife Harper, whose marriage to nice guy Ethan began to fray during a chaotic Italian getaway. Plaza revealed so many layers of intrigue beneath Harper's jaded surface that we can only say: Brava.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Every great story needs a great villain, and Plummer delivered that in spades in Picard's final season, giving the Trek universe its best baddie in years in the cackling bounty hunter Vadic. Plummer was deliciously evil as Vadic playfully taunted Jean-Luc and his crew while chasing them through space in her heavily armed warship, savoring every word of dialogue like it was a gourmet meal. Of course we rooted for Jean-Luc and company to come out on top, but we didn't want to see Vadic go, either — just because we enjoyed watching Plummer so much.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Because she deserves a lot more than just a nod. She deserves to win the whole damn thing! Seehorn wowed us for six seasons as hyper-competent attorney Kim Wexler, but she saved the best for last with a knockout performance for the ages in Saul's final season. Kim broke Jimmy's heart (and ours, too) in a gut-wrenching breakup scene, with Seehorn sinking her teeth into a masterful monologue. Thankfully, though, we did get to see Kim again when she and Jimmy reunited in the black-and-white flash-forward scenes, putting a bow on one of TV's most complicated romances.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: Five seasons into Hulu's dystopian drama, and Strahovski is still finding new ways to mess us up emotionally in a tough, complicated role. Season 5 put Strahovski's Serena through the misogynistic wringer, the pinnacle coming when she gave birth in a barn aided only by her perpetual enemy, June. Serena's desperation, both physical and emotional, was clear in all of Strahovski's choices: the keening moans as contractions intensified, the steel in her voice as she refused to go to a hospital. The pain broke Serena open emotionally, allowing Strahovski to play the most human aspects of her extremely detestable character. Praise, as they say, be.

WHY SHE DESERVES A NOD: HBO's Westworld has never been starved for stellar performances, which is partly why Thompson's Season 4 turn as the vengeful, ambitious android Dolores-Hale was so impressive. What would be the show's final season saw Thompson playing a rogue copy of Dolores — sinister while still somehow being charming and sympathetic. She was calm one moment and furiously capping people the next, her unceremonious killing of the Caleb copy in Episode 6 serving as a solid illustration of her volatility. Thompson's swan song performance was everything it needed to be, and so much more, to sell us on her character's complex motivations.