Laura Linney (“Ozark”) has yet to win an Emmy for playing Wendy Byrde.
A two-time Best Drama Actress nominee for the Netflix series (2019-20), she was the odds-on favorite to win for her banner third season in 2020, but was bested by “Euphoria” star Zendaya that year. Now, after a year delay due to Covid, she is eligible for the show’s fourth and final season, and ready to take out her competition (just like Wendy would).
As of this writing, Linney is in second place in our Drama Actress odds, trailing only Zendaya. Rounding out the Top 6 are “Yellowjackets’” Melanie Lynskey in third place, “The Morning Show’s” Jennifer Aniston in fourth and “Killing Eve’s” Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh in fifth and sixth, respectively. Should this be the ultimate lineup, Linney would ironically battle four of her five rivals from 2020, with Lynskey replacing a now-ineligible Olivia Colman (“The Crown”). But given the possibility of a near-complete rematch, you might be wondering, “Well, what would be different this time around?”
Does Laura Linney deserve an Emmy from her role in ‘Ozark’?
Linney would be just one of many people who could capitalize on that trend of honoring new winners, the others including Aniston, Lynskey and Oh. Of those, Lynskey and Oh are the only ones would also fit the trend of Drama Actress going to an Emmy-less performer every year under the popular vote system — one that Linney, a four-time champ, would have to overcome.
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But if had to bet on someone to pull this off, it would be Linney, who has won an Emmy for every one of her nominated roles. A seven-time nominee, she has bagged victories for “Wild Iris” (2002), “John Adams” (2008) and “The Big C: Hereafter” (2013) for limited series/TV movie actress, and for “Frasier” for comedy guest actress (2004). Closing out her nomination total are her bids for “The Big C” for comedy actress (2011) and “Ozark.”