Last year, one of the most glaring surprises at the Emmy was how Julianna Margulies was upset for Best Actress Drama. Despite turning “The Good Wife” into one of 2009-10’s only freshman hits, and being a solid Emmy favorite, Margulies was stunned by perennial runner-up Kyra Sedgwick. But this year, Margulies is back and even more of a favorite than ever- yet should she be the favorite this time?
One of the most common trends in awards shows is that when actors and actresses finally win awards, it is considered a make-up for all the times they were snubbed in the past. Al Pacino and Denzel Washington are generally considered to have won their Oscars that way, despite having lost for more iconic performances.
If Margulies gets her first “Good Wife” Emmy this year, it won’t be the kind of make-up award that those two had. But while she was the clear favorite in 2010 and was a surprising loser to Sedgwick, she has more of an obvious co-favorite this year in “Mad Men”‘s Elisabeth Moss.
Moss is also overdue for some honors and also made her best case yet this past year. “The Suitcase” episode of “Mad Men” is still hailed as a landmark even a full year after it aired, as it put both Moss and Jon Hamm in line for her their first Emmys. Yet while Hamm should be favored to finally win- especially with Bryan Cranston absent this time– Moss has tougher competition on her hands in Margulies.
Both actresses made such a powerful case for themselves in their episodes that one wishes they could just tie for the Emmy. They both have a lot of “Emmy-bait” moments, as Margulies’ Alicia strikes back after finding out her husband slept with her best friend, and Olson’s Peggy battles and comforts Don Draper for almost 40 minutes straight. Both should already have Emmys for these roles, yet only one can break through this time.
This may be why Margulies’ upset loss in 2010 could be more of an extra edge. The Emmys owe her after her surprise defeat to Sedgwick, which is even more glaring now because Sedgwick wasn’t even nominated in 2011. Yet since “The Closer” is approaching its final season, the academy may go back to Sedgwick again before long, so Margulies needs to take advantage now.
Her victory should be as much of a no-brainer as it looked to be last time around. However, Moss is making the race even tighter, and has just as much of a case to prevail. It could very well be that Margulies will get her Emmy this time, yet she might get it for the wrong year, like those other actors that got Oscars and Emmys long after they already should have. Since Margulies already has Emmys for “ER” and has such a powerful resume for “The Good Wife” perhaps the comparison doesn’t apply as much, but it is easy to make.
Maybe this will be moot and Margulies and Moss will split the vote while someone like Connie Britton or Kathy Bates takes advantage. And if Margulies does come out ahead, there will be very few critics or fans that see a problem with it. But it would make her upset loss last year all the more glaring, since Moss might have then gotten an overdue victory of her own this year.