THIS IS “2012,” for the 2013 Contenders click HERE!

Interestingly enough, there was a time when, before the actual nominations came out, voters would narrow down all the contenders to the “top 10″. They obviously don’t do that anymore. But…we can still assume which contenders are at the top of the voter’s minds. Before I release my official nomination predictions around early July, I am going to run down which 10 or so contenders are the biggest threats…and maybe some personal long shots that I believe voters should consider. Here we go!

I am basing the category placements, based on the official ballots which were just released. Here they are.

For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

In alphabetical order, here are the top contenders for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series…

1. MAYIM BIALIK [The Big Bang Theory] - Pros: She’s probably the MVP from the last season of The Big Bang Theory. Even when an episode is sucking, you can always count on Bialik to  deliver a hilarious line about how attractive Penny is or something. With the show’s ratings going through the roof, people are beginning to notice Bialik, and positive notice can equal Emmy nominations. (How else do you think Jim Parsons got his first nomination?) And, hey, we all still love Blossom, right? Cons: In an award that, let’s say, 60% of the time lazily votes based on name recognition and establishment, Bialik is definitely in trouble. She hasn’t been nominated for any “major” awards for any other project she’s ever done (unless if you count The Young Artists Awards).

2. JULIE BOWEN [Modern Family] - Pros: Continuously proving to be the surprisingly funniest thing about the show right now, Bowen won her first Emmy for her second nomination last season. There’s really very little sign of her departure this year. Cons: Her humor on the show isn’t as crazy and broad as Sofia Vergara’s. Despite her win, there are some people who still prefer Vergara. If that group has grown since last year, she could be dropped all together from contention.

3. ANNA CHLUMSKY [Veep] - Pros: Although the show is only in its first season, the show has still gotten some really strong reviews and Emmy buzz. Anna Chlumsky has also gotten some mild notice, mostly due to the fact that this her so called “big comback” since her My Girl days. She’s really good on the show, and if voters feel the same and are proud that their crush from the early 90′s has gotten somewhere, then a nomination could be hers. Cons: She’s in the same boat as Mayim Bialik. No other major nominations for anything else she’s done. And this is a new show. We still don’t know how Emmys regard it. And even if they do like the show, they may focus all their attention on the star JLD solely, completely ignoring the supporting cast.

4. KALEY CUOCO [The Big Bang Theory] - Pros: Award shows are really starting to take notice of the series. Not only did the show itself get its first nomination for Series last year, but they also got a SAG nomination for the Ensemble afterwards. All that growing love could mean good things for Cuoco, who hasn’t received a nomination yet. This year, after years of competing in the Lead category, she submitted herself to supporting, bringing new life to her dying chances. Cons: Honestly, supporting, nonetheless, is a lot more competitive than Leading. I’m personally not sure if her chances of getting nominated are any greater. If she receives a nomination, it’ll be more for the fact that the series itself is getting more popular, not necessarily for this stunt.

5. KATHRYN JOOSTEN [Desperate Housewives] - Pros: Yes, her character on the show was was very popular. Yes, the show just finished its last season. Yes, she gave great performances for those last couple of episodes. Yes, she’s already won two Emmys for this role (Guest category). But, honestly, the biggest reason she’s a top contender is because her unfortunate death is probably still fresh on a lot of voters’ minds. This is one final way of awarding her performance, not only on this show, but for all the shows she’s appeared on. (Think back to when John Ritter was nominated for 8 Simple Rules after he passed away.) Cons: Although she was successful in the Guest Actress category, she hasn’t been completely successful since she moved up to Supporting. And, honestly, there’s this misconception that voters are incredibly sentimental. They’re not. And, yeah, they’ll be sad when they see Joosten on the ballot. They may even shed a tear, but it doesn’t automatically mean they’ll vote for her!

6. JANE KRAKOWSKI [30 Rock] - Pros: This has been a very very strong season for Krakowski. Even a lot of fans who disliked this season still admit that Krakowski’s done great work and that Jenna makes anything funny. This season showed a lot of growth for Jenna with her engagement to her two season boyfriend Paul L’astname, played by Will Forte. And she’s been nominated for the last three years consecutively. Cons: She’s never been a front runner in the category, not even in the top half of the nominees. Her nominations aren’t necessarily shocking, but she’s always been on the edge. She’s always been vulnerable according to a lot of Emmy predictors. With older, more established actresses like Cloris Leachmen and Kathryn Joosten getting into the race, someone has to be plucked out, and this may be the year unfortunately that Krakowski finally gets dropped in favor of those older actresses.

7. CLORIS LEACHMEN [Raising Hope] - Pros: This funky grandma is a huge Emmy favorite, having consistently been nominated and won for various projects since her Mary Tyler Moore days. Last year, she was nominated for this role last year in the Guest Actress category. Although she isn’t the most prominent member of the cast, she always pops in and makes us laugh with whatever she’s doing. And, again, the Emmys love her, even if they don’t “like” the series. Cons: This is her first time competing in this category with this role. So, who knows if the voters are ready to put her up with the “big kids”.

8. JANE LYNCH [Glee] - Pros: She won the Emmy in 2010 after an incredibly strong first season of Glee. She received a second nomination last year. She’s also won a Golden Globe and received an individual SAG nomination last year. Cons: If voters have been paying attention, they’d realize that while Sue was the show’s strongest asset during the first season, the writers have made Sue more and more ridiculous and extraneous since the season 2 premiere. Some of the strongest episodes lately have featured little to no Sue. While the character has gotten a little better towards the end of season 3, I still wouldn’t say she deserves to be among the top 6. If voters think otherwise then whatever.

9. WENDIE MALICK [Hot in Cleveland] - Pros: As the shallow soap opera actress Victoria Chase, she’s become the funniest and sharpest thing about Hot in Cleveland. And she was nominated for 2 Emmys for Just Shoot Me so she’s sort of kinda maybe in the Emmy radar if not in the bubble. And considering she’s probably worked with every living actor before, I bet she has strong industry support. Cons: Betty White is the only cast member who’s been individually recognized from the show. With Betty White’s star getting brighter with every day, it may be harder to notice how much worthier Malick would be.

10. NAYA RIVERA [Glee] - Pros: Of all the “kids” on the show, no one has created more raw buzz and acclaim than Naya Rivera for her portrayal as the newly-came out lesbian cheerleader Santana. She’s gotten some really positive notice, particularly for the episode “Mash Off,” where she performed “Someone Like You” with the other Troubletones. It may be a bit of stretch to put her in the top row of contenders, but if voters are truly tired of Lynch, they may switch gears, take a risk, and put Rivera on their ballots. Cons: Yeah…that probably won’t happen.

11. MAYA RUDOLPH [Up All Night] - Pros: Although Rudolph hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy, Rudolph has probably impressed many voters for her hilarious supporting performance in Up All Night. If a newcomer is allowed to sneak in, it will most likely be Rudolph, whose broad kind of performance is what Emmys are made of. Cons: Early on, there were some critical reviews that said that Rudolph’s character felt off considering the tone of the show, but that criticism has seemed to die down since then. I think it’s just a matter of this being a new show and a new role, so we don’t really know how this will all fit in an Emmy season.

12. SOFIA VERGARA [Modern Family] - Pros: Along with SAG Awards and Golden Globes, she’s been nominated for two Emmys. Logically, As the only non-white in the adult cast, she immediately stands out to Emmy voters. Less logically, she’s really funny, even if the “yelling in a foreign accent” schtick has gotten old since the first season. Her high profile guest stint on SNL may also help her. Cons: I’m just going to rewrite “even if the ‘yelling in a foreign accent’ schtick has gotten old since the first season.”

13. BETTY WHITE [Hot in Cleveland] - Pros: She has won 5 Emmys, her last Emmy win being two years ago for her hosting stint on SNL. She was nominated for Hot in Cleveland last year. She’s also won two SAG Awards, so clearly she has tons of support from her fellow actors. And with her other show, the prank show, doing moderately well (for NBC), she has high visibility. Cons: If the voters have an “out with the old, in with the new” attitude, then White, the oldest of them all, is out.

14. KRISTEN WIIG [Saturday Night Live] - Pros: Wiig is one of the most buzzed, celebrated female comedians right now, following the foot steps of other SNL alum Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. She is the most visible (and hilarious), cast member of SNL. She’s been nominated for the last 3 years. And, outside of SNL, she’s been nominated for an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay of the hit Bridesmaids (along with receiving a Golden Globe for her performance in the film). With this being her last season (and with that beautiful send off she got during the Mick Jagger episode), voters will probably want to at least nominate her one last time. Cons: Wiig is very polarizing. I’d say for every 10 people who love her, there’s 1 troll person who absolutely can’t stand her. So…yeah…

FYI Other contenders include: Kristen Bell (House of Lies), Alison Brie (Community), Conchata Ferrell (Two and a Half Men), Jenna Fischer (The Office), Swoosie Kurtz (Mike & Molly), Diane Ladd (Enlightened), Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men), Casey Wilson (Happy Endings)

Longshots Worth Mentioning: Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland), Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings), Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother), Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Cheryl Hines (Suburgatory), Gillian Jacobs (Community), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation), Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland), Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Busy Phillips (Cougar Town), Eden Sher (The Middle), Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie), and Vanessa Williams (Desperate Housewives)

Farther longshots that I recommend people check out: Dianna Agron & Jenna Ushkowitz (Glee), Vanessa Bayer, Abby Elliot, Kate McKinnon, and Nasim Pedrad (SNL), Sufe Bradshaw (Veep), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Mindy Kaling & Mindy Kaling (The Office), Zosia Mamet (Girls), Retta (Parks and Recreation), Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C), and Hannah Simone (The Big C)

Believe it or not, there are more submissions for this category than what I listed above! Read the ballots (link posted above) to see who else was submitted. Thanks for reading! Supporting Actress in Drama coming tomorrow!