Emmy Predictions: The Comedies

Unlike Drama, Comedy is a category where I generally see a considerably larger amount of the nominees.  Of the six top nominated series, I’ve only missed one.  I don’t 100% know why this is-I usually like drama better (when I do my year-end rewards, it almost always wins), but comedies are harder to shake-through osmosis and perpetual reruns, we’ve all seen 30 Rock, Modern Family, and Big Bang, even if we don’t watch the shows when they originally air and may not follow them as religiously as our weekly dramas.  With that observation out of the way, let’s dive into the nominees.

Best Comedy Series

30 Rock

The Big Bang Theory

Girls

Louie

Modern Family

Veep

Show I Used To Love That I Still Watch, but Complain About Incessantly: Modern Family

Show That I Feel SOOOOO Guilty About Not Watching: Louie (I’m sure I would love it-I’m not sure why I haven’t caught up yet)

Show Whose Critical and Ratings Success Surprises and Delights Me: Veep

Say what you will about this lineup (and we’ve all both celebrated and loathed shows on this list at some point or another), but overall this is a list with both quality and a great breath of assortment.  You have your hit network shows, your acclaimed cable shows, your retiring critically-propped show-it’s a pretty solid assortment.  I feel like, though, no one has hit the height to really take out Modern Family.  The Big Bang Theory is probably the closest considering its ratings and success, but where was the nomination for Kaley Cuoco if the series was about to make it to the top of the mountain?  Louie is too under-seen and Girls is too edgy.  I think Modern Family takes this one more time, despite it at this point being a far retread of the brilliant first season of the series.

Best Lead Actor-Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Jason Bateman, Arrested Development

Louis C.K., Louie

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Thank the Lord They Skipped: Jon Cryer for the awful Two and a Half Men

Does Anyone Actually Watch: House of Lies or Episodes

Should Anyone Actually Watch: House of Lies or Episodes

This is one of those races where it seems like there isn’t actually a frontrunner (that happens on occasion with predicting awards)-C.K. has the most buzz, and the recent wins by Melissa Leo and by C.K. himself at the Creative Arts Emmys may indicate wide support for the comic.  I’m going with him, though I could just as easily believe another win for either Jim Parsons or even Alec Baldwin.  The remainder should just enjoy the evening.

Best Lead Actress-Comedy

Laura Dern, Enlightened

Lena Dunham, Girls

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Maybe If You Had Noticed Me In the First Season I’d Still Be On: Laura Dern’s tragically cancelled Enlightened

Whose Leg Do I Have to Hump to Get an Emmy: Is anyone ever going to recognize the genius of Amy Poehler?

Next Year I’ll Finally Get to Have Night Cheese Instead of Going to the Emmys: Liz Lemon and Tina Fey (they are one and the same)

This is a combination of lather-rinse-repeat until the end of the show (Fey, Falco, perhaps even Poehler), one contender who is getting this because the Emmys feel bad her show got cancelled (wonderful, wonderful Laura Dern) and the two legit contenders.  The obvious choice is Louis-Dreyfus, who is marvelous every week as a befuddled and ambitious Vice President, though I wouldn’t completely discount Dunham, who owned the first half of this year, buzz-wise.

Best Supporting Actor-Comedy

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Adam Driver, Girls

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live

Tony Hale, Veep

Ed O’Neill, Modern Family

Person Who Actually Watches All of These Shows Consistently: Me!!! Only category I hit all of them.

In a Perfect World this Wouldn’t Be a Contest For: Adam Driver

Most Bizarre Snub of This Year’s Emmys: Eric Stonestreet, last year’s winner, who also won in MF’s first season, somehow was the first adult actor to miss for Modern Family since Ed O’Neill in Season One.

Thankfully Eric Stonestreet’s broad antics as Cameron (easily my least favorite character on the show) didn’t make it, but as a result we’re left without a frontrunner.   I doubt it’s going to be Tony Hale, who was one of the odder inclusions amongst the nominees (Reid Scott’s Dan Egan is a far more inventive and ruthless creation on the same show).  Adam Driver is hands-and-feet better than any of the other nominees, but his youth and demeanor will cost him (I cannot imagine he’s been out campaigning for this).  Bill Hader got a great hurrah as he left this season, but if they weren’t going with Kristen Wiig, they weren’t going for anyone.  That leaves the three MF­-ers, and while my heart says that Ed O’Neill, somehow the best part of this show as the curmudgeon-with-a-heart-of-gold-Jay, should get it, my head says that pseudo-lead character Phil and his wild antics will hand this over to Burrell.

Best Supporting Actress

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory

Julie Bowen, Modern Family

Anna Chlumsky, Veep

Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Jane Lynch, Glee

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie

It’s So Obvious They Didn’t Need Seven: Jane Lynch and Anna Chlumsky were clearly tied for sixth place here, and, though I’m a huge Gleek, I can objectively say that Chlumsky is working circles around Lynch this past season.

Is She Really As Good as Everyone Says?: I hear marvelous things about Merritt Wever, who is terrific on New Girl-is she worth checking out the show for?

Is the Set a Little Awkward…: You have to wonder if Kaley Cuoco and Melissa Rauch are both royally ticked that the latest comer to their series, Bialik, soaks up all of the awards glory.

Despite a seven-wide field, this doesn’t feel quite right, does it?  Most of these women are on shows past their prime (Lynch, Krakowski, Vergara, Bowen) or are overshadowed by a more famous and lauded costar (Bialik, Wever, Chlumsky).  I know a lot of pundits are predicting Jane Krakowski as a swan song of sorts for her terrific Jenna (she’s been nominated four times in a row and lost), but everyone from Steve Carell to Jane Kaczmarek to Christina Hendricks (whoops, getting ahead of myself) can attest that Emmy doesn’t usually think that way.  I’m going with the safe and bland choice-Julie Bowen’s occasionally grating, occasionally excellent Claire Dunphy gets Trophy #3.

And those are my predictions-who are you hoping takes home the winged statue?  Who do you think will?  And does anyone else feel that Modern Family is in desperate need of character development?