Emmy Poll: Who Should Win Best Actress in a Comedy Series?

This category is on Emmy steroids. There are more than 50 career nominations between just half of this year’s nominees, not to mention the amount of statues actually taken home.

One of the most awarded actresses not just in Emmy history but, well, history, Lily Tomlin earned her second consecutive nomination for Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, on which she plays an art teacher whose life is turned around when her husband leaves her for her rival’s husband. Tomlin has won five Emmys, but none in the lead-comedic-actress category.

Another Emmy veteran is Laurie Metcalf, who received a best-actress nom for her performance as Dr. Jenna James, an uptight director of medicine, on HBO’s Getting On. Metcalf is also nominated for two other Emmys this year, both for guest spots, on Louis C.K.’s web series Horace and Pete and CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. Metcalf has 10 total nominations in her career and had a three-peat of supporting-comedic-actress wins on ABC’s Roseanne in 1992, 1993 and 1994. 

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The field only gets more competitive from there, as Julia-Louis Dreyfus earned a fifth straight best-actress nomination for Veep, in which she plays the foul-mouthed politician Selina Meyer. Dreyfus has been making history in the role: Her four consecutive wins in the role since 2012 tied a record set by Helen Hunt on Mad About You from 1996-99, while last year’s win also tied a record five lead-comedic-actress wins (Dreyfus won in 2006 for The New Adventures of Old Christine). 

Amy Schumer, star of her own sketch show, Inside Amy Schumer, on Comedy Central got her second Emmy nom this year. Schumer has never won an Emmy for acting, but she did take home the award for best variety sketch series last year.

Rounding out the field are first-time noms Tracee Ellis Ross, up for her role as a progressive mother and anesthesiologist on ABC’s Black-ish, and Ellie Kemper, who plays the quirky titular character on Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. 

Who do you think should take home the best-comedic-actress Emmy this year? Cast your vote below and check back before the Emmys air on Sept. 18 to see if your prediction holds up. And you can also cast your votes for best drama series, best comedy series, best limited series, best lead actor in a drama series, best actress in a drama series, and best actor in a comedy series.