Ray Richmond: Should Sarah Snook, Jennifer Coolidge and Rhea Seehorn move up to lead at Emmys?

*THIS STORY CONTAINS A SPOILER*

Let’s just come right out and say it: the list of potential nominees for drama series supporting actress is one of the most stacked ever – and we do mean EVER. It’s so packed with power players, in fact, that you’ve got to wonder if the top three current category leaders in the Gold Derby combined odds might be thinking about jumping ship to the far-more-inviting drama series lead group right about now.

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To be sure, the GD forums are buzzing with just such speculation about what Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus: Sicily”), Sarah Snook (“Succession”) and Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”) might be mulling.

SEEEmmy predictions: Can Sarah Snook (‘Succession’) halt Jennifer Coolidge’s winning streak?

“I’m thinking Snook and Seahorn go lead and Coolidge stays supporting,” offers poster Jays. “Snook is not only delivering but the (‘Succession’) writers are really giving her a lot to work with this season, so a bump up to lead makes sense, especially since the buzz for her performance is there. She’s being singled out everywhere. I ultimately think Coolidge stays where she is because ‘The White Lotus’ is so ensemble driven. She just doesn’t have enough screen time to warrant a category change, IMO. That obviously might not hold her or her team back from pulling the trigger but it’s more of a “I’ll believe it when I see it” thing for me as opposed to seeming more and more likely as the weeks go by, like Snook’s case.”

“The way Sarah Snook portrays the evolution of (her character) Shiv’s emotions is so painstakingly real that I almost can’t rewatch this without instantly having to choke back tears,” chimes in poster Evan. “‘Succession’ proves that Shiv Roy is one the greatest female characters ever written and Sarah knocks it out of the park. If there isn’t an Emmy with her name on it on September 18th, abolish the television academy.”

Adds poster It’s Riley DeBoer!: “I just don’t really understand what the point of (Coolidge) moving to lead would be. The whole point of Snook/Seehorn potentially moving is because Coolidge is such a strong frontrunner in the supporting category.”

SEESarah Snook didn’t know ‘Succession’ was officially ending until finale table read: ‘I felt a huge sense of loss’

Many other posters are singing a similar tune following Sunday’s cataclysmic third episode of “Succession” that shockingly found Logan Roy (Brian Cox) dropping dead in the bathroom of his luxury private jet and his grief-stricken children facing the enormous loss. It certainly elevated Snook’s Emmy candidacy, and she was already running second to Coolidge. But the prevailing wisdom up till now has still been that this race is Coolidge’s to lose, so the thought was that Snook and Seehorn might be looking to escape the category to get out of Coolidge’s way and take their chances in what appears to be the far more hospitable lead lineup.

But let’s examine just what makes competing in drama supporting such a formidable mission, taking it contender by contender:

• Coolidge (Gold Derby odds: 9/2) – She’s been pretty much unbeatable over the past seven months or so. After memorably winning the Emmy and dancing to the play-off music during her hilarious acceptance, she won the Golden Globe, the Critics Choice (for the second straight year) and the SAG Award. But that was all in the limited series/movie/mini category. She’s in a whole new world of drama now – sort of. She proved she could beat supporting and lead players in series with her SAG win.

• Snook (Gold Derby Odds: 5/1) – She generated supporting noms in both 2020 and 2022, losing both times. But there’s general agreement that she’s upped her game for Season 4 of “Succession.”

SEEEmmy Experts slugfest: Should ‘Better Call Saul’s’ Rhea Seehorn move to lead?

• Seehorn (Gold Derby odds: 13/2) – She earned a nomination for supporting last year, ultimately losing to Julia Garner for “Ozark.” This is her final opportunity to win for “Better Call Saul,” and no doubt her best one, too.

• Elizabeth Debicki for “The Crown” (Gold Derby odds: 17/2) – She landed Golden Globe and SAG Award bids earlier this year, and she played Princess Diana, for crying out loud.

• Aubrey Plaza for “The White Lotus: Sicily” (Gold Derby odds: 9/1) – A budding superstar, Plaza already scored Globe and SAG noms for her work in “White Lotus” and is an overwhelming pick for her first Emmy attention.

• Christina Ricci for “Yellowjackets” (Gold Derby odds: 19/2) – She was already nominated in the category in 2022 for “Yellowjackets.”

SEEChristina Ricci poised to make Emmys history with bids for ‘Yellowjackets’ and ‘Wednesday’

• Meghann Fahy for “The White Lotus: Sicily” (Gold Derby odds: 14/1) – She was part of the drama ensemble that won the SAG Award this year.

• J. Smith-Cameron for “Succession” (Gold Derby odds: 14/1) – Another 2022 drama supporting nominee who’s poised for a return.

• Carol Burnett for “Better Call Saul” (Gold Derby odds: 44/1) – Well come on, she’s Carol Friggin’ Burnett. Need I say more? Screw it, I will anyway. She has 24 Emmy nominations and six wins to show for her legendary career. If you’re Seehorn, you might want to get as far away from this woman and her category as possible.

• Lesley Manville for “The Crown” (Gold Derby odds: 60/1) – She’s a 2018 Oscar nominee (for “The Phantom Thread”).

Oy, oy and oy. You’ve got to admit that’s quite a top 10.

SEEEmmy predictions: Melanie Lynskey (‘Yellowjackets’) could become second ever Best Drama Actress winner for Showtime

Meanwhile, if you look at the lineup for drama series lead (frontrunner Melanie Lynskey for “Yellowjackets,” Imelda Staunton for “The Crown” and Bella Ramsey for “The Last of Us”) it doesn’t appear nearly so powerful, even if it also features Oscar winners like Helen Mirren (“1923”) and Hilary Swank (“Alaska Daily”). Last year’s victor Zendaya (“Euphoria”) is no longer in the running. Hopping over here from supporting might seem like a really good idea if you qualify, given how wide open the race is.

Not that there are any guarantees no matter what category you ultimately decide to compete in, as It’s Riley DeBoer! reminds us: “Imagine if Seehorn, Snook and Coolidge all move to lead and Bella Ramsey still ends up winning.” Imagine indeed.

Of course, other possibilities still exist, as a check of the calendar confirms it’s still only April. Snook and Seahorn could move to get away from Coolidge – but then what if Coolidge also decided to move? What if only Snook opts to make the break for lead? It’s a high-stakes chess match worthy of Logan Roy, except he’s no longer around to supervise. About all that’s clear is that May 9 is the Emmy entry deadline and therefore the date by which all category decisions must be made – and the clock is ticking.

That said, here’s what I would do if I were Coolidge, Snook and Seehorn:

• Coolidge: Stay put.

• Snook: Move to lead.

• Seehorn: Move to lead.

PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12

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