2024 Emmy Experts predict Best Comedy Actress: Jean Smart (‘Hacks’) on the rise

Having trouble predicting who will win Best Comedy Actress at the upcoming Emmy Awards? Let’s consult Gold Derby’s 2024 Emmy Experts! These savvy pundits from major media outlets have chimed in with their predictions, and the majority believe the trophy will go to Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”). The other potential nominees, per our racetrack odds, are Jean Smart (“Hacks”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Kristen Wiig (“Palm Royale”) and Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”) — but that could all change in the coming months.

As of this writing, a leading 11 out of our 15 Emmy Experts predict a victory for Edebiri for “The Bear”: Christopher Rosen (Gold Derby), Eric Deggans (NPR), Keith Simanton (IMDb), Kelly Lawler (USA Today), Peter Travers (ABC), Ray Richmond (Gold Derby), Shawn Edwards (WDAF-TV Fox), Susan King (Gold Derby), Susan Wloszczyna (Gold Derby), Thelma Adams (Gold Derby) and Wilson Morales (BlackFilmandTV). She plays Sydney Adamu on the FX dramedy, a sous-chef who works directly under Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White). Edebiri is the reigning Emmy winner for Best Comedy Supporting Actress for the first season, but now she’s been “promoted” of sorts into the lead category.

Three of our Emmyologists — Ben Travers (Indiewire), Clayton Davis (Variety) and Joyce Eng (Gold Derby) — instead believe Smart will prevail for “Hacks.” Her role of legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedian Deborah Vance won her back-to-back Emmys in this category in 2021 and ’22, but she wasn’t eligible last year because the Max show was in the midst of a two-year hiatus. Note that Smart also has trophies on her mantel for “Frasier” (guest in 2000 and ’01) and “Samantha Who” (supporting in 2008).

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The final pundit — Jazz Tangcay (Variety) — goes out on a limb in predicting Brunson for “Abbott Elementary.” She inhabits the character of Janine Teagues, an inspirational second grade-teacher who recently joined the school district, on the popular ABC mockumentary. Brunson notably took home two Emmys over the past two years, first for writing (2022) and then for acting (2023).

Also looking strong in our Experts’ rankings is Wiig for “Palm Royale.” She plays Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons on the Apple TV+ laffer, a wannabe socialite who dreams of achieving a membership at an exclusive country club in Palm Beach, Florida in 1969. Wiig is a nine-time Emmy nominee for “Saturday Night Live,” “The Looney Tunes Show” and “The Spoils of Babylon,” and she’s still looking for her first victory.

Some of the most recent Emmy winners in the Best Comedy Actress category include Brunson in 2023, Smart in 2022 and ’21, Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) in 2020, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) in 2019 and Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) in 2018. Find out who will be in the running to join this esteemed list when the Primetime Emmy nominations are announced on July 17, 2024.

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