I know I've been promising this every day, but I finally mean it. Get ready for some competition (I hope). I watch more comedy series than anything throughout the year. With comedy being so fragmented in general, I must be able to build some B-Teams with the strength capable of outshining some Nominees. Then again, the Emmy voters seem to like Veep and Master of None as much as I do.
(Final Note: I'm sure that I'll mention this more than a few times, but this is based on who is submitted and where. For example, Hugh Dancy did not submit for Hannibal, only submitting his name for The Path, so I cannot include him in the B-Team for Hannibal, even if I want to. Similarly, even though it aired episodes in the eligibility period, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was not submitted and won't be considered. Finally, there's the Rob Lowe Rule. Rob Lowe always submits for the lead role. Even when he was on Parks & Rec. he submitted as a lead, so that's the only thing I could consider him as.)
Previously:
The Scruff
Reality Shows
Variety Series and Special
Limited Series and TV Movie
* Indicates a show that I haven't watched this season.
# Indicates a show I've seen before, not this season.
Comedy Series
blackish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
B-Team
Fresh Off the Boat
Girls
The Middle
Review
Casual
Brooklyn Nine Nine
The Jim Gaffigan Show
As I said, I watch much more Comedy than anything else. So, I've seen everything Nominated and in my B-Team. That's means I'm feeling comfortable with my choices.
Fresh Off the Boat is at blackish's level of humor but lacks the ambition. Both do a phenomenal job of showing different sides of familiar sitcom stories. Fresh Off the Boat simply lacks a showcase like "Hope" (the "black lives matter" episode of blackish).
I love Girls, which had a real return to form season. "The Panic in Central Park" or Shoshanna's Japan episode are among the best the series has ever produced. Master of None is the New York show of the moment now. I was stunned by how good this Aziz Ansari-led series was. While "Parents" gets all the attention, that series had a half dozen episodes that were just as good.
I've long argued that The Middle is underappreciated, and at the very least, it has aged better than its stablemate, Modern Family, by staying focused on the central family and never overextending itself.
While I enjoy Casual's looseness, Transparent wins the battle of Los Angeles families full of self-centered asses. If nothing else, there's no performance in Casual at the level of Jeffrey Tambor's in Transparent.
It's a toss-up between the shows produced by the creators of my favorite NBC showrunners of 5 years ago: Brooklyn Nine Nine (from Mike Schur of Parks & Rec) and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (from Tina Fey of 30 Rock). If pushed, I prefer Brooklyn Nine Nine's ensemble over Ellie Kemper's infectious smile and Titus Burgess' - um - theatricality.
That leaves HBO's two headed monster - Veep and Silicon Valley - against basic cable outliers - Review (on Comedy Central) and The Jim Gaffigan Show (on TV Land and, I think, Comedy Central too). I love how good spirited The Jim Gaffigan Show is. It's almost inventive in its straightforwardness. Silicon Valley had a strong season, but was almost never the best thing on that night.
Approximately 18 people have seen Review and it has been a treat for all of us. There's no comedy or series quite like it. It is a dark, silly, hilarious show that more people should be watching.
Veep is the funniest show on TV. I don't know how, but it keeps getting better, even without creator and showrunner for the first four seasons, Armando Iannucci.
Winner: Nominees. If I'm making a ballot. 4 of my 7 are in the Nominees list and that includes #1 (Veep), #3 (Master of None), and #4 (Silicon Valley).*
*In case you were wondering: #2 - Review, #5 - blackish, #6 The Middle, #7 Brooklyn Nine Nine.
Lead Actress – Comedy
Tracee Ellis Ross (blackish)
*Laurie Metcalf (Getting On)
#Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie)
#Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer)
Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
B-Team
Michaela Watkins (Casual)
Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat)
#Aya Cash (You're The Worst)
Lena Dunham (Girls)
#Emmy Rossum (Shameless)
Sharon Hogan (Catastrophe)
The depth of this category continues to be both absurd and delightful. The B-Team could probably even beat the dream ballot for Lead Actor. It's that imbalanced.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has earned what is certain to be her fifth consecutive Emmy. She's just that good. Ellie Kemper made it into the field after a baffling snub last year. Few shows rely on the lead performance as much as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Tracee Ellis Ross does great work on blackish, which had an especially good second season. The Emmys love Laurie Metcalfe more than I do, but I'm she she's great on Getting On, which I didn't even know was still on the air. Lily Tomlin is rightfully a legend. I'll just say that Grace and Frankie isn't my taste and leave it at that. For a stand up, Amy Schumer is surprisingly diverse as a sketch performer.
So, the Emmys took Ellie Kemper off my "How are you not seeing how good she is?" list. Sadly, Emmy Rossum is on her 6th snub. Aya Cash and Constance Wu are ignored for a second year as well. Every time I think of Wu, I start getting Jane Kaczmerek flashbacks (7 nominations, never a win), except even more ignored. Michaela Watkins shows more depth on Casual than I would've even guessed after watching Trophy Wife. Sharon Hogan does a great job of mixing jokes into more serious or banal topics in Catastrophe. I get the feeling that Lena Duhnam is having more fun giving the best material to her costars, but she still makes Hannah Horvath one of the more frustratingly funny characters on TV.
Winner: Nominees. This is the longest I've had to debate my choice so far. In the end, I settled on perhaps a faulty argument: Who's funnier? Technically, the award is for "outstanding performance in a comedy", not "outstanding comedy performance", but I'm pretty tired of good comedy acting being looked at as lesser. All twelve actresses have impressive range, but from Julia Louise-Dreyfus to Amy Schumer, the Nominees landed more laughs.
Lead Actor – Comedy
Anthony Anderson (blackish)
Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth)
Aziz Ansari (Master of None)
William H. Macy (Shameless)
Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley)
Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)
B-Team
*Fred Savage (The Grinder)
*Rob Lowe (The Grinder)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat)
Andrew Daly (Review)
Rob Delaney (Catastrophe)
The Lead Actor field isn't as bare as in past years, but I still wouldn't call it strong. Examining why that is, is a project for another day. It does mean there's room for the B-Team to make some noise.
There's aren't a lot of strong one to one comparisons to make. Anthony Anderson is a better TV dad than Randall Park, who happily takes the backseat to Constance Wu most of the time. Of the Amazon comedies, Jeffrey Tambor has the meatier role than Rob Delaney. Aziz Ansari is effectively filling the Louis C.K. which has never been easy to place. I love that voters finally realize that Thomas Middleditch is actually giving a performance in Silicon Valley (i.e. he's not really like that). I don't love The Last Man on Earth, but I admire Will Forte's commitment. I think the William H. Macy nomination is just there to remind me that Emmy Rossum continues to be snubbed. I most regretting not watching The Grinder from this last Broadcast TV Season. I have no trouble believing that Savage and Lowe are as good as people say. It's crazy to think that Jim Parsons isn't the golden child anymore, but I'm ok with that. He has enough Emmys. Andy Daly is my overall top pick for his work on Review. No one watches the show, but he's doing something special in that role. It's a layered performance that appears slight at first, then reveals great depth and sadness to go along with the silliness.
Winner: Nominees. Even with Macy holding the nominees down (I like Macy, but it's barely a lead performance and not quite as good as many others in the list) and my clear favorite (Daly) in the B-Team, the lack of depth in the lead actor field is hard to overcome. Essentially, my #2-#4 picks are all in the Nominees. The B-Team has a lot of replacements, not snubs. That's a key difference. Basically, if the Emmy voters picked this B-Team, I would not be happier about it than the actual nominees they chose.
Supporting Actress – Comedy
*Niecy Nash (Getting On)
*Allison Janney (Mom)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Judith Light (Transparent)
Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)
B-Team
Allison Williams (Girls)
Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live)
Claudia O'Doherty (Love)
Sarah Sutherland (Veep)
Noel Wells (Master of None)
Eden Sher (The Middle)
No trouble filling up a B-Team here. I even had alternates for a couple. Kate McKinnon is the strongest female performer on SNL right now, so I'd pick her over Aidy Bryant (or Cecily Strong, who I thought about including). Veep continues to find hilarious ways to use Sarah Sutherland as President Selina Meyers' put-upon daughter. She tends to be more of an accessory than a character though, so I'll go with the wonderful Anna Chlumsky instead. I'm glad to see the nomination for Judith Light, and Gaby Hoffman is fine on Transparent. I'd rather go with the pair of Netflix actresses though. Noel Wells is every bit Aziz Ansari's match in the episodes she does show up in on Master of None. Claudia O'Doherty is the definition of a scene-stealer in Love. She is a complete delight and has the ability to land a devastating punchline without even seeming aware that she's done it. I haven't seen Getting On. I assume Niecy Nash's consecutive nominations for a show no one watches probably means she's pretty good in it. I'd prefer to see one of the other Girls finally get a nomination though. I chose Allison Williams for how she was able to make me not hate Marnie in her spotlight episode, but I easily could have chosen Zosia Mamet for her Japan adventures. And that leaves me with putting Eden Sher against the Emmy-winning juggernaut they call Allison Janney. Janney is pretty great any time I've seen Mom. I have to pick her over Sher. That said, Eden Sher is a force to be reckoned with. While The Middle is filled with a lot of quality performances, Sher's ability to play the hyper-positive Sue not as a joke while also adding depth to the character is pretty amazing.
Winner: B-Team. Wells and O'Doherty impressed me enough to push the B-Team over. Ask me tomorrow, and I might pick the Nominees.
Supporting Actor – Comedy
*Louie Anderson (Baskets)
Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine Nine)
#Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Titus Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Tony Hale (Veep)
Matt Walsh (Veep)
B-Team
T. J. Miller (Silicon Valley)
Zach Woods (Silicon Valley)
Gary Cole (Veep)
Timothy Simons (Veep)
Adam Driver (Girls)
Kevin Dunn (Veep)
Sam Richardson (Veep)
And I didn't even leave HBO for my B-Team. Veep is overflowing with fantastic supporting performances. Timothy Simons has gone from an annoyance to the actor who has made me laugh more than anyone over the last year. Sam Richardson is a close second. They have taken one-note characters and found countless new ways to get laughs out of them. Kevin Dunn and Gary Cole are almost reflexive in their roles. For them, it's the small moments and the general fatigue. T.J. Miller is certainly the loudest actor on Silicon Valley. He comes dangerously close to being insufferable and always know when pull back and humanize Erlich. Zach Woods is just delightful. He has so much fun making Jared the biggest sad-sack in the world. (Note: The only reason I didn't include Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani is because they are such a duo that I couldn't split them) Adam Driver is still great on Girls. I appreciate the he's sticking with the show despite his now much busier schedule.
The Nominees have plenty of people I like too. Tony Hale and Matt Walsh are two of the more noticeable performances on Veep, but it still feels like a roll of the dice when choosing who to nominate from that deep ensemble. If I'm going to nominate someone from Modern Family still, I guess it would be Ty Burrell. I have no problem with Keegan-Michael Key's nomination even if he wouldn't've made my cut. Andre Braugher is inarguable and from what I hear, Louis Anderson is remarkable on Baskets. I tire quickly of Titus[s Burgess] on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, so I'm not a huge fan of that pick.
Winner: B-Team. What it lacks in diversity of shows, it makes up for in quality.
Guest Actress – Comedy
Laurie Metcalf (The Big Bang Theory)
Christine Baranski (The Big Bang Theory)
Tina Fey & Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live)
Melissa McCarthy (Saturday Night Live)
Amy Schumer (Saturday Night Live)
Melora Hardin (Transparent)
B-Team
Becky Ann Baker (Girls)
*Ellen Burstyn (Mom)
Anna Camp (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Tina Fey (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Claire Danes (Master of None)
Megan Fox (New Girl)
Good for Melora Hardin, breaking through the wall of Big Bang and SNL. My only issue with the Nominees is that Barnaski and Metcalfe are there more because Emmy voters love them than for anything they really did on The Big Bang Theory. The assorted hosts of SNL were the right picks though.
Similar to Baranski and Metcalfe, you really have to nominate Ellen Burstyn no matter what, or so I thought. Becky Ann Baker always gets plenty to do on Girls, including the spa weekend this year. It's nice to see a non-Homeland Claire Danes, who is refreshingly relaxed. Megan Fox blended right in with the rest of the New Girl cast while she filled in for Zooey Deschanel. Tina Fey is having fun with her Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt appearances without the pressure of being the lead. The biggest snub though has to be Anna Camp on UKS as well. She plays that character as big as she can in order to mask some very subtle notes.
Winner: B-Team. Unless the SNL performances blow me away, that feels too easy. Most of the B-Team had characters who were given enough time to get fleshed out rather than get in their standard lines and get out.
Guest Actor – Comedy
Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory)
Tracy Morgan (Saturday Night Live)
Larry David (Saturday Night Live)
Bradley Whitford (Transparent)
Martin Mull (Veep)
Peter Scolari (Girls)
B-Team
Corey Stoll (Girls)
Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live)
Mike Carlsen (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Mindy Project)
Fred Melamed (Casual)
Ravi Patel (Master of None)
I wanted to choose Ryan Gosling for when he hosted SNL just for being in the room for my favorite sketches in several seasons, but his constant breaking ruined it. I'm fine with Armisen hosting the finale then. He's an old pro at the SNL thing, so the episode played very smoothly. I'm throwing in JGL just because I like him. Ravi Patel and Fred Melamed had good moments on the shows that featured them. Corey Stoll helped give Andrew Ranneells' character his best arc to date on Girls. I even liked how UKS attempted to change Mike Carlsen's construction worker into a real character.
It's hard to argue with the Nominees though. Bob Newhart earns nominations just by breathing. Tracy Morgan and Larry David were solid hosts on SNL. Bradley Whitford's recurring role on Transparent is always a treat. Martin Mull on Veep was the running gag that never got old. Peter Scolari is a last second replacement for Peter McNichols when the Emmys realized that he was ineligible for his role on Veep. Just as well. Scolari's work as Hannah's recently out father is both funny and tough.
Winner: Nominees. You'd think that the Guest actor fields would be deep with options. It turns out, that with such large and talented casts to begin with, most shows can't afford to spend time with one-off and occasional characters. So, Emmy voters got most of the best choices.
Writing – Comedy Series
Catastrophe ("Episode 1")
Master of None ("Parents")
Silicon Valley ("Founder Friendly")
Silicon Valley ("The Uptick")
Veep ("Morning After")
Veep ("Mother")
B-Team
Black-ish ("Hope")
*The Carmichael Show ("Fallen Heroes")
Review ("Buried Alive; 6 Star Review; Public Speaking")
Transparent ("Man on the Land")
The Middle ("The Rush")
Girls ("The Panic in Central Park")
Two Veep episodes and two Silicon Valley episodes are hard to argue with. "Parents" was pretty much a lock as soon as Master of None premiered and it's delightful to see that Emmy voters noticed the Catastrophe pilot.
The B-Team is much more diverse. The biggest surprise of Emmy announcement day was that "Hope" didn't get a writing or directing nomination. I don't know what to make of that. In terms of critical chatter, "Fallen Heroes" (aka "The Cosby episode") probably deserved consideration. Any Review love I can give is welcome. They only submitted one episode and it's a great one. I didn't love Transparent season 2 the way a lot of people did, but "Man on the Land" is absolutely in the top tier of episodes over the last year. "The Panic in Central Park" is Girls as a mini-movie and possibly the best episode in several seasons. I'm going to stump for The Middle again. "The Rush" does a great job, specifically with the titular story about Sue rushing for a sorority and the fallout from that.
Winner: Nominees. Veep and "Parents" were my required nominees and they all made the cut.
Directing – Comedy Series
Master of None ("Parents")
Silicon Valley ("Daily Active Users")
Silicon Valley ("Founder Friendly")
Transparent ("Man on the Land")
Veep ("Kissing Your Sister")
Veep ("Morning After")
Veep ("Mother")
B-Team
blackish ("Hope")
Review ("Falsely Accused; Sleep with Your Teacher; Little Person")
Casual ("Bottles")
Transparent ("The Book of Life")
Girls ("The Panic in Central Park")
Love ("The Date")
Modern Family ("The Party")
You'll notice that both the nominees and B-Team look very similar to the writing groups. That's because no one is all that great at distinguishing writing from directing when something is a good episode. And that includes me. Just remember, I may not be knowledgeable, but I am honest (That's should probably be my slogan).
It's really hard to argue with that murderer's row of Nominees. Three Veeps and two Silicon Valleys feel like a bit much, but I'm having a hard time coming up with one of those to exclude. "Parents" was as much of a lock for directing as writing. "Man on the Land" really was the most notable episode of Transparent this season and one of the more difficult directing jobs of any episode.
"Hope" again is a stunning snub, although the writing is the more important aspect of the episode. I'll continue my praise of the same episodes of Girls and Review as well. "The Book of Life" is not "Man on the Land" but still impressively directed. I give Modern Family a lot of crap for being the most transparently directed comedy on TV. When it works, like in "The Party" it is still very impressive to see how they juggle all the stories. "The Date" and "Bottles" are both here because of tense dinner scenes. "The Date" has the cringe-inducing date between Paul Rust and Claudia O'Doherty's characters. "Bottles" has the full family dinner, complete with the story of why Thomas Dewey used to pee into bottles at night (Hint: It's not a happy reason).
Winner: B-Team. I feel like a lot of the Nominees are there as bleed over from writing more than anything having to do with the directing. And, I chose the B-Team off my best understanding of direction.
Casting – Comedy Series
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
B-Team
blackish
Brooklyn Nine Nine
Catastrophe
Master of None
Girls
My best understanding of casting is essentially, the casting of non-regulars. I really don't have a great sense of that. I'll give it a try though. Modern Family tries going to bigger names than blackish does with mixed results. While I love the Carrie Fisher of it all on Catastrophe, Transparent has it beat. Brooklyn Nine Nine did more with their casting than Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. This was the season that gave us Andre Braugher v. Nick Offerman, after all. And I'll take the Master of None and Girls carousel of actors over Veep and Silicon Valley's.
Winner: B-Team. But it would be different if this was about the main casts.
As I expected, today was an even 5-5 split and many were very close. As long as Veep keeps getting this much love, it's hard to see how I'll dispute the Nominees too much. Of the overlooked shows, Review in particular, I never had any hope that I'd see them with nominations.
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