It would seem
that like Outstanding Actor in a Comedy, this award was spoken for as early as
January. But this is a strong field and as we shall see, it’s not the same
group the front-runner was competing against in January. So let’s go.
Lionel Boyce, The
Bear. Odds: 5-1. For Playing: Marcus, a chef learning new skills
while struggling with his home life. Pro: Boyce’s work on The Bear is
the rare exercise in subtlety compared to so many of the other characters which
is why it took many – myself included – to fully appreciate him. But in Season
2 Boyce came into his own. We learned the details of his sick mother and how
much he cared for her. We saw him continue to work on his craft, most perfectly
in ‘Honeydew’ where he went to Scandinavia to study a new kind of ice cream
under a master chef. And when the season came to an end, his greatest triumph
came on the heels of tragedy as his two worlds collided. His character has a
purer heart than many of the others and its worthy of the nomination. Con: The
biggest problem for Boyce is that he’s not the only nominee for The Bear in
this category. And as we’ll see…
Paul W. Downs, Hacks.
Odds: 9-2. For Playing: Jimmy, an agent struggling to get his
clients what they want. Pro: As someone who thought a nomination for
Downs was well overdue in this category I’m thrilled he’s been recognized. He’s
not the main talent behind Hacks but he is very much a hyphenate (actor-producer-writer).
And to his credit Downs’s doesn’t give Jimmy the spotlight that often. But when
he does, he is magnificent and in Season 3, as he led the fight to get Deb
Vance her job in late night, he did everything he could to humiliate himself. We
saw him try to debase himself to get a network boss (the wonderful Helen Hunt)
to talk up Deb. We saw his relationship with Kayla continue to involve and
improve (though it never stopped being funny). And we would get a sign of
sweetness to, particularly when he went on a Christmas trek to see the descendant
of Fatty Arbuckle on false pretenses – and ended up winning a new client and
melting our hearts. Downs’s deserves the respect Jimmy never gets and it is
telling he’s rising in the odds. Con: It’s almost certain Hacks will
win in a different category that Downs’s is nominated in – maybe even the top
prize. That may be enough to keep them from giving it to him as an actor.
Ebon-Moss
Bachrach, The Bear. Odds: 10-3. For Playing: Cousin Richie,
a troubled man trying to find a purpose now that the restaurant he was a part
of has collapsed. For Playing: Much as I loved Moss-Bachrach’s work in
Season 1, I underestimated his pull with Emmy voters: he was the only acting
nominee I didn’t think would win. And if anything Bachrach’s performance went to
even deeper levels in Season 2 as he tried to find a way forward while he
continued to show that he was incompetent. Then came his showcase episode ‘Forks’
which immediately lifted him to the top of Emmy consideration – and no doubt
won him the Golden Globe and the Critics Choice Awards this January. Bachrach
is the unquestioned frontrunner in this category. Con: It’s been a long
time since January and momentum for The Bear has started to sputter
mainly because of the mixed response to Season 3. That might be enough to kill
his chance of repeating.
Paul Rudd, Only
Murders in the Building. Odds: 13-2. For Playing: Ben Glenroy, an
actor who died on stage – literally. Pro: How is it that Paul Rudd has
been acting forever and never won anything? How did he not even get a nomination
for his work on Parks and Rec. Maybe it’s because he’s such a likeable
guy and such a great performer that we never give him credit for being such a
good actor. When the character he was playing got killed at the end of Season
2, it was one of the show’s better in-jokes: who in their right mind would want
to kill Paul Rudd? And as we learned this season, pretty much everybody. It’s
more than time the Emmys – or somebody – just told him: I Love You, Man if they
want to keep living with themselves in their ideal homes. (Okay, I’ll stop now.)
Con: I give credit to the Emmys for finally nominating performers from
this show who aren’t among the podcasters. But I also know how unlikely it is
that Rudd will be able to break through where legends like Steve Martin and
Martin Short have yet too.
Tyler James
Williams, Abbott Elementary. Odds: 11-2. For Playing: Gregory a
teacher dealing with a hole in his routine. For: For all the unquestioned brilliance of Bachrach,
the comic highlight in this category last year was Williams work as Gregory. After
he took every prize in the book last year from the Golden Globe to the Astra
award in, I thought nothing could stop him from an Emmy. And it’s not like he
slacked off immensely in Season 3; if anything Williams’s got even better
material to work with than in Season 2. We saw him try to move on when Janine
left for district, we saw him try to deal with the fact he was cool, we saw him
try to deal with a missing student, we saw him go out on a date and be jealous
because Janine was sitting in a certain place at the bar with a man he
considered a rival. And of course we saw him and Janine decide to date, then
reject it, then decide to. Of all the actors in this category almost any
episode Williams submitting was worthy of consideration. And he deserves
recognition. Con: Is it possible the Emmys have moved on from Abbott?
It doesn’t seem that way given that it received nine nominations but I don’t
sense the love for it that I did last year. That may work against Williams the
most.
Bowen Yang, Saturday
Night Live. Odds: 7-1. For Playing: Various Characters. Pro: Yang has
been one of those joys of SNL ever since he joined the cast and it must
have killed him that George Santos was expelled from Congress as we were denied
the privilege of seeing him keep playing him. We got to see him play Truman
Capote as a benefit and almost everything else in between. Yang has been one of
the great joys of SNL for a very long time and the most deserving of
continued recognition. He deserves to win something…Con: It’s been a
long time since a male actor managed to win an Emmy in this category for SNL,
and even then (Alec Baldwin) it wasn’t a cast member. Saturday Night
Live can win in many categories but not here.
PREDICTIONS: Much as I’d
love to see Williams or Downs’ prevail, this year I think Moss-Bachrach will manage
to repeat.
Tomorrow I wrap
up the week by dealing with Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy as well
as the remainder of the major comedy awards.
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