Welcome to the 8th edition of the Emmy B-Team. The idea is simple. People like to complain about the Emmy nominations. They point out snubs, never consider what was actually on the ballots*, and say the Emmy voters did a bad job picking nominees. The skeptic that I am, I wanted to find out if the Emmy picks were really that bad. So, every year, I look through the Emmy nomination ballots. I create an alternate group of non-nominated performers/episodes/shows (my “B-Team”) and compare those to the actual nominees to see which is stronger. I’ll spare you the suspense: The actual Nominees always win handily even though I go into it each time thinking this is the year the B-Team has the edge. It turns out, a couple bad snubs don’t outweigh 3-5 good picks. Instead, the B-team serves as a fun way for me to point out the biggest snubs, audit the Emmy picks more fairly, and point out some quirks in the nominating ballots.
*Remember, a show, person, or episode can only be nominated if it is submitted. Even if you want every episode of Ted Lasso to be nominated for writing, that won't happen, since they only submitted some of the episodes.
**You'd be surprised how often that actor you thought was snubbed wasn't even on the official ballot or had listed himself as a lead instead of a supporting actor.
I don't do every category. I don't pretend that I've seen everything or that I fully understand all the categories. I'm a one-man operation talking about hundreds of shows. I'm doing the best I can.
I want to make it clear what my decision means for these match ups. What I’m asking is, would I replace the Nominees list with the B-Team. That is the only thing I am testing.
It's time for Comedy Series. This is where the real competition should start.
Indicates a show that I haven't watched this season.
# Indicates a show I've seen before, not this season.
Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series
Nominees
- *The Flight Attendant
- *Hacks
- The Kominsky Method
- Pen15
- *Ted Lasso
B-Team
- *Girls5Eva
- *Mythic Quest
- *Lover, Victor
- *Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
- *Saved by the Bell
Again, let’s collectively pretend that we know what Casting really means for an ongoing series. It’s supposed to be more about how they cast the small roles than the central cast, but I don’t believe for a second that the Emmy voters look at it that way. So why should I? Girls5Eva, Love, Victor, and Saved by the Bell all assembled great casts that reflect the tone they are going for. Girls5Eva remembers the TRL age well. Love, Victor matches Love, Simon’s tone with the cast. Saved by the Bell plays on the original excellently with the cast. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is always good for faces that fit the world. Mythic Quest stunt casted 2 standalone episodes spectacularly.
I do like the Nominees list too mostly. It’s less interesting though. The Flight Attendant, Hacks, and Ted Lasso are mostly there because they are the Series front runners (Good casts, not interesting casting). The Kominsky Method simply pulls in the biggest names. Pen15 is the only inspired choice here.
I think I’m going with the B-Team for originality.
Winner: B-Team (Barely)
Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
Nominees
- B Positive “Pilot”
- *The Flight Attendant “In Case Of Emergency”
- *Hacks “There Is No Line (Pilot)”
- Mom “Scooby-Doo Checks And Salisbury Steak”
- *Ted Lasso “Biscuits”
- *Ted Lasso “The Hope That Kills You”
- *Ted Lasso “Make Rebecca Great Again”
B-Team
- *AP Bio “Gary Meets Dave”
- *Girls5Eva “Pilot”
- #Master of None “Moments In Love, Chapter 4”
- *Mythic Quest “Backstory!”
- *Saved by the Bell “Teen-Line”
- *Search Party “The Infinite Loop”
- *Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist “Zoey’s Extraordinary Goodbye”
I think the Nominees represent every possible episode of The Flight Attendant, Hacks, and Ted Lasso that could be nominated, so the voters didn’t try all that hard here. The Mom nomination is a little interesting. I’m certain that B-Positive is only there because James Burrows is a legend.
My B-Team is pretty fun though. Emmy voters just need to watch Peacock. I could’ve easily included the Rutherford Falls pilot too. Instead, I’ve got three other shows. Girls5Eva is the best show that the voters ignored and the pilot sets the table well. Saved By the Bell was ignored in the same way that Community was for years simply because it plays so much with the format of the sitcom itself. Few people even realize AP Bio wasn’t cancelled. They are always good for a couple experimental episodes each season, and “Gary Meets Dave” is a really clever execution of an idea that sneaks up on you. I’m mostly pretty low on Search Party, but the execution of the titular Infinite Loop scene was masterful and hilarious. I still haven’t gotten to Moment of Love, but I’ve heard nothing but raves about Chapter 4. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist is an accomplishment every episode in how it integrates the song and dance numbers into the episodes. While I have issues with how “Backstory!” fits into the overall Mythic Quest narrative, there’s no denying that it’s a well-directed episode that looks like nothing else that crew normally does.
You can definitely make an argument for the Nominees, but all I see is laziness and a B-Positive episode that drags it down.
Winner: B-Team (Barely)
Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Nominees
- *The Flight Attendant “In Case Of Emergency”
- *Girls5eva “Pilot”
- *Hacks “There Is No Line (Pilot)”
- Pen15 “Play”
- *Ted Lasso “Make Rebecca Great Again”
- *Ted Lasso “Pilot”
B-Team
- *A.P. Bio “Gary Meets Dave”
- *Mythic Quest “Backstory!”
- *Mythic Quest “Please Sign Here”
- *Rutherford Falls “Pilot”
- *Master of None “Moment in Love, Chapter 4”
- *Saved by the Bell “Pilot”
The writing field on the other hand actually does show some effort. Two Ted Lasso episodes is fine. The show is well written. It’s got the Girls5Eva, The Flight Attendant, and Hacks pilots in there. The Pen15 nomination is a little offbeat too. This comes much closer to recognizing the top writing of the last year.
I do love my B-Team though. The Rutherford Falls and Saved by the Bell pilots are great openers. The two Mythic Quest episodes represent the scope of the show (an excellent stand-alone episode and a cast-heavy bottle episode). I still trust that the Moments of Love episode lives up to the hype. And, I guess I’m ride or die on stanning AP Bio.
Winner: Nominees (Comfortably)
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Nominees
- Yvette Nicole Brown (A Black Lady Sketch Show “But The Tilapias Are Fine Though, Right?”)
- Issa Rae (A Black Lady Sketch Show “My Booty Look Juicy, Don’t It?”)
- *Jane Adams (Hacks “I Think She Will”)
- *Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live “Host: Kristen Wiig”)
- *Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live “Host: Maya Rudolph”)
- *Bernadette Peters (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist “Zoey's Extraordinary Girls' Night”)
B-Team
- *American Ferrera (Superstore “All Sales Final”)
- *Shelley Henning (Mythic Quest “Backstory!”)
- *Susan Sarandon (Search Party “The Infinite Loop”)
- *Anya Taylor-Joy (SNL “Host: Anya Taylor-Joy”)
- *Natalie Morales (Mr. Mayor “Respect in the Workplace”)
- *Andrea Anders (Ted Lasso “Tan Lines”)
I’m never going to begrudge a long overdue nomination for Yvette Nicole Brown nor another deserved nod for Issa Rae. Jane Adams was great on Hacks. Wiig and Rudolph are old SNL pros, so those are strong episodes. And Bernadette Peters was always a breath of fresh air on Zoey’s. The nominees missed some good ones though. Anya Taylor-Joy hosted SNL pretty well too. I like to give bonus points for non-former cast members. Shelley Henning’s special episode of Mythic Quest she was great in. Sarandon was an unexpected and welcome presence on Search Party. Morales was great in a Frank Grimes-ish role on Mr. Mayor. Given all the Ted Lasso love, I’m surprised Anders didn’t make it in the field.
These are pretty even groups. I’m giving the edge to the Wiig/Rudolph combo though.
Winner: Nominees (Barely)
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
Nominees
- Morgan Freeman (The Kominsky Method “Chapter 20. The Round Toes, Of The High Shoes”)
- *Daniel Kaluuya (Saturday Night Live “Host: Daniel Kaluuya”)
- *Alec Baldwin (Saturday Night Live “Host: Dave Chappelle”)
- *Dave Chappelle (Saturday Night Live “Host: Dave Chappelle”)
- *Dan Levy (Saturday Night Live “Host: Dan Levy”)
B-Team
- *Josh Brener (Mythic Quest “Backstory”)
- *Stephen Colbert (Girls5Eva “Alf Musik”)
- *William Hurt (Mythic Quest “Peter”)
- *Andrew Rannells (Girls5Eva “A.I.R.P.I.G.”)
- *Adam Driver (Last Week Tonight “Trump & Election Results / F*ck 2020”)
Now this is a deep category. I couldn’t even find space for John Mulaney, Rege-Jean Page, or Chris Rock SNL hosting gigs. No room for John Slattery or Bowen Yang on episodes of Girls5Eva, Aziz Andari’s return to Master of None, Mark-Paul Gosselar’s return to Saved By the Bell, or a slimy Anthony Head role on Ted Lasso.
The nominees went with a quartet of SNL appearances and Morgan Freeman showing up on The Kominsky Method. Most of the strength in that comes from Dan Levy fitting right in on SNL and Daniel Kaluuya giving his hosting gig his all*.
*By that I mean that Kaluuya too his hosting gig more seriously than most.
Meanwhile, my B-Team has Josh Brener and William Hurt for two high usage episodes of Mythic Quest. Voters has no business overlooking both. Stephen Colbert was delightful and almost unrecognizable on Girls5Eva. Andrew Rannells feels like he was a regular on Girls5Eva, which means he made a hell of an impact for being in less than half the season. In terms of short performances, Adam Driver’s Skype appearance on Last Week Tonight was very funny and paid off a season-long recurring joke.
As good as Kaluuya and Levy were on SNL, I’ve gotta go with the B-Team and the Mythic Quest duo.
Winner: B-Team (Barely)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Nominees
- *Rosie Perez (The Flight Attendant)
- *Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
- *Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live)
- *Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
- *Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live)
- *Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)
- *Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)
B-Team
- *Zosia Mamet (The Flight Attendant)
- *Heidi Gardner (SNL)
- *Paula Pell (Girls5Eva)
- *Busy Phillips (Girls5Eva)
- *Holly Hunter (Mr. Mayor)
- *Josie Totah (Saved by the Bell)
- #Naomi Ackie (Master of None)
Regularly one of the deepest categories, this year is no different. Just check out the names I left off.
From Mythic Quest: Jessie Ennis, Ashly Burch, Caitlin McGee, Imani Hakim.
From SNL: Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim.
From Saved by the Bell: Alycia Pascual-Pena, Haskiri Velazquez.
Rachel Hilson on Love, Victor and Mary Steenburgen on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Given the all-around love for Hacks, I’m disappointed that even I couldn’t find room for Kailin Olson.
That’s a good Nominee list. Bryant, McKinnon, and Strong are the MVPs of a strong SNL ensemble. Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham are very worthy nominees for Ted Lasson. Hannah Einbinder is actually the co-lead of Hacks. And I love seeing Rosie Perez nominated.
Gardner isn’t that far behind the other three on SNL. Zosia Mamet would actually be my Supporting Actress pick for The Flight Attendant. Mr. Mayor is still figuring itself out, but Holly Hunter is bringing everything to it, and she’s Holly “fucking” Hunter. Josie Totah is a real stand out on the undeservedly ignored Saved By the Bell. Then there’s Pell and Phillips as essential parts of the uniformly strong Girls5Eva cast.
Simply put, the Nominees list isn’t showing enough evidence that the voters watched more than just the front runners. Given Pell, Phillips, and Mamet, I’m going with the B-Team, and it’s not particularly close.
Winner: B-Team (Comfortably)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Nominees
- *Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Hacks) (HBO Max)
- Paul Reiser (The Kominsky Method) (Netflix)
- *Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live) (NBC)
- *Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) (NBC)
- *Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) (Apple TV+)
- *Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso) (Apple TV+)
- *Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso) (Apple TV+)
- *Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso) (Apple TV+)
B-Team
- *F. Murray Abraham (Mythic Quest)
- *Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso)
- *Cole Escola (Search Party)
- *Michael Greyeyes (Rutherford Falls)
- *Mitchell Hoog (Saved by the Bell)
- *Beck Bennett (SNL)
- *Michiel Huisman (The Flight Attendant)
- *Dani Pudi (Mythic Quest)
This is nowhere near as deep as the Actress counter-part. Even though I find two SNL nominations and four for Ted Lasso lazy, it’s not really a bad list. I’ll assume Paul Reiser is fine on The Kominsky Method. Clemon Hopkins is find in Hacks too. Yang and Thompson are the correct SNL men to nominate. And who am I supposed to say id bad of those Ted Lasso nominees?
Meanwhile, I struggled a bit to fill out the B-Team. I find it funny that Phil Dunster was the only core Ted Lasso actor not nominated. I assume it’s because he’s so effectively dislikable as Jamie Tart. Beck Bennett is the next best option on SNL after Kenan and Bowen. Cole Escola is intense on Search Party. F. Murray Abraham and Dani Pudi are very fun for different reasons on Mythic Quest. I mainly have Huiseman on here because he’s in so much of The Flight Attendant and that was a good season. Hoog is also solid on Saved by the Bell. Greyeyes I’m a bit torn on. I love what his character is supposed to be on the show. I don’t love his comic timing, but he does pull off the alpha energy.
Yeah, I can’t believe how shallow this field is.
Winner: Nominees (Comfortably)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Nominees
- *Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish)
- *Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant)
- *Jean Smart (Hacks)
- Allison Janney (Mom)
- Aidy Bryant (Shrill)
B-Team
- *Sara Bareilles (Girls5Eva)
- *Renee Elise Goldsberry (Girls5Eva)
- *Jane Levy (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)
- Maya Erskine (Pen15)
- Anna Konkle (Pen15)
It’s hard to argue with Smart as the Emmy frontrunner. It’s career best work from Cuco too, even though I think it’s better as a dramatic performance. Ellis Ross is always sturdy in Black-ish. It does feel like she was nominated this year out of unoriginality from the voters. Bryant for Shrill is deserved, and Janney is among the most dominant Emmy forces of the era for a reason.
I realize my B-Team has less variety, but that’s partly to make a point. How do they recognize Pen15 for series without nominating Erskine or Konkle? I was a bit surprised to see Goldsberry submit as lead rather than supporting, but she’s so dominant on Girls5Eva that she deserves recognition. Bareilles is the traditional lead of Girls5Eva and just as deserving. Then there’s Jane Levy who makes Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist work way more than it should.
Winner: B-Team (Comfortably)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Nominees
- *Anthony Anderson (black-ish)
- Kenan Thompson (Kenan)
- Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
- #William H. Macy (Shameless)
- *Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)
B-Team
- *Michael Cimino (Love, Victor)
- *Ted Danson (Mr. Mayor)
- *Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls)
- *Glenn Howerton (A.P. Bio)
- *Rob McElhenney (Mythic Quest)
Again, the men need to step it up. Shallow field. Sudeikis is the only lock on the Nominees. Macy hasn’t deserved a nomination for years. Anderson is there out of voting inertia. I assume Douglas is fine in The Kominsky Method. Same with Kenan. I kind of think Thompson’s nomination was SNL overflow though.
So, really, it’s Sudeikis vs. the B-Team. Well, Ted Danson is always good. Mr. Mayor is still figuring itself out. I like throwing Howerton and McElhenney in since It’s Always Sunny will never get the love it has deserved. Helms is a lot more thoughtful on Rutherford Falls than I expected. Cimino is wonderful on Love, Victor, but a teen show like that really feels like it belongs in a different category. So, the Nominees left this wide open and I still couldn’t find enough. In short, in a genderless Lead Performer field, Jason Sudeikis is the only male performance I’d even consider.
Winner: Nominees (Comfortably)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Nominees
- *black-ish
- Cobra Kai
- Emily In Paris
- *The Flight Attendant
- *Hacks
- The Kominsky Method
- Pen15
- *Ted Lasso
B-Team
- *A.P. Bio
- *Girls5Eva
- *Master of None
- *Rutherford Falls
- *Saved by the Bell
- *Search Party
- *Superstore
- *Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Much digital ink has been used to point out how thin the series fields are this year. At first glance, the Nominees for Comedy series would confirm that. Emily in Paris still made the cut after being a Golden Globes punchline. The niche Cobra Kai made it. Black-ish got another nomination despite the series running on fumes. I suppose The Kominsky Method is evidence of the old vote. Really it’s The Flight Attendant, Hacks, and Ted Lasso representing the front runners with Pen15 as the cool kid in class. And, I’ll be honest, one of those three frontrunners is a sheep in wolf’s clothing.
The B-Team does sort of confirm the “weak field” theory. It also makes the oversights even more inexcusable. Again, voters just plain didn’t watch Peacock. No Girls5Eva! No Saved by the Bell. No Rutherford Falls. No A.P. Bio. Be better Emmy voters. Do the damn work. There is truly no excuse for Girls5Eva in particular to not make the cut. Then there are the NBC proper shows, Superstore and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist which I’m used to the voters ignoring. I think Search Party had 2 seasons airing in the voting window. That’s a lot of show for them to ignore. It looks like the late release strategy mixed with the unclear series connection really tanked the Master of None spinoff season from getting attention.
I slightly prefer Girls5Eva over Ted Lasso. Hacks isn’t enough to bolster the rest of the Nominees. I think I’m actually going with the B-Team here.
Winner: Nominees (Barely)
---
5-4 B-Team
A bit of a nail-biter. Ultimately, the voters’ inability to nominate a variety of shows did them in. Pay the $5 for Peacock next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment