Telfie's Emmy Awards WishList - Outstanding Lead Actress Drama/Comedy

While Once Upon A Time has taken some questionable storytelling decisions in the past 2 seasons, no one can deny that amidst the plethora of heroes and villains that come and go, amidst the stories that we love and hate, there was only one whose journey has touched the largest part of the audience and has been the object of the most consistent character development: Regina. In the 6 years of the show's run, Lana Parrilla has stolen the hearts of millions of fans, of all ages, of all sexes, has helped with her mesmerizing performance people who found themselves in troubling and difficult situations such as her character and inspired them to fight and get out of that fight as winners. She played countless versions of herself, going from 18-year-old young and innocent princess to strict Mayor, to an old haig, to a murdering Evil Queen, to the goddess of the sea, to a sweet bandit, to a mother, to a lover, to a friend and ultimately to the real Regina we all love. She has a capability to express emotions with a mere twitch of an an eyebrow and can narrate entire paragraphs without having to speak because everything she wants to say is right there in her expression and her eyes. She can deliver the most heartbreaking and hour-stealing scenes with just one word (no one can forget the ending scene between her and Jared Gilmore in the 2nd episode of season 4, where Henry returns home and is set to not give up on his mom) and frankly, such a talent has been long overseen when it comes to the Emmys.

In the last year, Lana Parrilla had to face the challenge of playing opposite her own self, with Regina splitting herself from the Evil Queen, and, naturally, she proved once again her remarkability and how she honestly does not require a costar opposite her to show her talent. One of the scenes that stood out in the entire 6th season involved Regina and the Evil Queen battling against each other to a heartbreaking and almost bittersweet resolution, in which Lana had to literally fight against thin air and follow a choreography that would normally require at least two people to get the result it did. Yet she did it all by herself and she earned once again a standing ovation from fans all over the globe. Many have been saying she's been carrying the show for ages, and it is pretty damn true when you think of the research she has done for each version of her character, of the different voice she adopts when she is in her Evil Queen regalia, of the training she had to do to stunt actresses in order for them to move like Regina or the Queen do. Regardless of what people consider her status on the show to be, a leading actress or supporting actress, she has been the heart and soul of Once Upon A Time for 6 years and will continue to be as much for as long as she is part of it. She has never been a mere support of that show, she IS practically the show. It's time the Academy looked past the stereotypes and give this woman all the awards she deserves, meaning the freaking Emmy, because if they are truly looking for actors with astounding performances... well, they need not look any further!

The Leftovers has been a journey of unbelievable magical images, gut punches and some of the most beautiful scenes in the history of TV. In the 3 seasons that this show has been on the air there are numerous hauntingly gorgeous scenes that still to do this would make anyone's heart stop. The entire cast on this show is bringing their A-game but Carrie Coon deserves all the Emmy's in the world, especially for this current 3rd season. Nora Durst is a deeply troubled, saddened and broken person who is very good as masquerading her inner feelings. Nora lost her husband and 2 children during the departure. After a long period of grief and suicidal thoughts she meets Kevin and they form a strong connection of mutual love and misery. When she opens herself up again to love a child it is taken away again. This time by the child's birth mother. On the surface Nora seems okay, but underneath an earthquake of grief is beginning. Carrie Coon is a master in expressing sadness and vulnerably to the extend that it hits you to your core. The mysterious storyline of the departure is on the forefront of storytelling but it is not something that the viewers necessarily need an explanation for. The series finale was a showcase for the many talents of Coon. She gave the performance of a lifetime.

Lucy Preston is a brave character who is also a history buff and an adventurous. Not only did Apigail Spencer have to play Lucy, but she also had to play many different characters to fit the times that she and her team went back to. But there is also a lot more to Lucy than just going back in time. She is also fighting to bring back her sister and dealing with a lot of personal issues of her own. Her life is very complicated but the way Spencer dives into character, you can't help that you want to see her nominated for an Emmy for her performance.

From an orphaned werewolf dreaming of finding her family to beginning a new family with the Mikaelsons, Hayley (played by Tonkin) is taking the world by storm. Hell-bent on protecting her daughter by any means necessary, Tonkin proves to be a worthy adversary of any big bad thing that comes next. Empowering, strong, compassionate, determined, and a good mom to boot, Tonkin plays a character that people can relate to, and it is a flawless performance. Tonkin’s character makes plenty of mistakes, but she is always willing to admit when she’s wrong and find a solution to every impossible problem thrown into the mix. All the while, kicking ass and staying strong for her family. It’s easy to fall in love with The Originals and its story purely based on Tonkin’s acting abilities. Just give her an Emmy already!

I still believe that Gillian hasn’t got enough praise for playing Superintendent Stella Gibson on BBC’s The Fall, chasing a ruthless serial killer who turned against her at some point. She portrays a tough and independent detective who knows how to fight her battles. She is a calm and composed woman, something that fits Gillian very well. Everything is calculated, every move well thought through and it’s just as impressive as it is intimidating.

Stella knows what she wants and how to put people back in her place if she needs to. She almost broke a guys nose because he wouldn’t take no, she makes no secret out of her needs and desires and I can’t imagine there being anyone who would have portrayed Stella more perfectly than Gillian. Describing maleness as a birth defect and delivering an impressive speech on consent were just two of man incredible moments we got to spend with Stella.

Until the very end she had us fascinated with her unique portrayal of a strong, sexual and fearless woman who was just as vulnerable. I remember that attack that was vicious and absolutely terrifying and the way things suddenly shifted. Seeing her so broken was terrible but she chose not to let it beat her! She deserves every bit of recognition that there is and I still believe the world needs more Stella’s.

Back when Major Crimes still used to be The Closer and Mary McDonnell’s character the antagonist, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Today, over five years later, McDonnell is the lead of the ensemble cast and regularly stuns the audience with her powerful performance of the LAPD boss lady, Captain (now Commander) Sharon Raydor. Major Crimes is a procedural show and does not always give McDonnell a lot to work with as the majority of the episodes focus almost solely on the crime solving, often letting the character development get the shorter end of the stick. Mary McDonnell, however, takes the maximum out of every single scene, no matter how short or how insignificant it is, and turns it into a masterpiece. In season 5 of Major Crimes, which concluded earlier this year, there were several Emmy worthy moments gifted to the audience by the outstanding thespian. Probably none more exceptional than her performance in the three-parter “White Lies” in which Sharon Raydor has to struggle with shooting and killing a murder suspect and in particular with the fact that she does not feel guilty about having taken his life.

McDonnell never over-acts, she subtly tells the viewers with her facial expression everything they need to know, the dialogue often only underlining what she already stated by moving only a single facial muscle. Like every exceptional actor, she is in full control of her body language at any time, while making it all look organic and completely unintentional. In a fraction of a second she manages to switch from the tough, intimidating cop with a death-stare to the loving, understanding mother who radiates nothing but love. Do you hear me, Emmy-voting-members? Mary McDonnell for your consideration!

Chrissy Metz is the lovely actress that plays Kate Pearson on This Is Us. From the very first episode we fell in love with Kate! Her struggles with weight and trying to find her path out of her brother Kevin (Justin Hartley)'s shadow has made her very relatable. She has a truly lovely voice and I am glad to hear that they will be showcasing that more in this upcoming season! We are rooting for her success!

Each and every week we have watched This Is Us, we have adopted the Pearsons as our own family. The love story between her and Toby (Chris Sullivan) has been so cute! We love how Kate is a Daddy's girl and mourn with her at the loss of her Dad (Milo Ventimiglia). We love how she is the best sister to both her brothers. She has often been the go-between to mend fences between Kevin and Randall (Sterling K. Brown). There has been a distance between Kate and her Mom (Mandy Moore), but if this show has taught us anything, "where there is still life, there is time."

I'll take this in a different way and say that the Emmys missed their chance when neither of these actresses were nominated in the years they were on their own shows: Stana Katic and Jennifer Morrison. I won't say much about Stana because I think I did it last year and didn't have a television show this year. Jennifer, who was on House years prior, is another one of those actresses whose character is hard to separate from the person himself, unless you're sane (haha!). Season Six of Once Upon A Time is not much of an acting vehicle for the character of Emma Swan, though JMo did great. S6 is more of a Lana Parrilla season, who I tremendously applaud and give kudos to for being both the Evil Queen and Regina in Storybrooke, as compared to Evil Queen being solely in the Enchanted Forest. You're awesome! The Emmys missed their chance on Morrison, who announced her leaving the show in last month. The Dark Swan arc was when Jen should have been nominated. One particular scene that stood out was when Nimue was controlling her and telling her that she was nothing to which Emma responded she wasn't. The anger, the conflict in one person, the fight for control...it's all there and yet subtle enough that it wasn't overacted.

Stana will have her own series later in the year so maybe here's to hoping that she will make it in the list next year.