● Female
Comedy Series
LOLLY ADEFOPE AND AIDY BRYANT ON “SHRILL”
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FYC: Female Actor in a Comedy Series HEAD OF THE JAN. 12 SAG AWARD NOMINATIONS announcement, the time has come to brush up on the year’s top television contenders. Brace yourself: There’s a lot of TV out there, particularly when it comes to comedy series featuring leading or supporting women. Read on for a sampling of the ladies who make us laugh the most.
Awkwafina
BACKSTAGE 12.06.21
Aidy Bryant
“Shrill” You know those screen stars who make you feel like you just want to be friends with them? Bryant is the epitome of this phenomenon, and nowhere is it more apparent
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Rose Byrne
“Physical” Any show that gives us dozens of close-ups of Byrne’s expressive face deserves every available award. As Sheila, a wife and mother caught in the throes of bulimia, the actor is as detestable as she is sympathetic. After years
of delivering reliably terrific supporting turns, “Physical” is exactly the powerhouse vehicle Byrne fans have been craving.
Lily Collins
“Emily in Paris” Any story centered on a charmingbut-flawed hero needs a leading actor who understands its tonal qualities on a cellular level. In fact, it’s mostly up to them to define and maintain the show’s appeal. As a millennial marketing executive and fish out of water in the City of Lights, the infinitely charismatic Collins provides a perfect example of how to carry a series. backstage.com
ALLYSON RIGGS/HULU
“Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” Awkwafina’s presence has made the comedy landscape a better place. Every element of her Comedy Central series, from the character’s hunched physicality and deadpan delivery to her offthe-wall aspirations for a more fly lifestyle, clearly emerges from the writer-producer-star’s highly
original sensibilities. Her scenes opposite Lori Tan Chinn as her grandmother, in particular, are so funny that they demand a rewatch.
than on this Hulu original series. In the actor-writer-producer’s capable hands, the selfdeprecating, decidedly un-shrill Annie goes from wanting to fade into the background without upsetting anyone to exploring her own self-confidence and sense of self-worth.
