Now that the 2011-2012 TV season is over, we’re looking back at the best in comedy. Here are my 15 favorite supporting actresses.
#15 Yvette Nicole Brown, Community
The sweet and sometimes overlooked member of the cast, her ability to switch from nice and gentle to ferocious and mean is magnificent.
#14 Christa Miller, Cougar Town
I could watch Miller be mean to people as the harsh Ellie for hours.
#13 Cheryl Hines, Suburgatory
Perfectly made-up to represent the rich, out-of-touch suburban wife, Hines’ performance is even more amazing when you put it next to her work as Larry David’s wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
#12 Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
It takes a special kind of woman to outsmart Sheldon Cooper and convince him to engage in an actual relationship, and Bialik makes it work.
#11 Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation
By working for Leslie’s campaign, Plaza revealed that there’s a big heart buried beneath April’s layers and layers of cynicism.
#10 Busy Philipps, Cougar Town
It takes her skill to make a character look so remarkably stupid, and Phillipps’ boisterous, fearless attitude does just that.
#9 Kristen Bell, House of Lies
After Veronica Mars there’s nothing Bell can do that I won’t enjoy, but she does a great job scoring points as a shrewd woman who knows how to use her sexuality to her advantage.
#8 Casey Wilson, Happy Endings
“A-mah-zing” may be retired, but it still describes Casey Wilson’s endless enthusiasm as a hopeless romantic.
#7 Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
I’m pretty sure she’s making her accent thicker every year, but even when I can hardly understand her words, she makes me laugh with her zany facial expressions and hand gestures.
#6 Melissa Rauch, The Big Bang Theory
As the bride-to-be, Rauch spent all season getting some really strong material and her journey from mousy little lady to blushing bride was fantastic.
#5 Alison Brie, Community
From her sexy, stupid Christmas song to her trippy trek into Abed’s Dreamatorium, Annie was just the right amount of crazy this season.
#4 Elisha Cuthbert, Happy Endings
In the show’s second season, Cuthbert’s Alex became dumber and dumber with every episode, and her silliness astonished me and, most impressively, made me completely forget about Kim Bauer.
#3 Gillian Jacobs, Community
My favorite character on Community changes from week to week, but Britta’s naïve and idiotic desire to become a psych major gave her great moments all season long and made her a standout for me.
#2 Julie Bowen, Modern Family
With Claire running for city council, Bowen actually got the chance to be the comedic center of the show multiple times this season, and she was definitely up to that task.
#1 Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings
To be honest, many of the ladies on this list could’ve been my number one pick. But it’s Coupe’s wildly obsessive Jane that made me laugh the hardest this season. As proof, all you need to do is watch “The Kerkovich Way,” an episode all about Jane using an ancient Serbian technique to erase people’s minds and make them forget things that actually happened.
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
