2014 TV Evannies Awards Announcement -- Supporting Acting Categories (Part 1)

In this next installment of announcing the TV Evannies winners for the 2013-2014 season, we're shifting gears to honor the best supporting performances on television. Although presented as a supporting actor or actress, the nominees and winners tonight prove that an impact can be made regardless of billing. Without further ado, the nominees and winners...

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

WINNER: Bellamy Young for "Scandal"

2nd Place: Christine Baranski for "The Good Wife"

3rd Place: Angela Bassett for "American Horror Story: Coven"

Allison Tolman for "Fargo"

Molly Parker for "House of Cards"

Melissa McBride for "The Walking Dead"

The supporting ladies of dramatic television have been nothing short of impressive, and these six diverse nominees prove that no woman can be held back with a scathing monologue and a drink in hand (that's a hasty generalization, but works for a few of the nominees here). The winner this year is Young, a supporting actress who has worked her way up the ranks of "Scandal" to become one of the show's best characters. At the start of the series, Young's character Mellie seemed like a pushover, but as we grew to understand her personality, we realized this was a woman you wanted on your team, even if you totally despised her. This past season, Young continued doing marvelous work in keeping the audience switching their allegiance to Mellie, but it was undeniable that Young was doing outstanding work. In the episode that had fans talking for weeks, we finally dived into Mellie's harsh backstory and rocky relationship with her husband's father, and Young's heartbreaking performance allowed us to peak further into her psyche and understand the root of Mellie's hunger for power. Whether she's drunk and screaming, or quiet and defeated, you can always count on Young to give 100% when she is on screen, elevating the performance from beyond something to watch, but into an experience. Moving along...in the best season of "The Good Wife," every actor stepped up to plate, and that stands true for Baranski, who went through hell and back this season. In a year that saw major plot twists and turns, Baranski had her best year yet as Diane. From marrying her boyfriend right before finding out she's being pushed out of her law firm, to then returning to the law firm after total chaos strikes, Baranski had a lot to do, yet she shined her brightest in the aftermath of her partner at the firm, Will. Baranski is undoubtedly a talented actress, but her portrayal of Diane's lust for power and respect in the light of Will's passing made us forget about whose side she was on, but rather made us cheer for Diane herself, a woman who not only needs, but demands, respect and power. Bassett made her "American Horror Story" debut this season, yet it's hard to imagine the show without her. Playing the powerful witch Marie Laveau, Bassett stole every single scene she was in. Her words bit harder than the spells she cast, and her sass and wit not only intimidated, but charmed the audience. Easily the most over-the-top performance in this category, Bassett fit right into the campy world of "AHS: Coven" and provided laughs, intentional and otherwise. Even if you weren't sure whether you should be cheering her on or not, you always craved to see Bassett return on screen to serve up some delicious backtalk and threatening. Never holding back, Bassett made Marie a lovable in the respect that you could only wish to be as big of a bitch as she was, and that is a compliment of the highest order. Of course, the other three nominees in this category deserve recognition. Tolman, in her first major role, is the true hero of "Fargo," and while the audience knows she is right all along, we crave for her to finally have justice served. When she is defeated, we feel for her, and Tolman's compassionate performance is what keeps audiences invested in the story of "Fargo." If we didn't want to see her come out on top at the end of the show, what was the point of even watching? It's a testament to the power of this newcomer's performance. Parker, while not a newcomer actress, was a new addition to "House of Cards," and a feisty one at that. Playing the ambiguous and "tougher than she looks" House whip, Parker was a perfect addition to the already dark world of the show, where moral lines are never clearly drawn out and ethics is a thing of the past. While the shades of her character took a full season to color in, the mysteriousness is what pulled audiences into this character, in addition to her strong will and unflinching quest for respect in a man's world. That's the kind of performance from a woman we should be seeing in this modern era of television. Finally, McBride had her strongest season to date on "The Walking Dead," putting aside the notion that the show is just for blood and guts. In the season's best episode, "The Grove," McBride puts on a masterclass of acting as she struggles to confront the truth of her prior actions and must make a gut-wrenching decision about the fate of a fellow survivor. She is unflinching, yet heartbreaking, and she makes an effortless appearance at appearing tough on the outside, with hints of the brokenheartedness we know she feels on the inside. McBride's brutal honesty in the role this season made her stick out in a way that no other "TWD" cast member has before and earned her a spot in a line-up with incredible performances.


Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

WINNER: Jeremy Allen White for "Shameless"

2nd Place: Tony Hale for "Veep"

3rd Place: Adam Driver for "Girls"

Joe Lo Truglio for "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

Jesse Tyler Ferguson for "Modern Family"

Timothy Simons for "Veep"'

The supporting funny men of TV are currently in a weird funk. By this, I mean that quirks and general weirdness are a dominant trait of this year's nominees and winners. To start, let's look at Simons, who had a breakout season on "Veep" following a major storyline for his character Jonah's outing from the White House and subsequent rise in the Internet world as a government insider. Jonah is such an awkward and off-putting character, but something about Simons' performance makes you simultaneously hate him and love him. You just don't like seeing his weird, perv-ish seduction tactics, yet your heart breaks a little bit every time you see him defeated. Simons stepped up to the plate big time this year. Another actor with a breakout season is Ferguson from "Modern Family." Five seasons into the show, Ferguson had his best season, no doubt due to his wedding storyline. He had a lot of funny moments throughout the season, but several of the more serious moments of the season involving his character including his engagement, the fight with his father before the wedding, and the actual wedding itself were grounded with Ferguson's honest portrayal. On a strong ensemble for a show that had its best season in years, it's worth noting that Ferguson was the brightest part of the show's fifth season. On the reverse end of things, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is coming off a strong first season, due to numerous standout performances, but specifically Lo Truglio as the bumbling, but lovable Boyle. From episode one, we're rooting for him not even only from a romantic viewpoint, but just a general, ya know, human existence stance. His triumphs are our triumphs, and even when he fails, he usually makes us laugh out loud while doing it. Lo Truglio's ability to make us care Boyle from the absolute beginning of the show is proof that he's an immediate standout in a very strong ensemble. For the top three nominees in this category, there couldn't be a wider variety of picks. Driver was already establishing himself on a show quite literally titled "Girls," but this was his best year, carving himself as the best part about the show. Driver's authenticity rings truer than any other performance on television, and after spending a few seasons in the moral gray area, we can finally fully cheer him on this season after he enters a healthy relationship with Hannah and lands a role in a Broadway show. Even in his toughest moments, Adam is still the voice of reason on the show, and as an audience member, you grow to appreciate his role in Hannah's life beyond just a boyfriend or body in her bed. Hale continued to steal scenes left and right in the best season of "Veep" yet, and his ability to stick out in a killer ensemble is a testament to just how much Hale has allowed the audience to fall for Gary. Even with a simple whisper or the posture of his body while holding a bag, he can make us laugh out loud. A simple facial expression can do the trick. His delivery, timid and meek, is like a little tickle to the stomach. Hale's ability to not only make the audience laugh out loud week after week, but also grow to love a character on a show of mainly unlikeable (but still lovable) characters proves his strength. However, my pick for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series this year is White, the underrated standout of "Shameless." In my binge of this show earlier in the summer, I was blown away by the power of White's performance, and his peak came in the latest season, which saw him juggling his first year of college in addition to a cavalcade of familial setbacks. As Lip, White portrayed a young person essentially juggling the job of a young college student, a matriarch, a substitute for an absent father, a boyfriend, an adulterer, a brother, and a young sexual being. Running around from problem to problem, White made it very easy to not only elicit empathy, but also make us question his decisions. Yet that's what rings the most true about his performance. When we don't agree with White's confrontation of his problems or how he handles his relationships, we, the audience, are only reacting strongly because we care so much about Lip and want to see him succeed. As a character whose future was brightly set up, having it crumble before him not only is devastating for the audience to watch, but gives White the opportunity to show the effort and struggle that comes with balancing the perfect life. Luckily for us, White provides one hell of a fearless performance while doing it, making him the victor of the category this year.

Check back later in the week for the coordinating supporting categories, as well as other winners for this year's Evannies!