Match the Supporting Actress with the Show - 2000s Quiz

Answer: Megan Mullally

"Will & Grace" ran from 1998 to 2006 and starred Eric McCormack as Will Truman and Debra Messing as Grace Adler, a former couple who became platonic best friends after Will announced he was gay. The supporting characters almost took over the show, with Sean Hayes portraying Will's flamboyant friend, Jack McFarland, and Megan Mullally portraying Grace's assistant (and Jack's frequent partner-in-crime) Karen Walker. Mullally received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 2000-2006, winning the award in 2000 and 2006.

Answer: Jaime Pressly

The premise of "My Name is Earl" was that low-life thug Earl Hickey (Jason Lee) won the lottery and decided to atone for his wrong-doings by way of his own personal twelve-step program. The comedy ran from 2005 to 2009 and followed Earl's obsession with completing the tasks on his list. Jaime Pressly portrayed Joy Turner, Earl's conniving ex-wife who had tricked Earl into marrying her and for whom Earl went to prison, taking the blame for a crime she committed so that she wouldn't end up in jail. Pressly was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the show in 2006 and 2007, winning in the latter year.

Answer: Stockard Channing

Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing" aired from 1999 to 2006 and followed the White House administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) through to the election of his successor. On the show, Stockard Channing portrayed First Lady Abigail Bartlet, a Harvard-educated medical doctor. Channing was nominated for an Emmy award for her work on the show in 2000-2005, winning the award in 2002.

Other actresses from the show to receive an Emmy nod for their work in the Supporting Actress category were Janel Moloney (2002, 2004) and Mary-Louise Parker (2002), and Allison Janney won the award for Supporting Actress in 2000 and 2001 before being moved to the Lead Actress category.

Answer: Doris Roberts

The sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" aired from 1996 to 2005 and was inspired by the stand-up comedy of Ray Romano. On the show, Romano portrayed sportswriter Raymond Barone who was coddled by his mother Marie (Doris Roberts) to the chagrin of his brother Robert (Brad Garrett), hence the title of the show. Marie's devotion to Ray was also a thorn in the side of Ray's wife Debra (Patricia Heaton), who suffered from Marie's constant interference in their lives and subtle insults about her domestic skills. Roberts received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 1999-2005, and she won the award in 2001-2003 and 2005.

Answer: Jane Krakowski

Created by Tina Fey and loosely-based on her experiences as the head writer for "Saturday Night Live", "30 Rock" ran from 2006 to 2013 and featured Fey as Liz Lemon, the writer for a sketch comedy series. At the beginning of the series, Lemon was writing for "The Girly Show" which starred self-absorbed Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), but when the network hired Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), the show was transformed into "TGS with Tracy Morgan" and Maroney had to settle for being a co-star. Maroney then used her free time to embark on a variety of entertainment ventures that never quite worked out as she hoped. Krakowski received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 2009-2011 and 2013 but didn't win. Megan Mullally did appear on "30 Rock", but she wasn't a regular cast member and didn't receive an Emmy nomination for her work.

Answer: Tyne Daly

The drama "Judging Amy" ran from 1999 to 2005 and featured Amy Brenneman as family court judge Amy Gray, who left a career in New York following the breakdown of her marriage and moved back home to live with her mother. Tyne Daly portrayed Amy's widowed mother, Maxine Gray, with whom Amy had a sometimes difficult relationship. Maxine was very independent and strong-willed, and the show focused on her work and personal struggles almost as much as on those of Amy's. Daly received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 2000-2005, and she won the award in 2003.

Answer: Jenna Fischer

Adapted from the U.K. show of the same name, the U.S. version of "The Office" ran from 2005 to 2013. The show featured the daily work adventures of the employees of a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the series was one of the first in the U.S. to use the mockumentary format. Jenna Fischer portrayed Pam Beesly, who started the series as a receptionist before assuming other responsibilities at the company.

The romance between Pam and Jim (John Krasinski) was one of the continuing themes of the show, with the couple eventually marrying in the sixth season. Fischer received an Emmy nomination for her work on the show in 2007 but didn't win.

Answer: Kim Cattrall

The HBO cable network comedy "Sex and the City" ran from 1998 to 2004 and followed the romantic adventures of four single women in New York. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) were all single when the series began, but along the way, there were numerous relationships, a few marriages and even babies.

While all three supporting actresses received Emmy nominations, Cattrall was picked for this quiz because she received the most nods.

She was nominated for an Emmy award for her work on the show in 2000-2004 but didn't win. Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon received Supporting Actress Emmy nominations for the show in 2004 and 2002-2004, respectively, with Nixon winning the award in 2004. Candice Bergen did appear on several episodes of "Sex and the City", but she wasn't a regular cast member, and she didn't receive an Emmy nomination for her appearance on the show.

Answer: Candice Bergen

David E. Kelley's "Boston Legal" was a spin-off from the series "The Practice" and ran from 2004 to 2008. Candice Bergen co-starred with James Spader and William Shatner, portraying Shirley Schmidt, a partner in the firm of Crane Poole & Schmidt and the former love interest of Denny Crane (Shatner). Schmidt didn't appear on the show until the 11th episode creatively named "Schmidt Happens", when she returned to the Boston branch from New York to help control Crane. Bergen received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 2006 and 2008 but didn't win.

Answer: Vanessa Williams

Based on a Colombian telenovela, "Ugly Betty" ran from 2006 to 2010 and followed the adventures of the plain, naive and sweet Betty Suarez (America Ferrara) while working at the fashion magazine "Mode" in New York. Vanessa Williams portrayed the cold and conniving Wilhelmina Slater, a former model who worked as the Creative Director at the magazine at the beginning of the series but who had her eye on the Editor-in-Chief position. Betty's friendship with editor derailed many of Wilhelmina's schemes. Williams was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the show in 2007-2009 but didn't win.