I've been away from this blog for a couple weeks, and I apologize for leaving you hanging. Soon I will be writing about what I've been watching this summer (Big Brother, Downton Abbey, The Great British Bake Off, Pose), but first I need to finish off my Emmy series by sharing my thoughts on the Comedy nominees and my picks to win. So without further ado...
OUTSTANDING COMEDY (2017 Winner: Veep)
Atlanta
Barry
Black-ish
Curb Your Enthusiasm
GLOW
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Silicon Valley
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Quick Take: Wow 8 nominees! I was not a fan of Mrs. Maisel or Kimmy Schmidt, and I haven't seen any of the other shows on this list besides GLOW. Veep has won the comedy award for the past several years in a row but wasn't eligible this year, and Modern Family was left off this list for the first time ever (as it should have been). With those spots left open, it would have been nice to see some recognition for the final season of The Middle or some of my quirky lesser-known comedy favorites like Baskets, American Vandal, or The Good Place. The Big Bang Theory is also pretty consistently funny even after 11 seasons.
My Pick: For the reasons mentioned above, I'd have to go with GLOW. Although I'm picking it by process of elimination, it would still be a worthy choice. The first season took a long time to get going, but it introduced viewers to a hilarious group of female wrestlers led by Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin. The show was silly, outrageous, but also heartwarming at times. I expect to see it on this list for many years to come.
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY (2017 Winner: Donald Glover, Atlanta)
Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Donald Glover (Atlanta)
Bill Hader (Barry)
William H. Macy (Shameless)
Quick Take: I'm happy to see some recognition for The Good Place, but I feel like perhaps Danson wasn't the most deserving choice from the show. The supporting cast, although lesser known actors than the experienced Danson, are much more thrilling to watch. William H. Macy and Larry David seem like tired choices. In their places, I definitely would have included Keir Gilchrist (Atypical) and Jimmy Tatro (American Vandal) for their amazing work on their little-known Netflix shows.
My Pick: I've only seen a few episodes of Barry, but I'd have to go with Hader. His character (a hitman who develops a love of acting) is bizarre and crazy, but he pulls it off effortlessly. It's definitely a long way from his skilled but sometimes one-note work on Saturday Night Live.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY (2017 Winner: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep)
Pamela Adlon (Better Things)
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Allison Janney (Mom)
Issa Rae (Insecure)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie)
Quick Take: Louis-Dreyfus is ineligible this year because Veep didn't air (due to her cancer diagnosis). Grace and Frankie is terrible and I found Brosnahan more shrill and annoying than endearing. There are several much better actresses that were left of this list: Krsiten Bell (The Good Place), Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex Girlfriend), and Alison Brie (GLOW).
My Pick: Based on who was nominated, I would easily pick Janney. She started off as kind of a supporting character but was wisely moved front-and-center in Mom's 2nd season. Her repartee with her onscreen daughter Anna Faris is comedy gold and reminiscent of some of the best comedy duos ever. And I think that she WILL easily walk away with the award.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY (2017 Winner: Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live)
Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta)
Henry Winkler (Barry)
Louie Anderson (Baskets)
Alec Baldwin (Saturday Night Live)
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Titus Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Quick Take: Baldwin's Trump impression is starting to get kind of old, and Thompson has done decent work on SNL for many years, but in my opinion not Emmy-worthy work. Winkler has turned into a solid supporting comic actor with his roles on Barry and Arrested Development. I would have included Marc Maron (GLOW) and Pete Gardner (Crazy Ex Girfriend) on the list in place of Baldwin and Thompson.
My Pick: Louie Anderson all the way! He already won once, but he deserves ALL the Emmys for his mesmerizing and hilarious performance as Mama Christine Baskets (yes, a woman!). He makes the character feel like a real person rather than a caricature or a man in drag. He has said that the role is a tribute to his late mother, which just makes me love him even more.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY (2017 Winner: Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live)
Zazie Beetz (Atlanta)
Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne)
Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live)
Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Megan Mullally (Will and Grace)
Quick Take: This is going to be quite a competitive category. I'm a bit surprised that there were so many nominations for SNL. Bryant and McKinnon are deserving, but I'm baffled at the nomination for Jones. She's a great stand-up comic and her appearances as herself on Weekend Update are hilarious, but in sketches she consistently flubs her lines and comes off as stiff. I'm also a bit surprised that there were any nominations for Roseanne, after the implosion of the show caused by its star. Metcalf is a skilled comic actress, but she was given little to do in this funny but failed revival. I would include Eden Sher (The Middle), Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex Girlfriend), Claudia O'Doherty (Love), and D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place) instead of Metcalf and the SNL actresses.
My Pick: It's a tough choice, but I'd go with Betty Gilpin from GLOW. Her character's feud with Alison Brie's character felt believable and never forced. Brie was supposed to be the lead actress on the show, but Gilpin stole the spotlight more often than not. I know we're not judging season 2 here, but her work became even more nuanced and skilled in the recently aired season.
No comments:
Post a Comment