This award is
the easiest one in the comedy category to predict. It’s possible one of the
legends in this category may manage an upset but the odds are heavily against
it. But let’s go through with it anyway.
Matt Berry, What
We Do In The Shadows. Odds: 11-2. For Playing: Lazlo a member
of a vampire clan on Staten Island. Pro: Berry has been one of the most
prominent British comics of the last decade, star of the British procedural parody
Toast of London and it’s spin-off Toast of Tinseltown. He has done
voice work for Disenchantment and Star Wars.. He appeared in the
final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm and played several roles in the
Emmy nominated Fallout. It’s kind of impressive this is only his first
Emmy nomination. He’s always had some glorious moments – his episode dealing
with a roast in his honor led to humor and darkness - and he’s always seemed to have a deeper sadness
than some of the other characters. In what has been one of FX’s flagship
comedies he’s always been a stand out. Con: Of the three performers in
this category from FX comedies Berry’s role is by far the least prominent and
while Shadows has been nominated for many Emmys Berry is the first actor
to receive a nomination. It’s unlikely that his nomination will be enough to
win.
Larry David, Curb
Your Enthusiasm: Odds: 11-2. For Playing: Larry David, or
at least the worst version of him. Pro: To call Larry David the
sentimental favorite in this category is not something Larry David would want
to consider himself. But he is all the same. In his thirty plus years in
television, going back all the way to Seinfeld he has been twenty five
times for acting, writing and producing and he’s only won twice both for Seinfeld,
both thirty years ago. While David had basically built his career as a performer
as a person completely unworthy of respect, admiration or even pity there’s
something rather depressing about a man who has been an icon in comedy for so
long who has gotten next to no recognition for it. No one thinks this will be
the last we see of David in any capacity but there would be something fitting
for giving him what amounts to a lifetime achievement award. Against: The
Emmys has never had the best history of given awards to performers who play
fictionalized versions of themselves – Jerry Seinfeld himself is the most
prominent example. And for all of David and Curb’s impact on popular
culture it has always been an underachiever in every major category in the
Emmys. The fact that it may be the last chance to honor him will doubtless do
little to change that.
Steve Martin,
Only Murders in the Building. Odds: 6-1. For Playing:
Charles-Haden Savage, the former TV detective turned podcaster and investigator.
Pro: As I mentioned when I advocated for Martin’s nomination it seemed
ridiculous to me that one of the most prominent comic legends of all time has
never won an Emmy for acting.
(He’s also never been nominated for an Oscar but he seems to have made peace
with that.) As the third season as Charles he continues to demonstrate that he
has lost none of the comic edge he has maintained for more than a half century
investigating a murder, dating a failed actress and eventually coming up with the
solution in an all-musical episode. It was bad enough he was ignored for an Emmy
nomination last year; it’s far past time he wins an Emmy. Con: He bares
the same problem most of the nominees in this category have: he doesn’t happen
to be Jeremy Allan White. You’d think being Steve Martin would make up for
that, but apparently not.
Martin Short, Only
Murders in the Building. Odds: 9-2. For Playing: Oliver Putnam,
trying to figure out who killed an actor on the stage of his play in rehearsal.
Pro: Short has been one of my favorite performers for most of my adult
life and he has the benefit of being one of the greatest sketch comedy veterans
who didn’t spend his formative years on Saturday Night Live. (He
did spend one season which was good enough.) Short plays a more beleaguered version
of Oliver than usual; in addition to everything else he wants to get his play
to open successful and this murder is ruining its chances. His co-stars from SCTV
Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara have won Emmys in recent years which would
argue its time; the fact that Levy will be co-hosting the Emmys with his son
this year (and will be appearing in Season 4) make another argument for
sentimentality. Con: See above, as well as the understandable fact that
with the incredible talent of his co-star in this category they will inevitably
split the vote between them.
Jeremy Allan
White, The Bear. Odds: 82-25. For Playing: Carmy, the
troubled chef trying to open a new restaurant in Chicago. Pro: White has
essentially repeated his feat of last year at the pre-Emmy awards, winning the
Golden Globe, the Critics Choice Award and the SAG Award for Best Actor in a
Comedy. And no matter what one thinks of The Bear in the comedy category
no one will argue that White’s work has become one of the great performances in
history. As Season 2 progressed everyone seemed capable of making major strides
forward as an individual but Carmy remained unable to do so. We got a very
close look at what made him the person he was in the instant classic Fishes but
it’s also clear that he may be broken in a way that nothing can every truly
fix. White has finally achieved the superstardom that we saw in eleven years on
Shameless and it’s looking like he will easily repeat in this category. Con:
The only real obstacle may be the tepid response to Season 3 of The
Bear. Otherwise I don’t see anything standing in his way.
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai,
Reservation Dogs. Odds: 11-2. For Playing: Bear, a teenager
living in a Navajo reservation coming to grips with adulthood. Pro: It seemed
more likely going into the nominations that Devery Jacobs seemed to be the
member of this outstanding ensemble to walk away with a nomination. But anyone
who’s watch Woon-A-Tai over three outstanding seasons knows that he is the engine
that has been driving the show. In the final season Bear went to places he didn’t
think we’d see. Separated from his friends on his trip to California he ended
up encountering Maximus, who happened to be a relic from the reservation. He
encountered the legendary Deer Lady who drove him home to face the music. He
began to make strides into adulthood when his mother found another opportunity out
of state. And in the final episode he came to grips with who he was on both a spiritual
and physical level. He did so with a great deal of power and often hysterical comedy
that was one of the most measured performances in this category. It is worthy
of an Emmy. Con: Much as I will be rooting for Woon-A-Tai in my heart on
Emmy nomination, this category is filled with some of the most iconic
performances of the last decade and some of the greatest comic talents of all
time. We all know in our hearts the Emmy is going to go to the other Bear
in this category.
MY PREDICTION: In theory, this
category is full of worthy contenders. In practice Jeremy Allan White has had
it locked up since January. Look for him to repeat.
Tomorrow I deal
with Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy. This one’s going to be much tougher to
predict.
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