Poll: Can ‘Shameless’ star Emmy Rossum win an Emmy?

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‘Shameless,’ Showtime’s new series about the ultimate dysfunctional family, is a serious Emmy contender. While it faces tough odds to be nominated in the crowded race for best drama series, star William H. Macy will probably snag a bid for drama actor. Two reasons: He’s an Emmy darling (won for writing and starring in the 2002 TV film ‘Door to Door’), and he gives a big, brassy performance as a boozy Bohemian.

But what about Emmy Rossum, who portrays his daughter who valiantly tries to keep the crazy family functioning while Daddy goes on drunken benders? She didn’t have much Emmy buzz after ‘Shameless’ debuted in January, but that has changed over the past few weeks after she gave powerhouse turns in recent episodes such as ‘But at Last Came a Knock.’

‘I’d love to see Emmy Rossum make the Emmy cut this year,’ says a poster named Atypical in our forums. ‘It’s funny that if this were the Oscars, the deglam/youth factor would make her a clear front-runner, but in Emmy land, the veteran ladies are not giving up their slots to the new girl at all. But if by some miracle she does break through, Rossum has competitive tapes to submit.’

Forums poster east/west adds: ‘She deserves a nomination for her breakout role as the matriarch of the Gallagher family as far as I am concerned. If we accept the fact that five of the six slots are locked up with Kathy Bates, Mariska Hargitay, Julianna Margulies, Elisabeth Moss and Kyra Sedgwick, she’ll be fighting with Connie Britton, Melissa Leo and Katey Sagal for that final slot.’ Read more comments in our forums.

Rossum was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2004 (best musical/comedy actress, ‘Phantom of the Opera’), but lost to Annette Bening (‘Being Julia’).

-- Tom O’Neil