After much anticipation, the 2025 Emmy Awards nominations will officially be announced on July 15. There have been some truly incredible seasons of television released in the past year, from returning dramas like Severance and The White Lotus, to new dramas like The Pitt and Paradise. There have also been incredible new seasons of returning comedies like Abbott Elementary and Shrinking, as well as new comedies like The Studio and A Man on the Inside.
The release of these fantastic seasons of television has come with some really wonderful acting, both in the drama series and in the comedy ones. At the helm of many of these comedy series are some very talented leading ladies who elevate their series with great comedic timing, nuanced emotional performances, and a number of brilliant acting choices. These are the actresses who deserve to be nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
7
Selena Gomez
As Mabel Mora in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ (2021–)
Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building sees the central trio investigate the murder of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch). In the process, they find themselves spending more time with the cast and crew of the upcoming Only Murders in the Building film, as well as with the residents of the West Side of the Arconia. Mabel (Selena Gomez) has a transformative season, as she struggles with living outside The Arconia, and ultimately moves in with the Westies.
As always, Selena Gomez brings an excellent balance of comedy and heart to Mabel in Only Murders in the Building Season 4. While watching the production of the Only Murders in the Building movie, Mabel is forced to think back on her own life choices and feelings of stagnation. Gomez’s standout episode is the Season 4 finale, in which Mabel is held captive by Sazz’s killer and has to strategically manipulate the killer in order to stall for time.
6
Kristen Bell
As Joanne in ‘Nobody Wants This’ (2024–)
Season 1 of Nobody Wants This follows the start of an intense romance between a sex and dating podcaster named Joanne (Kristen Bell) and a rabbi named Noah (Adam Brody). After their initial meeting, Joanne and Noah deal with a number of obstacles, including their family’s opinions, their differences in faith, and their complicated pasts. Still, their love story remains at the heart of the show, as well as each of their individual journeys.
Now, five years after the conclusion of The Good Place, Kristen Bell has returned to leading a comedy series with ease. Over the course of the season, Joanne works through her own doubts and insecurities related to her love life, as well as her specific fears in her relationship with Noah. One episode that really highlights Bell’s performance is Episode 5, “My Friend Joanne.” During a particularly painful rift in her relationship with Noah, Joanne chooses to prioritize herself over Noah in an emotional scene.
Nobody Wants This
- Release Date
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September 6, 2024
- Showrunner
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Erin Foster, Craig DiGregorio
- Writers
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Erin Foster
5
Kate Hudson
As Isla Gordon in ‘Running Point’ (2025–)
The first season of Running Point follows Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson), as she is appointed the new president of the fictional Los Angeles Waves, a basketball team owned by her family. Throughout the course of the season, Isla works very hard to prove herself as she deals with new changes in her family, a number of betrayals, and the quest to get the team ready for the playoffs.
Hudson is always an excellent leading lady, but in Running Point, she proves that she can carry a television series as the lead. She is very funny as Isla, with a combination of sharp one-liners and perfectly-timed moments that play off of Isla’s blind spots. She also brings an emotional performance to Isla in the Season 1 finale, in which Isla deals with a devastating loss and a shocking betrayal within just a few scenes.
Running Point
- Release Date
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February 27, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
Cast
4
Natasia Demetriou
As Nadja in ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2019–2024)
The sixth and final season of What We Do in the Shadows heightened both the laughs and the emotional moments in the show’s last installment. The season sees a number of shake-ups now that Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) is no longer interested in becoming a vampire. Guillermo gets an office job at a company called Cannon Capital Strategies, and both Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Nandor (Kayvan Novak) join him to work there as well.
Like always, Natasia Demetriou is absolutely phenomenal as Nadja in What We Do in the Shadows‘ final season. She is hilarious as Nadja attempts to go undercover at Cannon Capital Strategies, but ends up embarrassing herself by using all the wrong lingo and decades-old jokes. Any episode in the season could be pointed to as an example of her excellent performance, but Demetriou really shines in Episode 9, “Come Out and Play.” In an emotional moment with Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja assures her husband that she doesn’t need him to protect her, then goes on to prove it by fighting off a number of vampires who’ve come to kill them.
What We Do in the Shadows
- Release Date
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2019 – 2024
- Showrunner
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Paul Simms
- Directors
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Kyle Newacheck, Jason Woliner, Jackie van Beek
3
Ayo Edebiri
As Sydney Adamu in ‘The Bear’ (2022–)
While Ayo Edebiri gave a series-best performance in The Bear‘s recently-released fourth season, The Bear actually submitted nominations for its third season for the 2025 Emmys, due to its annual June release. Still, there is no doubt that she should be nominated again for her Season 3 performance as Sydney Adamu. Season 3 of The Bear sees The Bear officially open to the public, and the restaurant’s staff working hard to ensure its future.
In Season 3 of The Bear, Sydney struggles when Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) makes a number of changes to the restaurant and its menu without running them by her. She watches her partner push her out and disregard her own position at the restaurant, leading her to consider accepting a job offer somewhere else. Edebiri’s performance as Sydney in Season 3 is both very funny and heartbreaking. She is especially fantastic in Episode 10, “Forever,” where Sydney has a panic attack about the impossibility of her current situation.
2
Quinta Brunson
As Janine Teagues in ‘Abbott Elementary’ (2021–)
With three total nominations and a win under her belt, there’s no doubt that Quinta Brunson will secure another nomination for Abbott Elementary Season 4, and that it will be completely deserved. Season 4 of Abbott Elementary sees the teachers dealing with newer and funnier scenarios like a ringworm outbreak, the development of a new golf course nearby, and the temporary loss of Ava (Janelle James).
In Season 4 of Abbott Elementary, Janine (Brunson) is now officially in a relationship with Gregory, and the two become more serious throughout the season. She also pushes herself to stand up to both Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) at times, and fiercely advocates for Ava after she gets fired. A highlight is Brunson’s performance in “Volunteers,” where Janine gets to be silly and immature while competing with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson).
1
Jean Smart
As Deborah Vance in ‘Hacks’ (2021–)
Jean Smart now has three Emmy wins for her role as Deborah Vance in Hacks, and rightfully so. Her performance in Season 4 of Hacks is especially fantastic, and she will definitely be nominated once again this year. Hacks Season 4, Deborah finally has her own late-night show, but her excitement is dampened by her massive rift with Ava (Hannah Einbinder), who is now blackmailing her into keeping her around.
Throughout the season, Deborah and Ava continue to punish each other in growingly personal and vicious ways, while ultimately learning once again that they are the only ones who really understand each other. Smart’s performance at the end of Episode 9, “A Slippery Slope,” is particularly strong. When the network backs the wrong person, Deborah stands up for her own beliefs and shows her loyalty to Ava by quitting her job live on air.
