Emmy nomination voting begins Monday. For the next week or two we'll be sharing FYCs of some kind. Here's Dancin Dan...
Let's get one thing out of the way first: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend deserves Emmy nominations for pretty much every category in which it's eligible. Golden Globe winner Rachel Bloom gave the most fearless, consistently great performance on TV this year as Rebecca Bunch, an attorney from New York who had a nervous breakdown and moved to West Covina, CA to chase after her ex-boyfriend from summer camp (Vincent Rodriguez III, taking a bland character and shading him just enough to make him more and more worthy of Rebecca's obsession). Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna created the musical comedy that fans of the genre have been waiting for, cleverly challenging expectations at every turn while maintaining a consistent level of quality that has eluded TV's other attempts at the genre (sorry, Glee and Smash).
But if the show can only get one nomination, the one I'm hoping for most - aside from Bloom, who will get and deserve plenty of articles like this until the nominations are announced - is for Donna Lynne Champlin as Best Supporting Actress. Champlin plays Paula, the office manager Rebecca's new law firm. In the pilot episode, Paula becomes as obsessed with Rebecca as Rebecca is with Josh...
But she's also the one who shakes Rebecca out of her craziness - at least for a little while. The problem is that Paula is more than a little crazy herself.
The role of "crazy but endearing best friend" something of a stock part of any sitcom, but I can't think of any that have gotten the level of specificity and depth Paula has. Paula's marriage is "like The Walking Dead", and Rebecca's pursuit of Josh not only gives her something to do, but something to root for. She becomes Rebecca's best friend, confidante, partner in crime, and surrogate mother. That's a lot of different roles to play, especially when you factor in that she's also a wife, mother, amateur sleuth, most competent person in her workplace, and collector of all sorts of fabulous animal jewelry. Champlin not only makes sure that Paula always believably fills these roles, but somehow makes this very made-for-TV character feel recognizably real, and really likable despite all her questionable antics (hacking numerous email accounts, breaking and entering, spying... and that's just for starters).
The degree of difficulty on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is higher than any other comedy on TV, walking a tightrope between satire, romantic comedy, and Judd Apatow-style improv-filled raunch. And on top of all that, it's a musical. And boy does Champlin shine in that light, too, able to perfectly parody any genre not just with her voice, but with her whole body.
So, Emmy voters, face your fears - of the CW, of new shows, of hour-long comedies - and give this woman an Emmy nomination! It's Donna Lynne's turn!