My Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Don't look so sad Luke, you'd get my Emmy vote.

The Emmy nominations are once again around the corner (they'll be announced July 18) so I will present my thoughts on who should be nominated seeing as Emmy voters & I so often disagree. In fact last year we agreed on only 21 of 61 nominations, because of a tie there wan an extra Emmy nominee, last year & that gap was especially large in comedy where we found common ground on only 6 of 31. Maybe this year there will be more of an overlap but I'm not getting my hopes up. 

Before i get to my thoughts on our first category, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, it bears mentioning yet again that Emmy voters are people who work, or worked, in the industry (actors, directors, writers, etc.) hence many of them don't have the time to watch a broad variety of shows. I, on the other hand, have plenty of time! So much time that I managed to watch 42 shows last year & I added another 6 in 2013 (seriously). Thus their choices may get tons of publicity I'd argue mine may well be more valid. Of course really I think TV critics should be in charge, since it's their job to judge television, so here's a professional's opinion.*

*I freely admit that I'm ripping off Alan Sepinwall's Emmy gimmick. As for any similarities between our picks I would merely say we both watch a lot of TV & have good taste.

It's important to also not that like actual Emmy voters I'm restricted by whether or not an actor submitted themselves & where they chose to do so, so while I may think someone's a lead character if they submit in supporting I'm bound to honor that (I'm also not nominating anyone from shows I didn't watch at least a few episodes of, sorry The Big Bang Theory*). Click here for the actual Emmy ballot. Last year Emmy voters & I didn't agree on one nominee, come July 18th I encourage you to come back here & decide who did a better job.

*I'm not sorry. 

My Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy

I think Jenna Fischer is Emmy worthy,
let's hope the real voters feel the same.

The Emmy nominations are once again around the corner (they'll be announced July 18) so I will once again present my thoughts on who should be nominated seeing as Emmy voters & I so often disagree. In fact last year we agreed on only 21 of 61 nominations, because of a tie there wan an extra Emmy nominee, last year & that gap was especially large in comedy where we found common ground on only 6 of 31. Maybe this year there will be more of an overlap but I'm not getting my hopes up. 

Before i get to my thoughts on our first category, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy, it bears mentioning once again that Emmy voters are people who work, or worked, in the industry (actors, directors, writers, etc.) hence many of them don't have the time to watch a broad variety of shows. I, on the other hand, have plenty of time! So much time that I managed to watch 42 shows last year & I added another 6 in 2013 (seriously). Thus their choices may get tons of publicity I'd argue mine may well be more valid. Of course really I think TV critics should be in charge, since it's their job to judge television, so here's a professional's opinion.*

I freely admit that I'm ripping off Alan Sepinwall's Emmy gimmick. As for any similarities between our picks I would merely say we both watch a lot of TV & have good taste.

It's important to also not that like actual Emmy voters I'm restricted by whether or not an actor submitted themselves & where they chose to do so, so while I may think someone's a lead character if they submit in supporting I'm bound to honor that (I'm also not nominating anyone from shows I didn't watch at least a few episodes of, sorry Downton Abbey). Click here for the actual Emmy ballot. Last year Emmy voters & I didn't agree on one nominee, come July 18th I encourage you to come back here & decide who did a better job.

If I ran the Emmys: Comedy

No matter what Emmy voters say the cast of Parks and Rec should
be happy, they're on one of the best comedies on TV.

Alas between school, football, & my general inability to manage my time we've arrived at the day of the 2012 Emmys &, like last year, I've only managed to post my supporting actor/actress in a comedy picks so I'm going to speed through the rest in 2 posts, sadly, without any videos. First let's finish off the rest of the comedy nominations.

As I've mentioned before I watch more television than most Emmy voters, who are busy actually making TV, so I'm catching some performances & shows that they may be missing out on, & of course actual TV critics see more than I do so here's a professional's take* on lead actress in a comedy, lead actor in a comedy, & outstanding comedy series. 

*Again these posts are indeed a rip off  of Alan Sepinwall's Emmy posts, & I encourage you to read his TV criticism if you enjoy reading such things.

It's important to also note that like actual Emmy voters I'm restricted by whether or not an actor submitted themselves & where they chose to do so, so while I may think someone's a lead character if they submit in supporting I'm bound to honor that (I'm also not nominating anyone from shows I didn't watch at least a few episodes of, sorry Downton Abbey). Click here for the actual Emmy ballot. Now on to the nominees...

If I Ran the Emmys: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Community pulls a hat trick in my version of the Emmys. 

We're on to the 2nd round of my "If I Ran the Emmys" series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, which is designed to give praise to those performances & shows I consider most deserving of recognition. As I've mentioned before I watch more television than most Emmy voters, who are busy actually making TV, so I'm catching some performances & shows that they may be missing out on, & of course actual TV critics see more than I do so here's a professional's take.*

*Again these posts are absolutely ripping off Alan Sepinwall's Emmy posts. In fact we even chose 5 of the same actors in this category & the one we did disagree on we just chose different actors from the same show, & that ratio isn't really going to change. So yea... You could just read his stuff, & if you enjoy television criticism than I highly recommend you do, but I hope you'll read mine anyway. 

It's important to also note that like actual Emmy voters I'm restricted by whether or not an actor submitted themselves & where they chose to do so, so while I may think someone's a lead character if they submit in supporting I'm bound to honor that (I'm also not nominating anyone from shows I didn't watch at least a few episodes of, sorry Downton Abbey). Click here for the actual Emmy ballot. As for the actual Emmys two years ago voters & I agreed on two nominees, last year that number shrunk to one & now I'm afraid, as with the Supporting Comedy Actress category, we couldn't find one nominee to agree on. Once again I leave it to you to decide who did a better job of singling out the best performances.

If I Ran the Emmys: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Emmy voters can have the Modern Family ladies,
just leave me ALISON BRIE! & Gillian Jacobs.

For the last two years I've attempted to give my thoughts on who was deserving of Emmy nominations for the 10 major awards (Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy/Drama, Lead Actor/Actress in Comedy/Drama, Best Comedy/Drama) but ultimately I've failed to ever publish more than my thoughts on 3 of the aforementioned categories. This year I vow to do them all though!

Before i get to my thoughts on our first category, Supporting Actress in a Comedy, it bears mentioning once again that Emmy voters are people who work, or worked, in the industry (actors, directors, writers, etc.) hence many of them don't have the time to watch a broad variety of shows. I, on the other hand, have plenty of time! So while their choices may get tons of publicity, including here, I'd argue mine may well be more valid. Of course really I think TV critics should be in charge, since it's their job to judge television, so here's a professional's opinion.*

I freely admit that I'm ripping off Alan Sepinwall's Emmy gimmick. As for the similarities between many of our picks, as will be extremely evident in the next category, I would merely say we both watch a lot of TV & have good taste.

It's important to also not that like actual Emmy voters I'm restricted by whether or not an actor submitted themselves & where they chose to do so, so while I may think someone's a lead character if they submit in supporting I'm bound to honor that (I'm also not nominating anyone from shows I didn't watch at least a few episodes of, sorry Downton Abbey). Click here for the actual Emmy ballot. As for the actual Emmys two years ago the voters & I agreed on two of the nominees & the winner, last year we agreed on two again, this year however we have not one common nominee. You be the judge of who did a better job.

Emmy Preview-Who Should, & Will, Win

The Emmys are tonight  & alas I have failed yet again to finish my major category preview (this time only getting through the comedic supporting categories). So now I’ll just list who should win & who I think will win.

My (faux) Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Now that's an Emmy worthy handshake.

The Emmy nominations were just announced last Thursday (see the list of nominees here) I thought I’d give my thoughts on who/what should have been nominated in the major categories. Last week I detailed my list of Outstanding Supporting Actresses in a Comedy, & today we move on to their male counterparts.

No category gave me more trouble to narrow down to six nominees, as you’ll be able to tell from my honorable mentions list, than Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy (For a look at a professional critic’s opinion click here, & for my picks last year go here). There are just so many great comedic actors & roles in television that you could pick at least a dozen different actors & be able to make a fine case that they should earn a nomination, however Emmy voters are restricted to six votes so I am as well. Without further ado here are my six picks (click on their names to see one of their highlights from this season)…

My (faux) Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Alison Brie: Beautiful? Check. Hilarious? Check. Emmy worthy? You bet.

With the Emmy nominations being announced Thursday I thought I’d give my thoughts on who/what should be nominated in the major categories. Considering I watch more television than the majority of Emmy voters (who in their defense are busy making television) I’m actually more qualified than they are to decide who/what is deserving of recognition. For example they gave “The Wire,” considered by most critics one of the two best dramas of all time (“The Sopranos” being the other), only two nominations (& zero wins) in 5 seasons. That would never have happened had I been in charge.

Our first category will be Supporting Actress in a Comedy (For a look at a professional’s thoughts go here, & for my picks last year click here). Out of all the female categories this was the hardest to narrow down for while they’re may be a general lack of good lead roles for women comedically, be it on television or in film, there are a number of fine roles out there for women in complimentary roles & the women filling them are more than up to the task of making us all laugh (click on their names to see one of their highlights from this season).

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama

As previously mentioned the Joeys feature 6 nominees (nominees also up for the Emmy are italicized) & I will also predict the winner of each category for the Emmys. Without further ado...

Josh Holloway (Sawyer, "Lost")-Holloway brought his performance to another level in the last 2 seasons of "Lost" as Sawyer became the leader of the castaways, along with Jack. Holloway earns this nomination for showing Sawyer's heartbreak over Juliet's death & his portrayal of shock & joy at reuniting with her in the sideways universe.

Michael B. Jordan (Vince, "Friday Night Lights")-The character of Vince could've easily become a cliche, a troubled black kid from the inner city with no dad & a junky for a mom, but Jordan was up to the task of making Vince into a full formed person. He completely sold Vince's evolution into a leader on the football field & a much better person off it.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy

As previously mentioned the Joeys feature 6 nominees (nominees also up for the Emmy are italicized) & I will also predict the winner of each category for the Emmys. Without further ado...

Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy, "Modern Family")-some people have criticized Burrell's Phil Dunphy as Michael Scott as a father, my response-what's wrong with that? Michael Scott is hilarious & so is Phil Dunphy, though to be fair as childish as Phil is he has a slightly better grip on reality than Michael & he's never nearly as offensive. & that's why Burrell get's major points from me, he's not allowed to be quite as unhinged as Steve Carell yet he manages to draw just as many laughs.

Glen Howerton (Dennis, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia")-Charlie Day as Charlie generally gets the most credit for the many laughs on Always Sunny, however, as much as I love Charlie, I find Howerton's mildly more intelligent Dennis to be the best of the show's ensemble. His character's self-centeredness, and belief that he's far more intelligent than he is (due to the stupidity of those around him) never fails to make me laugh. He also gets a boost for reminding me of my good friend Jamie Becwar.

Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson, "Parks & Recreation") -Offerman's Ron Swanson is one of the great comedic creations of the last few years. He is extremely prejudiced of government, despite being the head of the Pawnee, Indiana Parks & Rec department. He's had 2 failed marriages with women named Tammy, & yes, his mother's name was Tammy. Of course all of that is just good writing, but Offerman only enhances the character with his brilliant mustache, slapstick talent, odd talents, & ability to convey Ron's overwhelming hatred for human interaction.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Like the Emmys the Joeys feature 6 nominees (nominees also up for the Emmy are italicized) & I will also predict the winner of each category for the Emmys. Without further ado...

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy:

Alison Brie (Annie, "Community")-Brie more than held her own comedically against the rest of the hilarious cast, especially when Annie sprayed herself in the eyes with pepper spray. In addition her chemistry with Joel McHale allowed for a fantastic season finale cliff hanger.

Jenna Fischer (Pam, "The Office")-This was definitely the weakest season of "The Office", but of all the lead actors Fischer was the one who best acquitted herself throughout the season. She was at her best showing Pam's insecurities about the wedding & becoming a mother, as well as frustration & anger at Michael for first dating & then breaking up with her mother. Not to mention as long as "The Office" is on Fischer's getting one of my nominations.

Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester, "Glee")-"Glee" had an up & down season (up for most of the first half, down after returning in April), but Lynch's Sylvester was always hilarious. She gave a needed break from the sometimes overbearing melodrama with uproariously inappropriate comments the best of which addressed the great deal of hair product in Mr. Schuester's hair. Lynch also was fantastic in her few dramatic moments involving Sue's mentally challenged sister.