By: Abe Friedtanzer, Chris James, Cláudio Alves, Nathaniel Rogers
The Emmys tendency to nominate old favorites may come back to bite them. As noted previously, 14 previous nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series are vying for slots again this year. With only eight slots, it is impossible for them all to make it. Complicating matters more are buzzy new series, such as Peacemaker, Julia, Abbott Elementary, Ghosts, Only Murders in the Building, I Love That For You and Our Flag Means Death, among others. It doesn’t get any easier when moving down to the acting categories, particularly the stacked fields for Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. Lots of Lone Votes of Faith among Team Experience. Tomorrow we will round out our Emmy predictions with the Limited Series categories. Nominations for the 74th annual Emmy Awards will be announced at 8:30am on Tuesday, July 12th by Melissa Fumero and JB Smoove.
Find out who Team Experience predicts will be nominated for the Comedy categories after the jump...
First, some overall thoughts from the team.
Abe: Not only are seven of last year’s Comedy Series nominees eligible again, there are just as many shows that were nominated the last time they aired that are back in contention. It’s hard to know what will be left out, with Atlanta and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel potentially vulnerable and other series complete question marks, like What We Do in the Shadows, Russian Doll, and The Flight Attendant. I’m also banking on Peacemaker showing up in some surprising places, and even Florence Pugh from Hawkeye netting a nomination. It’s sad to me to think that what may have been the best comedy of the past season, The Great, might be completely ignored, but I think we’re in for some major shocks no matter what since these categories are simply too crowded.
Chris: There is no shortage of great comedies this year for the Emmys to choose from, both from old favorites and new stars. Despite an influx of old competitors, I think the heat off of new shows like Only Murders in the Building and Abbott Elementary will best the newest seasons of Barry, Atlanta and even previous winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I would love it if shows like The Other Two and The Righteous Gemstones, which got much better in season two, would be properly rewarded. Yet, tight competition means we are headed for a crop of famous faces and previous nominees. The one shocker I’m predicting… Taika Waititi in Our Flag Means Death. The HBO Max show was a hit and his star is on the rise. He may get a fair amount of name checking, which matters at the Emmys.
Cláudio: Even more so than in the drama races, the comedy categories illuminate the everlasting tension between the Emmys' need to acknowledge the new while holding on to old favorites. There are many returning nominees to consider, including beloved champions and some shows/performances for whom this is the last shot at Emmy glory – think Insecure and a cadre of SNL players. At the same time, shows like Abbott Elementary and Only Murders in the Building feel bound to make a splash, diversifying the lineups. Other, less locked possibilities include the indie darling Reservation Dogs and Our Flag Means Death, whose fandom is rather intense. Honestly, I am fascinated by many of these races, even beyond that tension between new shows and continuing ones. As Barry becomes less and less comedic, how will the Academy react? Will DeBose's Oscar success translate to some television honors? Can Luke Kirby score in a new category after winning the Guest Actor prize for this same character? I think we're bound for some surprises.
Nathaniel: In terms of Comedy I'm preparing for the worst. i.e. more of the same. It's so hard to get past Emmy voters lazy "same as last time!" voting. Even in the new TV landscape where we semi-regularly get season off breaks from shows, voters tend to return to their favs regardless of individual worthiness per season. So here's to lost causes! Like Showtime's amazing I Love That For You which has a grand total of zero amounts of buzz despite several worthy elements, especially in the acting departments. Same goes for The Other Two (and both shows have Molly Shannon doing Emmy-worthy work and to think she'll come up doubly blank!) and to a lesser extent HBO's lovely funny and oddly stirring Somebody Somewhere. My greatest hope after its little breakthrough at last years Emmys is for a huge haul for What We Do in the Shadows -- especially in the acting categories -- but, alas, I'm not predicting it.
P.S. Who can we talk to about getting Saturday Night Live performers out of these acting categories and back where they belong for sketch variety type prizes so that we have room for more of the incredible continuous performances TV acting prizes were designed for?
Now onto the predictions
Unanimous Choices
Abbott Elementary (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Barry (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Hacks (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Only Murders in the Building (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Ted Lasso (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Split Decision
What We Do in the Shadows (Abe, Chris)
Lone Vote of Faith
Atlanta (Cláudio)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (Nathaniel)
The Great (Nathaniel)
Insecure (Chris)
Peacemaker (Abe)
Reservation Dogs (Cláudio)
Unanimous Choices
Rachel Brosnahan - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Quinta Brunson - Abbott Elementary (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Jean Smart - Hacks (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Quite Probable
Issa Rae - Insecure (Abe, Chris, Cláudio)
Split Decision
Kaley Cuoco - The Flight Attendant (Abe, Chris)
Selena Gomez - Only Murders in the Building (Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Tracee Ellis Ross - Black-ish (Abe, Nathaniel)
Lone Vote of Faith
Sarah Lancashire - Julia (Nathaniel)
Sandra Oh - The Chair (Cláudio)
Lily Tomlin - Grace and Frankie (Chris)
Unanimous Choices
Bill Hader - Barry (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Steve Martin - Only Murders in the Building (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Martin Short - Only Murders in the Building (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Jason Sudeikis - Ted Lasso (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Quite Probable
Anthony Anderson - black-ish (Abe, Chris, Nathaniel)
Donald Glover - Atlanta (Abe, Chris, Cláudio)
Lone Vote of Faith
Don Cheadle - Black Monday (Cláudio)
Nicholas Hoult - The Great (Nathaniel)
Unanimous Choices
Hannah Einbender - Hacks (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Sara Goldberg - Barry (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Kate McKinnon - Saturday Night Live (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Hannah Waddingham - Ted Lasso (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Quite Probable
Juno Temple - Ted Lasso (Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Split Decision
Alex Borstein - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Chris, Cláudio)
Aidy Bryant - Saturday Night Live (Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Janelle James - Abbott Elementary (Chris, Nathaniel)
Lone Vote of Faith
Zazie Beetz - Atlanta (Abe)
Danielle Brooks - Peacemaker (Abe)
Ariana DeBose - Schmigadoon! (Cláudio)
Yvonne Orji - Insecure (Chris)
Florence Pugh - Hawkeye (Abe)
Sheryl Lee Ralph - Abbott Elementary (Nathaniel)
Meg Stalter - Hacks (Abe)
Unanimous Choices
Anthony Carrigan - Barry (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Brett Goldstein - Ted Lasso (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Henry Winkler - Barry (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Bowen Yang - Saturday Night Live (Abe, Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Quite Probable
Tony Shalhoub - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Chris, Cláudio, Nathaniel)
Split Decision
Luke Kirby - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Chris, Cláudio)
Kenan Thompson - Saturday Night Live (Chris, Nathaniel)
Lone Vote of Faith
Carl Clemens-Hopkins - Hacks (Cláudio)
Paul W. Downs - Hacks (Abe)
Brian Tyree Henry - Atlanta (Abe)
Brandon Scott Jones - Ghosts (Abe)
Nick Mohammed - Ted Lasso (Cláudio)
David Hyde Pierce - Julia (Nathaniel)
Stephen Root - Barry (Nathaniel)
Freddie Stroma - Peacemaker (Abe)
Taika Waititi - Our Flag Means Death (Chris)
Who do you think will be nominated for Comedy Emmys? Which performers or shows do you wish were getting more attention? Let us know in the comments below.