FYC: Thomas Middleditch for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy
Tuesday, June 23, 2015 at 1:04PM
Team Experience is sharing their dream picks for the Emmys. Here's Michael C with our final acting FYC before we wrap up with a couple of other things...
The central comic conceit of Silicon Valley is that the tech industry has created a dynamic where the most power is now in the hands of those with the least social skills. Thomas Middleditch (perhaps best known previously for getting his gold fish eaten by Jonah Hill in Wolf of Wall Street) embodied this idea so perfectly in the beginning he barely seemed to be doing any acting. He just is that guy. He need only show up in scenes with his wide-eyes, his stammer, and his never-seen-the-inside-of-a-gym physique and we instantly got the joke. That "Richard Hendricks" quickly graduated from being a type to a character is a credit to Middleditch, in particular his keen comic timing capable of shading the many subtle levels of Richard's ever-present anxiety, from basic discomfort all the way up to full-blown meltdown.
Were Silicon Valley a typical network sitcom Middleditch could spin variations on the same comic beats for nine or ten seasons, probably to much acclaim, but the stellar second season of Mike Judge's HBO show immediately upped the ante for Richard. The triumph of the first season finale dropped him into the deep end of the pool, swimming with the tech equivalent of great white sharks. Where before he could succeed with a bolt of lightning burst of genius. the new season requires him to be not just a brilliant programmer but a brilliant leader, a renegade capable of inspiring his team and strategizing against the big boys on a tiny fraction of their budget. That Richard has floundered at every step of this process may have obscured the fact that Middleditch has succeeded in subtly evolving the character at pace with the show. The Richard Hendricks from the season two finale ready to burn his business to the ground (read: delete it) rather than see it stolen out from under him, was a far cry from the nervous nelly of the pilot who nearly had a breakdown trying to decide if he should just sell it and run. That Middleditch pulled off this incremental transformation believably (and hilariously) is an achievement that easily warrants inclusion among the five nominees for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy. I'm tempted to say he deserves the win.
Previously:
Supporting Actress Specials!!! Cara Seymour & Ann Dowd
Series Drama The Americans and The Leftovers
Series Comedy Jane the Virgin
Actress (Comedy) Lisa Kudrow, Amy Schumer
Actress (Drama) Ruth Wilson
Actor (Drama) Jon Hamm and Michael Sheen
Supp. Actor (Drama) Matt Czuchry (Comedy) Tituss Burgess
Supp. Actress (Comedy) Lauren Weedman and Melanie Lynskey
Reader Comments (8)
I hate his show. Watched all of the first season during its initial airing hoping it would be worth my time. By the second season's premiere I knew I could no longer endure what this series is serving.
Middleditch would be an extremely deserving nominee in a weak year for Comedy Lead Actor contenders. While the lead actress side is an embarrassment of riches this year, the actor side is extremely weak. I am hoping voters show some variety and go with Middleditch, Will Forte, Anthony Anderson, Andy Samberg, or Jonathan Groff rather than name-checking LeBlanc and Cheadle again, although this seems unlikely.
Personal Nominees (ranked): Jeffrey Tambor, Middleditch, Anderson, Louis CK, Samberg, Groff
jr - It's an odd situation in that it is a weak field mostly because the majority of the strong candidates fall outside Emmy's radar. It seems matter how thin the competition nothing will make them notice Adam Scott, Joel McHale, Jake Johnson, etc.
I never really warmed to Silicon Valley but I do see what you're saying about Middleditch. I agree it's strong work. the male acting categories can be so weird. Thin yet overstuffed and the people who make it look easiest are often doing the most work... and thus aren't noticed.
What I really liked about this season of Silicon Valley is how it poked holes into the idea of every genius being expected to be a self-made man (you came up with the idea, now you got to run the business). Not everyone can do both and Richard is definitely not the kind of person who can do both. He may be a genius programmer, but he's a lousy CEO (which he proved time and time again during the second season, which is why the final beat of the season makes sense). And yes, Middleditch is fantastic in the role.
Oh, yes! I totally see him getting a nomination. I like the show. It makes me laugh quite a lot and that is so rare.
P.S. I think he would be perfect for a Woody Allen film, wouldn't he?
BTW - it took me until the 2nd season finale to recognize that Matt Ross (Gavin Belson, above) played Odie, Howard Hughes' mechanic in The Aviator.
Was I the last person to notice or did I just blow all your minds?
Thanks for making sure to include a homoerotic photo. Thomas Middleditch is fine!