Emmys showdown: All 53 times Drama Supporting Actress costars faced off [PHOTOS]
Over the past 75 years, an equal number (53) of direct costar battles have occurred in each of the Primetime Emmys’ two drama supporting acting categories. The female list (which originated a full 20 years before the male one) includes 25 different drama programs, as opposed to 17 on the comedy side. Scroll through our chronological photo gallery to learn more about the Best Drama Supporting Actress category’s many cases of dual, triple, quadruple, or quintuple nominations.
Close to one-fifth of these showdowns are credited to five-time list entrants “Lou Grant” and “Hill Street Blues,” with “The West Wing” and “Grey’s Anatomy” accounting for four clashes apiece. Tied for third place with three distinct battles each are “St. Elsewhere,” “NYPD Blue,” “The Good Wife,” “Game of Thrones,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The newest series on this list is “The White Lotus,” which made history in 2023 as the first continuing series to amass five same-year, same-category female acting mentions.
This gallery does not include performers who received nominations in this category for series on which they only made single-episode guest appearances. These 53 costar competitions have led to wins for 15 actresses from 13 series, including repeat victors Nancy Marchand (“Lou Grant,” 1978, 1980-1982; over Linda Kelsey), Bonnie Bartlett (“St. Elsewhere,” 1986-1987; over Christina Pickles), and Allison Janney (“The West Wing,” 2000-2001; over Stockard Channing).
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