{alltv} Emmys: TVGuide.com's Picks for Supporting Actress in a Drama

Emmy ballots are almost due! Over the week, Emmy voters will be checking off names and shows they think are worthy of getting a nomination come July 14. We here at TVGuide.com have a few picks in mind ourselves. Next up: our dream ballot for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama:

Michelle Forbes, The Killing
You know what they say: Misery loves Emmy. Or is it company? In any case, Forbes' raw portrayal of a bereaved mother has been devastating, poignant and one of the most frank depictions of grief we've seen. Is it a baity role? Yes, but Forbes sells it with sincerity without turning Mitch Larsen into a caricature. Try watching any one of her episodes this season and not let your heart shatter into little pieces.

Regina King, Southland
It is high time the Emmys show Southland some love, especially King, who had her best season to date on the cop drama. In years when it's mostly been about scenery-chewing, King conveys strength, confidence and compassion through restraint, even during the roller-coaster year Detective Lydia Adams had. One thing that might factor into King's chances: Her open letter about the lack of non-white acting nominees.

Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
It would've been easy to get lost in the testosterone-heavy Boardwalk Empire cast, but Macdonald hung tough — and dare we say even outshined some of the boys — with her understated portrayal of Margaret Schroeder. Her metamorphosis from innocent immigrant to Nucky's mistress was complex and meticulously modulated by Macdonald. Even better for the Scottish star: She won an Emmy for the HBO flick The Girl in the Café, so she's already on the academy's radar.

Margo Martindale, Justified
With all due respect to the contenders in this category, Martindale wipes the floor and then some with her role-of-a-lifetime performance. Powerful and gripping, the veteran actress gave the delightfully menacing matriarch Mags Bennett some old-school rural charm and sympathetic humanity that made Mags a dynamite villain for the ages. Mags lived and died by her rules, and we'll do the same with this pick.

Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
There's nothing like silencing critics. Last year, Panjabi was the surprise — if not head-scratching for some — champ and the actress backed up her win with one multilayered performance after another this year while Kalinda's enigmatic past was slowly revealed. Anyone in doubt of Panjabi's range need not look further than the season's penultimate episode, when we finally got a small peek into Kalinda's elusive vulnerable side.

Kiernan Shipka, Mad Men
As previously mentioned, the Emmys are not very fond of the underage set, but there was absolutely nothing childlike about Shipka's work last season as little Sally Draper desperately coped with her parents' split. Upgraded to regular status, Shipka deftly handled her very mature story lines with poise and conviction that belied her 11 years.

Who would you like to see nominated?