The Primetime Emmy Awards may claim to honor the best and brightest in television, but it’s an unwritten secret that they don’t always get it right. They often go for safe choices over bold, boundary-pushing television, and great performances in genre shows tend to go unacknowledged. As a huge TV geek I’ve come to appreciate the Emmys for calling attention to some of my favorite shows, but it can be frustrating to see how others are ignored for whatever reason.
I have watched many of this year’s Emmy nominated shows and performances, which come from the eligibility period of June 1, 2016 through May 31, 2017, and I can say that the Television Academy did a great job this year. But while they chose to nominate multiple new shows like Atlanta, The Handmaid’s Tale, Stranger Things, and This Is Us, they also snubbed some truly great artistic achievements.
Listed below are shows, actors, directors and writers I would reward if I were an Emmy voter this year. I also include my personal choice outside the parameters of this year’s nominees.
The nominees for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series are…
Becky Ann Baker – Girls
Angela Bassett – Master of None
Carrie Fisher – Catastrophe
Melissa McCarthy – Saturday Night Live
Wanda Sykes – black-ish
Kristen Wiig – Saturday Night Live
I would vote for:
Melissa McCarthy – Saturday Night Live
Few performances elicited the kind of buzz this year that Melissa McCarthy in Saturday Night Live received. Her brilliant portrayal of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer became instantly iconic, with the actress playing the role in four different episodes. Her total commitment to playing Spicer as an unhinged lackey desperate to please the president was incredible to watch. It also says a lot that McCarthy’s performance was so hilariously spot on that it prompted responses from the White House itself.
My personal pick:
Melissa McCarthy – Saturday Night Live
Even outside of the parameters of this year’s Emmy nominees, McCarthy is by far my favorite guest actress of the season. Beyond McCarthy’s performance as Spicer, her hosted episode was one of the best SNL shows this year, with sketches like the film panel, Lighthouse Features and the pie-themed game show proving her versatility as a comedic force. No other guest actress came close to doing what McCarthy did this season.
The nominees for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series are…
Riz Ahmed – Girls
Dave Chappelle – Saturday Night Live
Tom Hanks – Saturday Night Live
Hugh Laurie – Veep
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Saturday Night Live
Matthew Rhys – Girls
I would vote for:
Tom Hanks – Saturday Night Live
McCarthy had my favorite SNL performance this season, but Tom Hanks had the best episode of Season 42. The beloved actor was part of not one but two instant classic sketches — Black Jeopardy and David S. Pumpkins. The former was one of the most cleverly written sketches in modern SNL history, while the latter became an iconic meme overnight. The always-charming Hanks proved that he was still at the top of his game even in a sketch comedy format we’re not used to seeing him in.
My personal pick:
Josh Charles – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Josh Charles takes the preppy douche archetype to the extreme in Season 3 of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Playing Duke Snyder, heir to the Washington Redskins franchise, Charles is absolutely hilarious and holds his own against comedy powerhouses Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski. The episode “Kimmy Is a Feminist!” is really what won Charles this award.
The nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series are…
Vanessa Bayer – Saturday Night Live
Anna Chlumsky – Veep
Kathryn Hahn – Transparent
Leslie Jones – Saturday Night Live
Judith Light – Transparent
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
I would vote for:
Judith Light – Transparent
Judith Light in the third season of Transparent proves how much she is the show’s secret weapon. While her character, Shelly Pfefferman, was mostly a stereotypical Jewish mom in the series’ first two seasons, Season 3 featured Light giving shades of vulnerability to her character. While many have griped about the pretty dramatic Transparent competing as a comedy at the Emmys, Light has been a real beacon of, well, light.
My personal pick:
Judith Light – Transparent
I’m taking this opportunity to talk about Transparent‘s Season 3 finale, which is an absolutely knockout episode for Light. As Shelly prepares for her one-woman show, she confronts her family’s constant dismissal of her and her dreams. It’s a moment I’ve personally been waiting for, and it all culminates in her big performance, where she encapsulates every emotion she’s ever felt. It’s a masterclass in acting, and one of the top five best scenes on television this year.
The nominees for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series are…
Atlanta (“B.A.N.”) — Donald Glover
Silicon Valley (“Intellectual Property”) — Jamie Babbit
Silicon Valley (“Server Error”) — Mike Judge
Veep (“Blurb”) — Morgan Sackett
Veep (“Groundbreaking”) — David Mandel
Veep (“Justice”) — Dale Stern
I would vote for:
Atlanta (“B.A.N.”) — Donald Glover
This is an easy choice for me. The “B.A.N.” episode of Atlanta showed me what the show was truly capable of in crafting social satire that takes both sides of the political aisle to task. The episode centers on a fictional Black American Network channel and covers everything from black masculinity to transphobia to free speech, and Donald Glover weaves in hilarious parodies of commercials aimed specifically at the black community. It’s audacious, experimental filmmaking.
My personal pick:
Transparent (“If I Were a Bell”) — Andrea Arnold
Similar to Atlanta‘s “B.A.N.” Transparent‘s “If I Were a Bell” tackles social behavior but with a decidedly more delicate approach. This episode is a flashback to Maura (Jeffrey Tambor), then known as Mort, growing up and discovering her true identity. We also get a parallel sequence with young Shelly grappling with a secret of her own. The episode features beautiful cinematography and provides context for the present day in how Maura and Shelly feel so incredible in being able to express who they truly are.
The nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor for a Comedy Series are…
Louie Anderson – Baskets
Alec Baldwin – Saturday Night Live
Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Ty Burrell – Modern Family
Tony Hale – Veep
Matt Walsh – Veep
I would vote for:
Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tituss Burgess had one hell of a season on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, with Titus Andromedon seeking revenge on an old flame, battling scurvy, and raising hell on a cruise ship. Burgess has become my favorite part of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, even over the show’s star, Ellie Kemper, with Burgess able to deliver laughs on a consistent basis even from the show’s weaker material.
My personal pick:
Andrew Rannells – Girls
As the titular girls on Girls became more impossibly difficult, Rannells’ performance as Elijah was a constant delight. In this final season of the HBO series, Rannells received a good chunk of material that included reacting to Hannah’s (Lena Dunham) pregnancy and auditioning for a White Men Can’t Jump musical. Rannells is a gifted performer and I’m so glad he was finally given a showcase episode in “The Bounce.”
The nominees for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series are…
Atlanta (“B.A.N.”) — Donald Glover
Atlanta (“Streets on Lock”) — Stephen Glover
Master of None (“Thanksgiving”) — Aziz Ansari and Lena Waithe
Silicon Valley (“Success Failure”) — Alec Berg
Veep (“Georgia”) — Billy Kimball
Veep (“Groundbreaking”) — David Mandel
I would vote for:
Atlanta (“B.A.N.”) — Donald Glover
Everything I said above for Directing applies here. It’s a brilliant episode of television.
My personal pick:
black-ish (“Lemons”) — Kenya Barris
“Lemons” was black-ish‘s response to the 2016 presidential election, which saw Donald Trump upsetting over perceived frontrunner Hillary Clinton. The Johnson family reels over the election results and takes action in various ways, yet Dre’s (Anthony Anderson) thread is most resonant of all. In one epic monologue to his white co-workers he vocalizes the pain and suffering of his community, concluding with a beautiful message about how he still has hope. At a time when many were still coping with the results, “Lemons” had real impact on those who watched it.
The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series are…
Pamela Adlon – Better Things
Jane Fonda – Grace and Frankie
Allison Janney – Mom
Ellie Kemper – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep
Tracee Ellis Ross – black-ish
Lily Tomlin – Grace and Frankie
I would vote for:
Tracee Ellis Ross – black-ish
Through three seasons of black-ish, Tracee Ellis Ross has defied the typical “sitcom wife/mom” role that has grown so stale. While her character, Bow, is often reacting to husband Dre’s antics, she also gets to be crazy and complex all on her own. Ross had quite a few standout episodes in Season 3, particularly “Being Bow-racial,” in which she reflects on her feelings on being biracial, and “ToysRn’tUs,” where she protests a lack of options for black dolls for her daughter.
My personal pick:
Tracee Ellis Ross – black-ish
If Ross were to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, she would be the first black actress to do so since Isabel Sanford (The Jeffersons) in 1981. She already won the Golden Globe earlier this year and I would love to see her make history and upset five-time champion Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series are…
Anthony Anderson – black-ish
Aziz Ansari – Master of None
Zach Galifianakis – Baskets
Donald Glover – Atlanta
William H. Macy – Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent
I would vote for:
Anthony Anderson – black-ish
I’ve been hot and cold on Anthony Anderson as an actor over the years, but Dre Johnson in black-ish feels like his defining role. Anderson is often over-the-top and broad in his delivery, but Season 3 showed he is a great subtle, dramatic actor as well, particularly in the aforementioned “Lemons” episode. Anderson and Ross are such a perfect pair that I couldn’t possibly vote for one without the other.
My personal pick:
Bill Hader – Documentary Now!
Bill Hader is one of the most underrated comedians and actors of our generation, and Documentary Now! gives him the opportunity to show how phenomenal he is. Playing a different character in every episode, Season 2 featured Hader portraying a campaign manager, an insane dramatist, a filmmaking legend and so more.
The nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series are…
Atlanta
black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep
I would vote for:
Atlanta
Atlanta was a breath of fresh air this TV season as a wholly original artistic vision. Centering on Earn (Donald Glover), an entrepreneurial manager to his rapper friend Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), the series is both hyper-focused on its characters and expansive in what it has to say about Atlanta culture. It’s weird, it’s disarmingly hilarious, it’s poignant, it’s smart, and it’s unlike anything I’ve seen on television.
My personal pick:
Atlanta
Stay woke. What else is there to say?
***
DRAMA and LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE/VARIETY picks coming soon.