Ethel Darling: American Horror Story: Freak Show (2014)
Actors tend to receive praise when they go out of their way to look conventionally unattractive or frightening. Charlize Theron in Monster and everyone in Hillbilly Elegy are great examples. With that in mind, Bates deserved an Emmy for playing single mom and bearded lady Ethel Darling. The accent, her untimely demise, and her charming relationship with her son Jimmy (Evan Peters) are also all great reasons to watch this season.
Bettina: Six Feet Under (2001-2005)
Nobody is surprised when a character played by Bates is brash, funny, and comfortable on the wrong side of the law. Caretaker Bettina in HBO’s Six Feet Under exists in sharp contrast to her caretaker character in Delores Claiborne. Ms. Bates as Bettina could probably talk me into shoplifting too.
While Kathy Bates did reportedly refer to her current CBS series Matlock as her “last dance,” it turned out that she hadn’t meant to imply retirement after all. Upon learning of the misunderstanding, Bates told People: “What I meant was, how could it get any better? I would love for this to keep going.”
So would we, Kathy. Never leave us!