‘Elsbeth’ will mark Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s return to the Emmys after a decade-long absence
“Elsbeth” brought back Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni after she originated the character in both “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight.” The CBS spin-off show follows the titular Elsbeth, an unconventional attorney who works with the NYPD to catch criminals.
But “Elsbeth” doesn’t just return Preston to one of her most treasured roles, it could also return Jesse Tyler Ferguson to the Emmys. Ferguson has a healthy Emmys history behind him (more on that later) but he has been absent at the TV awards for some time now (again, more on that later). His guest role in “Elsbeth” could change that, however. Ferguson plays Skip Mason, an Andy Cohen-like producer behind a reality TV show titled “Lavish Ladies.” Ferguson clearly has a ball every time he’s on-screen and, as a result, we have a ball watching him, too, as noted by critics.
M.N. Miller (Geek Vibes Nation) clarified: “The first three episodes were made available to critics, and they boast an impressive lineup of guest stars. These include Preston’s former ‘True Blood’ castmate Stephen Moyer, ’30 Rock”s Jane Krakowski, and ‘Modern Family”s Jessie Tyler Ferguson.”
Ben Travers (Indie Wire) explained: “It also allows for tantalizing guest stars to pop in without spoiling the mystery. Odds are if you spot a famous face among the suspects on a network TV drama, they’re the killer; here, we already know they’re the killer, which means we can kick back and appreciate Moyer’s devilish smarm, Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s bossy charms, and Jane Krakowski’s finely toned arms.”
Abe Friedtanzer (Awards Watch) noted: “The successive installments feature two talented stars known for their comedy and theater work – Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Jane Krakowski – excelling in meaty roles as a reality producer and a real estate agent, respectively.”
Our current predicted nominees for Best Drama Guest Actor are Nestor Carbonell (“Shōgun”), John Turturro (“Mr. And Mrs. Smith”), Michael Emerson (“Fallout”), Kyle MacLachlan (“Fallout”), and Paul Dano (“Mr. And Mrs. Smith”). However, as mentioned earlier, Ferguson has a stellar history at the Emmys.
He has five Emmy bids to his name, which all came for Best Comedy Supporting Actor in “Modern Family” — in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Ferguson is clearly an actor Emmy voters admire. The fact that he has had a 10-year absence should only spur Emmy voters on to vote for him; especially as he won a Tony Award in the interim for his featured role in the 2022 revival of the play “Take Me Out.” “Elsbeth” has been so well-received and he shone so brightly in his episode, bringing brought his idiosyncratic style to the show in glorious fashion.
Plus, Best Drama Guest Actor has actually been a great category for actors staging Emmy comebacks. James Cromwell made an Emmy return in 2020 with a Best Drama Guest Actor bid for “Succession” after he’d amassed four prior Emmy nominations, the most recent of which was in 2013. Similarly, Adrien Brody returned to the Emmys after seven years thanks to his guest role in “Succession” when he was nominated in 2021; is previous bid came in 2014. Glynn Turman was nominated in this category in 2019 for “How to Get Away with Murder”; his last bid had been in 2008. s.
Plus, crime shows always do well in drama categories and Best Drama Guest Actor is no different. Tom Pelphrey (“Ozark”), Michael McKean (“Better Call Saul”), Cameron Britton (“Mindhunter”), F. Murray Abraham (“Homeland”), Hank Azaria (“Ray Donovan”), and Alan Alda (“The Blacklist”) have all reaped citations for their performances in crime shows. Ferguson and “Elsbeth” fit right in with this.
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