COMEDY SERIES
Louie (FX) – Season 5
Modern Family (ABC) – Season 6
Parks and Recreation (NBC) – Season 7
Silicon Valley (HBO) – Season 2
Transparent (Prime Video) – Season 1
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix) – Season 1
Veep (HBO) – Season 4
Should have won: Silicon Valley
Not even nominated: Community (Yahoo! Screen)
Veep was certainly the most ruthless comedy on TV at the time, and the final run with Armando Ianucci at the helm was spectacular. (That it thrived in its later seasons under a showrunner with wildly different sensibilities is a discussion for another time.) But as you know if you’ve been reading these columns over the years, I like to spread the love. At this point Silicon Valley is frankly underrated. Though it was critically acclaimed, did well enough ratings-wise to earn seven seasons, and racked up a lot of Emmy nominations, it never won anything. It almost seems like science fiction, since its final season imagined a world where tech bros actually put the needs of society over their own bank accounts. And this second season – which focused on the legal battle between the guys and Gavin – is where it took the leap. It ended with one of the most nail-biting finales ever committed to screen.
It’s still a miracle we got a sixth season of Community, but bless Yahoo! for deciding to piss away millions of dollars on a streaming platform no one used (except for me, and only to watch this show). That it lost two regular and two recurring cast members, only to turn out its best season since before Dan Harmon was fired, is even more of a miracle. Obviously if one of the four major broadcast networks ignored it for almost its entire run, no also-ran streamer had a prayer. But it absolutely deserved more recognition, even in a stacked line-up.
COMEDY ACTOR
Anthony Anderson, black-ish (“Sex, Lies and Vasectomies”)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (“It’s a Box Inside a Box Inside a Box, Dipshit!”)
Louis C.K., Louie (“Bobby’s House”)
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (“Alive in Tucson”)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (“Episode Five”)
William H. Macy, Shameless (“A Night to Remem… Wait, What?”)
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (“The Letting Go”)
Should have won: Well…
Not even nominated: Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Transparent was an often wonderful, thoughtful show about deeply flawed people that hopefully taught cis people about trans people. That’s a beautiful thing. But there are a lot of problems here, starting with a cis actor playing a trans character. Not ideal. Then there are the many incidents of misconduct that led to Tambor’s dismissal from the show. Not the kind of person you want to be rewarding. But I won’t take this award away from him for two reasons: 1. He’s marvelous in the show, especially in his submitted episode, where he comes out to his eldest daughter. 2. Tambor should have already had one (if not two) Emmys for The Larry Sanders Show (and Arrested Development).
So let’s put in a good guy playing a good guy for a little balance. Somehow in an ensemble as rich as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Andre Braugher was the only one to get nominated (and he never won!). So let’s give some flowers to Andy Samberg, who had to be the straight man, the goofball, or the romantic lead, depending on the scene. As solid as the ensemble is, if Jake comes off as a jerk, the show doesn’t work.
COMEDY ACTRESS
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (“I Say a Little Prayer”)
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback (“Valerie Is Taken Seriously”)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (“Election Night”)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (“One Last Ride”)
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (“Cool with It”)
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (“The Vows”)
Should have won: Lisa Kudrow
Not even nominated: Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was on her fourth win for Selina Meyer, so I’m turning a loser into a winner. I’m talking of course about Valerie Cherish, the wonderfully pathetic star of The Comeback. Perfectly played by Lisa Kudrow, this belated second season finds her star sort-of ascending again after the writer of her failed sitcom begins production on a prestige TV series about his struggles with addiction, with Valerie playing herself. It’s extremely meta and extremely cringy, but absolutely hilarious.
Like another pair I’ll get to later, it just seems wrong to nominate one half but not the other. While Tomlin was certainly the wackier of the titular duo, Fonda certainly earned plenty of big laughs herself, even while she could often be the curmudgeon.
COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (“The Mole”)
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (“Kimmy Goes to School”)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (“Crying Out Loud”)
Adam Driver, Girls (“Close-Up”)
Tony Hale, Veep (“East Wing”)
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele (“Sex Detective”)
Should have won: Keegan-Michael Key
Not even nominated: Jordan Peele, Key & Peele
Tony Hale had won before and gave an absolutely perfect acceptance speech, so it’s time to give someone else some love. Again, it’s a shame Key got nominated (twice!) without Peele. Their chemistry is key (no pun intended) to the show’s brilliance. But I’ll at least take the opportunity to give one of them the honors.
COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (“The Prom Equivalency”)
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (“Valentine’s Day 4: Twisted Sister”)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (“Convention”)
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent (“Rollin’”)
Allison Janney, Mom (“Dropped Soap and a Big Guy on a Throne”)
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (“Kimmy Gets a Job!”)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (“Host: Taraji P. Henson”)
Niecy Nash, Getting On (“The 7th Annual Christmas Card Competition”)
Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Paget Brewster, Community
Janney’s win the previous year was fine. But this particular episode, in which Bonnie falls off the wagon, proves why the beloved actress is so adept at both comedy and drama.
While these other performers are all (mostly) great, I’d nix The Big Bang Theory‘s only major nominee in favor of Brewster, a TV lifer who’s never been nominated. New school administrator Frankie is clearly autistic but unclear about her sexual appetites and personal life. She’s the perfect counterweight to Greendale’s zaniness and Brewster pulls off the tricky performance beautifully.
COMEDY WRITING
Episodes (“Episode Nine”)
The Last Man on Earth (“Alive in Tucson”)
Louie (“Bobby’s House”)
Silicon Valley (“Two Days of the Condor”)
Transparent (Pilot episode)
Veep (“Election Night”)
Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Community (“Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television”)
It all led to this, so of course Veep‘s magnificent writing team had to take this award. Like some of Selina’s staff, this is a real no-brainer.
And while Episodes may have been occasionally amusing, it never had the depth of jokes (or emotion) that Community had, especially in its grand finale.
COMEDY DIRECTING
The Last Man on Earth (“Alive in Tucson”)
Louie (“Sleepover”)
Silicon Valley (“Sand Hill Shuffle”)
Transparent (“Best New Girl”)
Veep (“Testimony”)
Should have won: Veep
Not even nominated: Community (“Modern Espionage”)
Nothing against Joey Soloway, but there’s nothing particularly special about their direction in the crucial flashback episode in Transparent‘s first season. Veep‘s congressional hearing episode is a much more impressive achievement.
And for a final time: Where the hell is Community? I will only assume that Sony and/or Yahoo! would have submitted the final paintball episode, which was wildly entertaining, even if it pales in comparison to its predecessors.
DRAMA SERIES
Game of Thrones (HBO) – Season 5
Better Call Saul (AMC) – Season 1
Downton Abbey (PBS) – Season 5
Homeland (Showtime) – Season 4
House of Cards (Netflix) – Season 3
Mad Men (AMC) – Season 7, Part 2
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix) – Season 2
Should have won: Orange Is the New Black
Not even nominated: The Americans (FX)
Despite being a phenomenon at the dawn of the steaming era, Orange Is the New Black is mostly forgotten these days. Part of that is, like its stablemate House of Cards, some of those latter seasons sucked frankly. It was at its very best in its second season, which saw the great Lorraine Toussant as Vee, whose sinister motherly affections pit her against Red and the rest of the inmates. Would it have had a better shot if the Academy hadn’t ruled it a drama instead of a comedy? Probably not. But since it the best show on TV (The Americans) wasn’t even nominated, it should have taken this category.
DRAMA ACTOR
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline (“Part 12”)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (“What Kind of Day Has It Been”)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (“Person to Person”)
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (“Pimento”)
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (“Walk This Way”)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (“Chapter 32”)
Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Mad Men had an absolute chokehold on Emmy voters for four straight seasons. But despite winning Drama Series four times and Writing for a Drama Series three times, this was somehow its only acting win. (That it never won Costumes is even more baffling.) Still, Hamm deserved this many times over. But it’s fitting he won it for the show’s final run, when the series essentially became Don’s misadventures across America.
DRAMA ACTRESS
Claire Danes, Homeland (“From A to B and Back Again”)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder (“Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole”)
Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Pilot episode)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (“Certain Agony of the Battlefield”)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (“Person to Person”)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (“Chapter 32”)
Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Keri Russell, The Americans
Viola Davis is one of the greats, and probably deserves more awards than her single Tony, Oscar, and Emmys statues. How to Get Away with Murder may not have been a very good show, but it was a ridiculously entertaining one, especially in its first season. Who else but Davis could pull off a dramatic makeup removal and deliver a line like “Why is your penis on a dead girl’s phone?” and make it seem like Shakespeare?
DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (“Five-O”)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (“A Moorland Holiday”)
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife (“Undisclosed Recipients”)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (“Hardhome”)
Michael Kelly, House of Cards (“Chapter 27”)
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (“Part 12”)
Should have won: Jonathan Banks
Not even nominated: Michael McKean, Better Call Saul
Dinklage is a great actor, but did he really deserve FOUR Emmys as Tyrion Lannister? I say no, especially when few scenes hit as hard as Banks’s monologue in that episode of Better Call Saul. Speaking of which, it’s a crying shame that McKean’s rich performance as the Chuck McGill on this marvelous show only turned up a measly Guest Actor nomination in 2019.
DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (“Hugs Can Be Deceiving”)
Christina Baranski, The Good Wife (“Loser Edit”)
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (“The Dance of Dragons”)
Joanna Froggatt, Downton Abbey (“A Moorland Holiday”)
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (“Mother’s Mercy”)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (“Lost Horizon”)
Should have won: No complaints here
Not even nominated: Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul
It’s between Aduba and Headey for me. But I think the latter was better the very next year. While Aduba had won the previous year for Guest Actress, her promotion to series regular also saw her become more involved in the story, with Vee (Lorraine Toussaint) exploiting Suzanne’s mental illness for her own gain.
But while Seehorn’s performance would get even better over the course of the show’s run, it’s a little absurd she was only nominated twice.
DRAMA WRITING
The Americans (“Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?”)
Better Call Saul (“Five-O”)
Game of Thrones (“Mother’s Mercy”)
Mad Men (“Lost Horizon”)
Mad Men (“Person to Person”)
Should have won: The Americans
Not even nominated: Orange Is the New Black (“We Have Manners. We’re Polite.”)
One of the things that made The Americans so great is how often your allegiances shifted. The Jenningses are actively working to bring down America. Their handlers aren’t above torture to test their loyalty. But their spy work reveals that the U.S. is doing the exact same thing. In this third season episode, which earned the show its first major nomination, Philip and Elizabeth break into a repair facility to plant a listening device on the FBI’s mail robot. The place should be empty, but an elderly bookkeeper (Lois Smith (who should have been nominated for Guest Actress) shows up at the wrong time, resulting in her untimely death. It’s a gut-wrenching episode in a show a filled with them. I’ll take that over the Walk of Shame any day.
DRAMA DIRECTING
Boardwalk Empire (“Eldorado”)
Game of Thrones (“Mother’s Mercy”)
Game of Thrones (“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken”)
Homeland (“From A to B and Back Again”)
The Knick (“Method and Madness”)
Should have won: The Knick
Not even nominated: The Newsroom (“Run”)
Game of Thrones definitely executed some monumental episodes over the course of its run, and picked up two wins, often going up against itself in this category. But since it won back-to-back, I’ll give it the edge for the even more impressive win the following year and instead give this award to Steven Soderbergh for his meticulous direction on the often jaw-dropping The Knick.
The Newsroom never got the respect it deserved. Sure, there were plenty of cringeworthy moments as with any Aaron Sorkin series. And Season 3 had more of them than any other. But those first three episodes are excellent, with “Run” representing the show’s most thrilling hour.