● Female
Drama Series
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FYC: Female Actor in a Drama Series HE TALENTED WOMEN IN DRAMA SERIES WE’VE included for your consideration make it hard to pick favorites. We suppose that’s an awards nominator’s job, but how could anyone whittle this list of contenders down to just five SAG Award nominees? Here are this year’s worthiest dramatic performances from women on TV.
Uzo Aduba
BACKSTAGE 12.06.21
Jennifer Aniston
“The Morning Show” Aniston’s leading turn on Jay Carson and Kerry Ehrin’s “The Morning Show” is a fantastic return to form—and to TV. The executive producer and star of
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any scene partner, visit literally any moment of Baranski’s fabulous performance on the Paramount+ critical hit.
Christine Baranski
“The Handmaid’s Tale” Dowd has been delivering great performances for the better part of three decades, but her Emmywinning turn on Hulu’s dystopian drama remains a career high. As devastating overseer Aunt Lydia, she creates a heady mix of blunt force and for-your-owngood tenderness that does what exquisite acting can: humanize a story’s most ruthless villain.
“The Good Fight” Diane Lockhart, everyone’s favorite chunky necklace–wearing power attorney, continues to slay in and out of the courtroom; the diva playing her proves increasingly unafraid of pushing the character’s flaws to the forefront. For edgy feminist inspiration or tips on how to deliver a speech that will flatten
Ann Dowd
backstage.com
SUZANNE TENNER/HBO
“In Treatment” “Therapy doesn’t have a target audience. Everyone can benefit,” says psychologist Dr. Brooke Taylor. The same can be said of Aduba’s magnetic performance on this HBO reboot. Watching both the performer and the character parse the complexities and dubious choices of her patients,
and eventually herself, can provide actors with a multilayered lesson on how to truly listen.
the Apple TV+ series humanizes power-hungry TV host Alex Levy (her ruthlessness is pushed to the limit on Season 2) without sacrificing comedic timing.
“THE EQUALIZER”: MICHAEL GREENBERG/CBS; “THE HANDMAID’S TALE”: JASPER SAVAGE/HULU
UZO ADUBA ON “IN TREATMENT”