While Showtime's sort of comedies went unnominated in Outstanding Comedy Series, both Falco, last year's winner, and Linney got Emmy nods for the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series this year. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are back again, joined by newcomers Melissa McCarthy and Martha Plimpton. McCarthy may have gotten rave reviews for her performance in Bridesmaids, but Mike and Molly is no Bridesmaids.
Nominees:
Who Should Win
Neither Nurse Jackie nor The Big C are all that funny, which is to say they lean heavily on the drama for their respective formulas, and particularly so with Nurse Jackie, so I'm lukewarm on either Falco or Linney winning getting this award despite being fine actresses.
It comes down to Fey and Poehler then. While Fey did another fine job on 30 Rock this season, Poehler was outstanding on Parks and Recreation, even if that show is slightly more of an ensemble than 30 Rock. Regardless, Poehler's performance is worthy of this award.
Who Will Win
Unfortunately, I think Emmy voters will likely go with either Falco or Linney for their work on Showtime, and my guess is that Linney gets the award. Her show is newer and shinier, and she is a skilled actress.
My guess is that Falco walks away with this on strength of overall acting/pedigree versus how "funny" she is. I agree that Nurse Jackie ain't that funny, though it's usually watchable.