Actor is less interesting to me, as I really think half the nominees will be from The Bear. Aside from that eventual travesty (I support Emmy voting changes that would add an Ensemble award, while also reducing the amount of nominees from any given show in a category. No show should run a whole category, or almost run it while we keep talking about peak TV), here’s some talk about Supporting Actress and who is headed for a nomination.

1) Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)

Category fraud has helped Hannah get two previous nominations, as she really is a co-lead. Without some of her previous competition from shows like Ted lasso and The Marvelous Ms Maisel, this is arguably her best shot at an actual win in this category.

2) Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)

I’m not sure if all three ladies from Abbott can get in. I know there’s an increase in the push to get Lisa Ann Walters a nomination, and she had some really great moments, but of the three, Sheryl is a previous winner, and likely the safest best to retain her spot.

3) Abby Elliot (The Bear)

Like the logic of Sheryl, I think Abby has the best bet now that Ayo is running in lead. She had some nice moments, especially waiting to see if her mom would show up for the grand opening at the end. I’m not sure if she can win, I think this is a tight category, and multiple nominees from the same show could pull votes, which is why Hannah has this open shot.

4) Allison Janney (Palm Royale)

I’d like to believe Carol Burnett has the best shot, but I also predicted her last year for Better Call Saul, and that didn’t happen. People just don’t know their place sometimes. However, Janney was featured quite a bit, is a previous Emmy darling for several past roles, and likely will show up again here.

5) Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)

I don’t see Ava not making the cut. Janelle has managed to get the nomination both times so far, an I think she’s still edging out Lisa Ann Walters. I really, personally, think she deserves an Emmy for Ava, who is probably the best worst boss since Michael Scott.

7) Meryl Streep (Only Murders In The building)

I’m banking that Streep has just enough love to sneak into this race. She did some nice work, but she’s Meryl Streep, so everything she does is typically nice work if not great work. Still, it’s nice to see her do comedy, and i think a lot of people were hoping she’d become a new regular. That kind of good will should get her onto a very competitive list.

If there is an 8th nominee:

Liza Colon-Zayas (Tina) or Molly Gordon (Claire) seem like the best bets to ride The Bear train. If not, a second nominee from palm Royale feels more likely, hopefully for Carol Burnett, who did so much of her work without uttering. Word. She’s so highly regarded for her physical comedy, it was nice to see her doing that still in her golden years. I’d love to see Lisa Ann Walter’s get a nomination, but she really is third for me in that group. Some truly inspired choices would be Gillian Anderson (Sex Education), Sara Ramirez (And just Like That) since they are no longer returning, Lauren Ash (Not Dead Yet), or Joanna Bacon (Breeders). I’d be down for any of those.