The contenders in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series face stiff competition from Tina Fey, in her final run as Liz Lemon. The competition is made even more difficult with the category’s line of cable stars, including Lena Dunham, Laura Dern and Edie Falco. However, the real race is between Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Amy Poehler. Louis-Dreyfus is in good standing, as she won the award last year, but Poehler and “Parks and Recreation” are long overdue for some Emmy love. Louis-Dreyfus’ performance is on par with Poehler’s, but fails to evoke anything from the actress fans have not already come to expect. Poehler, on the other hand, still keeps things fresh as Pawnee’s most enthusiastic resident, and voters would be lying if they said they did not shed a tear during last season’s wedding episode.
A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Sept. 19 print edition. Marcus Jones is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].