I think this year will be different from last year as I don’t expect as many nominees from Ted Lasso to be present. Not that I would have a problem if there were – but this year, there will be a hold over from many several years in the past. Nor do I expect Brett Goldstein, the early favorite for his work as Roy Kent, to waltz to a repeat, mainly because of the expected presence of two previous winners in this same category. I won’t advocate for Tony Shalhoub yet because I haven’t seen Season 4 of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but I won’t have a problem if he does. I’m going to have seven potential nominees in this category because that’s how many there were last year, but I’m willing to allow for at least eight. And make no mistake; there are a lot of good candidates.
Anthony Carrigan, Barry
I made a huge mistake in the second Season of Barry by not acknowledging in my original predictions the lion’s share of the supporting actors in this exceptional cast. And while I would not have a problem is the Emmys follow previous patterns and acknowledge the incredible Stephen Root for his work as Fuchs, I think it important that they remember the exceptional work that Carrigan gave as Noho Hank. Of all the characters this season, he had the biggest see-saw of them all, trying to keep his position in the Chechnya underworld secure while saving his rival/love Cristobal. This led to a lot of hilarity (no one will ever forget his trip to Colombia where he asked someone for directions, stood there while the man loaded a blow dart and shot it at him, and then said: “I thought that was what you were doing, but it seemed rude) and also some truly agonizing moments. Who will forget his work in the season finale where handcuffed to a radiator, he listened to the sounds of a slaughter led by an unseen carnivore, found the strength to break himself free from a radiator, then walk into the hall where his love was undergoing the worse kind of conversion therapy, shoot the captors and take Cristobal in his arms with tears in his eyes? I don’t know what will happen to Hank or Cristobal in Season 4; I know Carrigan deserves a nomination for his work.
Paul W. Downs, Hacks
Last year, I was utterly delighted that Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Deb’s loyal aide-de-camp received an Emmy nomination. I’d be just as delighted if the voters did the same this year. But watching Season 2 of Hacks I find myself increasingly impressed by the work of Downs’ as the eternally put upon agent of both Deb and Ava, trying to make things easier for both his clients, while dealing with an assistant Becky whose total incompetence is matched by the fact that she doesn’t seem to get why her maddening crush on his character is sexual harassment. In other hands, his character would come across as a sad sack who no one could stand. Considering the impossible position he is by both his clients, his secretary and HR, I actually find myself wishing the series would cut back to Hollywood more often. I know Downs’ as producer and co-writer of this series (oh, and he’s married to the showrunner) would seem to indicate he gets enough love from the awards circuit. I honestly wouldn’t mind if he himself got some more.
Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Of all the actors in the brilliant supporting cast of Ted Lasso, Goldstein is the one who is the most assured of getting a second nomination. And every time you watch Roy Kent, you understand it. Every profane comment out of his mouth makes you laugh hysterically – as the sports commentators at his new job are painfully aware of. But of the group, though I’m sure Roy would rather slit his wrists than admit, he has the biggest heart. He clearly cares for his niece, especially considering he treats her just like an adult and his relationship with Keeley is one of the most precious relationships I’ve seen on TV in years (and yes, I have a pretty good idea where its going and it breaks my heart in advance) Do I necessarily believe Goldstein will repeat at the Emmys this year? There’s going to be some pretty strong competition, some of which I’ll list below. But honestly, I imagine the Academy might vote for him because they want to hear Goldstein, just like the character he plays, say some profound and profane thanks when he gets up to the podium. Somehow I don’t think anyone would mind.
Harvey Guillen, What We Do In the Shadows
There are any number of great actors in FX’s extraordinary vampire satire who could fill the slot I’m about to give to WWDITS. All of them are brilliant, all are sublime, and all make me laugh hysterically. But in every comedy series, it’s usually the oddest one that entertains the most and watching this series, it is the one who isn’t a vampire. Guillen’s incredible work as Guillermo, the only character on the series with a pulse – and a brain – is one of the most magical bits of comedy as he’s the only one on the series with half a clue. You suspect, given enough forward momentum, he could end up being leader of the vampires. The fact that he ended last season in a coffin headed to Europe does not change my assessment of that fact. Guillen managed to get a nomination from the Critics Choice two straight seasons which makes me thinks he’s the most deserving of a nomination. It would be fitting if the Academy would send the perfect message: Slay on, Guillermo.
Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta
While many of the regulars in Atlanta were sidelined by Glover and his fellow writers’ decision to keep going in their surreal stand-alone episodes, Henry may have done some of his best work in Season 3 as Paperboi was at the focus of so many brilliant moments. When he learned that a millionaire who was playing poker with him never intended to pay him and took it out on his prized possession, when he tried to work a charity to help his community and learned some hard truths about it, when he engaged in a battle of wits with a crazed fan for his cell phone, and most memorably when he went on a strange drug trip in ‘Bad Jazz’ and went to a club where a meeting with Liam Neeson wasn’t anywhere near the weirdest thing about his hallucination, Henry continued to demonstrate why he is the heart of this incredibly, brilliantly bizarre series. I made an error in not suggested him for an Emmy nomination way back in 2019. He more than earned it here.
Brendan Hunt, Ted Lasso
I would not mind if either of the other ‘Diamond Dogs’ – Jeremy Swift or Nick Mohammed – made appearances or if the Emmys could somehow manage to find room for both. But should the Emmys, bound by the limits of the category only have room for two nominees from Ted Lasso – Goldstein will be here, that’s a given – my personal favorite would be for Hunt’s priceless Coach Beard. Hunt, like Sudeikis, is a co-creator of Ted Lasso, but unlike the star, he manages to make himself hysterical to watch the fewer lines of dialogue he actually has. Whenever he gently corrects or aids Ted with the right pop culture reference or a sign of affection, it’s always the perfect line. Characters like Coach Beard rarely get the credit they’re due from award shows because it is generally speeches and one-liners that are the kind of the things Emmy voters usually are drawn too. Hunt’s kind of work is harder to quantify which means it deserves more recognition.
Henry Winkler, Barry
Winkler is my odds on favorite in this category, and anyone who watched his work this season knows he’s earned. From the opening when he tried to kill Barry to their several episodes where Barry tried to earn Gene’s forgiveness and Gene utterly refused to accept it, to Gene finally realizing that he, unlike Barry, can truly make things right with the people he’s wronged, until the final episode when the father of the detective that Barry murdered at the end of the first season interrogated Gene in one of the most intense scenes I’ve seen on TV anywhere. I truly believed in my heart of hearts that Gene was going to kill himself before Barry intervened, and when I learned in the final minutes what he had done, I realized that Gene had finally given the greatest performance of his career – one that he may never recover from. You throw in the fact that Winkler also gave some of the shows most brilliant moments of comedy – particularly in his the acting class he gave in the penultimate episode of Season 3 – and it is really hard to argue that Winkler doesn’t deserve yet another Emmy for his work.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Pete Davidson, Saturday Night Live
I know, as a person who spends so much of his career saying that SNL doesn’t deserve to have nominees in these categories, why I am advocating not only for someone on this show, but arguably the most divisive member of the entire cast, a man known more for who he dates than anything he has done on the series? Well, a confession that I hope you don’t think less of me for: I liked Pete Davidson’s work on the show. He never really played anyone other than Pete Davidson (save for Rami Malek on a couple of occasions) but that’s actually why I liked him. Much like Colin Jost and Michael Che (who he shared the stage with almost all the time) he was who he was with no bells or whistles. His monologues were honest, I genuinely found his interaction with Colin entertaining, and the few sketches he did were personal…and funny (Short-Ass Movie, Walkin’ in Staten). And like so many moments in the season finale, his final monologue was funny, heartfelt and a little moving. I was sad when he left, and I think he deserves a nomination as a going-away present.
Tomorrow, I wrap up comedy with Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy.
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