The Film Experience

Team Experience will be taking a regular look at the episode submissions for major Emmy categories until the big night.

Will Morgan Freeman win an Emmy for casually stopping by an acting course?

Saturday Night Live usually cleans up in the guest acting categories, but this is a whole new level of dominance. Four of the five nominees in Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series come from the legendary sketch comedy juggernaut. Morgan Freeman is the odd man out in this category, contending for his work in The Kominsky Method.

Which SNL actor will prevail? Could they split the vote, leaving Morgan Freeman a chance to win? Let’s dig into the nominees...

Alec Baldwin as President Donald Trump in Saturday Night Live

Submission: “Host: Dave Chappelle”

Description (from ballot): In the Biden Victory cold open, Beck, as Wolf Blitzer, talks about the election results, and we hear from Alec Baldwin, as Trump; Jim Carrey, as Joe Biden; Maya Rudolph, as Kamala Harris; Alex, as John King, and Chloe, as Kayleigh McEnany.

Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of Donald Trump is one of the most recognizable TV performances of the past few years and I’m so happy it's over. It’s not that Baldwin is bad at the job, he does a very good approximation skewering the former President. However, it feels so much like a performance we want to leave in the past as we try and move forward from the tumultuous past four years. This special election episode saw Baldwin playing “Macho Man” on the piano in a callback to when Kate McKinnon played “Hallelujah” as Hilary Clinton following her loss. While the joke is funny, Trump is a hard character to skewer. How do you poke fun and make light of someone who has caused so much wrong?

Alec Baldwin won the Supporting Actor Emmy for playing Donald Trump during the last election cycle. It’s very likely that lightning won’t strike twice, especially since his performance is so short in the episode. Also, now that we are almost nine months away from the election and seven months away from the insurrection, some voters may not want to think or reward any version of Donald Trump. What was cathartic in 2016 is tired five years later.

Dave Chappelle as Host in Saturday Night Live

Submission: “Host: Dave Chappelle”

Description (from ballot): In a sixteen minute monologue, Chappelle addresses race and politics in America just after a contentious election. Parodies include Super Mario's 35th anniversary and ad execs who fire stereotypical Black characters like Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima and Count Chocula. Two live performances by Foo Fighters.

The highlight of Dave Chappelle’s episode is his sixteen minute monologue, where he tries to parse through his feelings on the election results. It’s a much rosier episode than the post-election episode four years ago, but there’s still a lot for Chappelle to wade through in terms of material. He thinks back to his grandfather, takes Trump to task for his handling of COVID-19 and champions forgiveness and joy. There are a lot of notes he strikes and he walks his tightrope very well. In terms of the remainder of the episode, he is very fun as the AllState guy who is possibly being cancelled. The way he makes Pete Davidson break is hilarious. There’s not much more to his episode other than that.

Still, he might not need more than the monologue to win. He won this same award back in 2017 for the post-election episode. This makes him the frontrunner again but possibly standing in his way are his fellow Saturday Night Live nominees, who may siphon votes away. Still, the Emmys clearly love Chappelle, having given him four additional Emmys in the Variety Special categories in writing, directing and producing. This is his prize to lose.

Morgan Freeman as Himself in The Kominsky Method

Submission: “Chapter 20: The Round Toes, Or The High Shoes”

Description (from ballot): Morgan Freeman plays a fictional version of himself and comes into Sandy’s life when Margaret scores a supporting role on his new TV series.

It’s not easy being Morgan Freeman… Actually, maybe it is! The Oscar-winning actor makes a brief appearance as himself at the beginning of his episode of The Kominsky Method. He drops by the acting class of Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) to talk to his students. Yet, in the process, he ends up schilling for his Masterclass series on acting. Him and Sandy get into a fight, only to later reveal it was just improv. It’s a fun little scene, but hardly a performance worth rewarding.

Being the only non-SNL option makes him a formidable opponent (more so than his actual episode). However, that’s not the only thing that makes him a winning possibility. The Emmys love when movie stars come to TV, and Morgan Freeman doesn’t make many forays into TV. Additionally, Freeman has never won an Emmy before despite five nominations. He hasn't even won in the narration category, which feels tailor made for him. Some people may want to throw him a bone either for his career or to vote for someone outside of SNL.

Daniel Kaluuya as Host in Saturday Night Live

Submission: “Host: Daniel Kaluuya”

Description (from ballot): Daniel talks about his gaffe while accepting an award at The Golden Globes during his monologue. Parodies include a Britney Spears talk show; Daniel as a game show host that tries to convince African Americans to take the vaccine and "Scattergories". Two live performances by St. Vincent.

Daniel Kaluuya was a joy on the Oscar trail. It was wonderful to be reminded of that while watching his Saturday Night Live hosting gig. He manages to be charming, self-effacing and confident all at the same time. The sketch where he convinces African Americans to get vaccinated is hilarious thanks to him. He also is fully game to be silly in sketches where he skats on a bass and another where he laments his son being a poet. Throughout the evening, he showcased comedic chops his movie work hasn't capitalized on.

SNL winners in these categories are usually former cast members (Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, Maya Rudolph) or popular comedy figures (Tiffany Haddish, Melissa McCarthy). Justin Timberlake (who won this category twice) is the closest comparison to someone winning for pushing himself outside of his comfort zone. Still, the Emmys don’t often reward dramatic actors for having fun on SNL. As fun as Kaluuya was, he would’ve had to overperform in a bigger way in order to have a shot at beating the other men in this category.

Dan Levy as Host in Saturday Night Live

Submission: “Host: Dan Levy”

Description (from ballot): Dan walks around the SNL studio to show how the show is produced during Covid with over the top protection. Parodies include a Super Bowl Pre-Game show and party; a Universal Studios Tour and a film commercial for Zillow where listings are sultry. Two live performances by Phoebe Bridgers.

It’s hard not to fall for Dan Levy’s charms. His earnestness shines through in his hosting gig at Saturday Night Live, where he demonstrates a skill at sketch comedy and willingness to do anything. He’s hilarious as a foul-mouthed Universal Studios Tour Guide and knows how to up the ante with each and every joke. The Zillow commercial he participated in hit very close to home as a notorious house window shopper. Almost all of his skits really landed, which is a tall order for an SNL host.

Working in Levy’s favor is the afterglow effect of Schitt’s Creek. This is the first awards show where the Pop comedy charmer is no longer eligible and people seem to still be riding the waves of positivity from that show. Levy brings his affable personality with him to SNL and could easily sway Schitt’s Creek fans into giving him a second consecutive Emmy. Even if he doesn't win, he could pull enough attention away from Chappelle, to clear a path for Freeman.

Predictions

Dave Chappelle - Saturday Night Live
Morgan Freeman - The Kominski Method
Dan Levy - Saturday Night Live
Alec Baldwin - Saturday Night Live
Daniel Kaluuya - Saturday Night Live

Personal Ranking

Dave Chappelle - Saturday Night Live
Daniel Kaluuya - Saturday Night Live
Dan Levy - Saturday Night Live
Morgan Freeman - The Kominski Method
Alec Baldwin - Saturday Night Live

Who do you think will win and who would you vote for?

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