Six years after earning her first Emmy nomination for playing protagonist Hannah Horvath’s mother during the farewell season of “Girls,” Becky Ann Baker is back in the Best Comedy Guest Actress race thanks to her appearance as Ted Lasso’s mom in the penultimate episode of the Apple TV+ series’ third (and probably final) season. Since this year’s lineup features three portrayals of moms, as well as three “Ted Lasso” actresses, Baker faces quite a challenge in terms of standing out, but her uniquely nuanced and relatively lengthy performance might just give her the edge.
Baker’s sole “Ted Lasso” appearance as Dottie Lasso occurs in “Mom City.” Ted (Jason Sudeikis) unexpectedly bumps into her in London and is told she simply traveled there from Kentucky on a bucket list-inspired whim. As the pair spend time at Ted’s home, place of work and local pub, his anxiety intensifies until he finally unleashes his long-brewing resentment toward her for mishandling his father’s suicide. After he breaks down the walls between them using his recently developed therapy strategies, the real reason for Dottie’s visit becomes clear and she admits her faults while helping Ted come to terms with his own.
SEE 2023 Best Comedy Guest Actress Emmy submissions
With its 21 new nominations this year, “Ted Lasso” sits at a lifetime total of 61 Emmy bids and is the most nominated comedy for the third year in a row. As it vies for a third consecutive Best Comedy Series win, it can also be honored in up to five acting categories. For the first time, the comedy guest actress contest is the one in which it has the most nominations, as Sarah Niles and Harriet Walter also earned notices for their third-season appearances.
Baker’s second Emmy nomination comes three decades into her primetime TV acting career, which began with guest spots on “L.A. Law,” “Frasier” and “Star Trek: Voyager.” The 70-year-old is now only the fifth woman to receive guest notices for multiple comedy series after turning 60, following Eileen Heckart, Carol Burnett, Betty White and Cloris Leachman. If she wins, she will be the fifth oldest recipient of this award, behind White (88, “Saturday Night Live,” 2010; 74, “The John Larroquette Show, 1996), Elaine Stritch (82, “30 Rock,” 2008), Leachman (80 and 76, “Malcolm in the Middle,” 2006 and 2002, respectively) and Heckart (75, “Love & War,” 1994).
In addition to Niles and Walter, Baker’s challengers in this guest race are Quinta Brunson (“Saturday Night Live”), Taraji P. Henson (“Abbott Elementary”) and Judith Light (“Poker Face”). Niles and Walter are on their second consecutive “Ted Lasso” bids, although the former’s first one came in the supporting category. Just like in 2022, Brunson is seeking a lead victory for “Abbott Elementary,” while Walter is a concurrent drama guest hopeful for “Succession.” Aside from Walter and Baker, the only member of this lineup who has competed for this particular award before is Light, who was nominated for “Ugly Betty” in 2007.
This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “Emmy nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2023 acting contenders.
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