Will Keri Russell Win a Golden Globe Again 20 Years After Winning for ‘Felicity’?

Keri Russell is one of five actresses nominated for a Best Actress in a Television Drama Golden Globe tomorrow night, but she is the only one whose potential win would mark a truly gobsmacking career anniversary. 20 years ago, Russell won her first and only Golden Globe — in the very same category, no less — for her work in the first season of J.J. Abrams’s Felicity.

FX’s The Americans just wrapped up its critically-acclaimed run after six seasons. Though it’s long been a cult favorite among discerning TV fans, The Americans hasn’t really gotten its due in the awards circuit. That means that tonight is the last night that the show and its stars Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell could take home awards honoring their work on the series.

Now, to be clear, Russell is currently considered a long shot in the category. Killing Eve‘s Sandra Oh is considered the odds-on favorite, but it’s worth remembering that Russell’s first win, for Felicity, was something of a shocker. Russell beat out Julianna Margulies, Gillian Anderson, Kim Delaney, and Roma Downey, but the win was well-deserved. The first season of Felicity is something of a lovely revelation. It’s a heartfelt drama about a young woman discovering herself, and it works because Keri Russell was so immaculately good in it. She wasn’t just technically precise, but she imbued the titular Felicity with an endearing innocence.

In The Americans, Russell has given viewers something entirely different to chew on. Elizabeth Jennings is a jaded wife, mother, and spy: a woman torn between the different dimensions of herself. It’s beyond a tour de force for Russell; it’s a part that immolates all the other characters she’s played in her career and redefines her talent. Russell would deserve a second Golden Globe for the part, and if she won tomorrow, the two awards would bookend a spectacular television career.

Where to stream The Americans

Where to stream Felicity