SAG Awards nominee profile: Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary’) would be first network sitcom winner since 2014

Matthew Stewart
·3 min read
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Since the last eight years’ worth of SAG Award winners for TV comedy have exclusively hailed from streaming or cable shows, it would be reasonable to assume that the days of honoring performances on network sitcoms are over. However, there is a strong chance that this trend will be broken this year by recent Golden Globe recipient Quinta Brunson, who is looking to win the favor of her acting guild peers as the star of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” Though the SAG Awards newcomer faces stiff competition, the widespread popularity of her show may be more than enough to secure her victory.

Along with Jean Smart (“Hacks”), Brunson is one of two simultaneous ensemble nominees in this year’s comedy actress lineup. Smart is the solo category’s reigning champion and is involved in a third 2023 contest as a cast member of the film “Babylon.” Rachel Brosnahan is presently seeking her second comedy actress win and fourth overall for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” while Christina Applegate hopes to score on her third individual bid for “Dead to Me.” Rounding out the group is Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”), who, like Brunson, is a first-time contender.

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Due to the acting guild’s adherence to calendar year eligibility windows, Brunson is nominated for both the first and second seasons of “Abbott Elementary,” which respectively premiered in December 2021 and September 2022. Her character, Janine Teagues, is a second grade teacher at a predominantly Black Philadelphia public school whose early-career optimism is consistently tested by extreme budget restrictions and her jaded, self-righteous or simply inept colleagues.

A solo or ensemble victory for Brunson would make her the first broadcast sitcom performer to win a SAG Award since 2014, when the cast of ABC’s “Modern Family” triumphed and Ty Burrell was singled out from that group for a comedy actor honor. The last individual female winner of this kind was Tina Fey, who collected her fourth trophy for NBC’s “30 Rock” in 2013. In the last decade, the only other comedy actress nominees from network shows were Amy Poehler (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” 2013; 2015-2016), Sofía Vergara (“Modern Family,” 2013) and Julie Bowen (“Modern Family,” 2014-2015). In addition to Burrell, the corresponding male list includes Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock,” 2013-2014), Jim Parsons (CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” 2013-2016), Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family,” 2013; 2015), Anthony Anderson (ABC’s “Black-ish,” 2017-2018) and Sean Hayes (NBC’s “Will and Grace,” 2018).

Brunson would also make history as her solo category’s second Black winner, after Uzo Aduba (“Orange is the New Black,” 2015-2016). She is the third Black actress to ever compete for the award, with the first having been Vanessa Williams (“Ugly Betty”) in 2008. At 33, she would also be the fourth youngest woman to ever take the prize, after America Ferrera (22, “Ugly Betty,” 2007), Brosnahan (28, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” 2019) and Helen Hunt (31, “Mad About You,” 1995).

This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “SAG Awards nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2023 contenders in film and TV.

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