Emmy Spotlight: "The Other Two" and the tradition of the 'lone writing nomination'

by Christopher James

The most joyfully surprising Emmy nomination of the year was a writing nod for The Other Two. This is the first (and unfortunately last) Emmy nomination for the uproarious satire. It was recently canceled amid workplace complaints towards creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. As Team Experience team noted, The Other Two is one of the more underrated shows in the past few years. It started at Comedy Central before moving to Max, nee HBO, for seasons two and three.

A lone writing nomination at the Emmys for an underappreciated show is actually somethign of a tradition. Why is this one special and what other fan-favorite shows managed a similar feat? Read on...

The Other Two - “Cary & Brooke Go To An AIDS Play”

The joy in this nomination comes not only from the fact that The Other Two finally some some industry recognition. It’s doubly exciting that the Emmys chose to nominate the episode with the greatest joke to minute ratio. “Cary & Brooke Go To An AIDS Play” stands tall as the funniest half hour on television this season.

It’s a fantastic example of how episodic comedy can move our central characters forward in their arcs while also offering unparalleled stand-alone laughs. The stage for the episode is literally a theater stage, as our cast attends the multi-day play “8 Gay Men with Aids: A Poem in Many Hours” (though no one knows how many hours… or days). Cary (Drew Tarver) comes to support his method acting boyfriend, Lucas Lambert Moy (Fin Argus), who has not had sex with Cary because, in preparation for the play, he believes “he’s scared of this new gay disease.” Meanwhile, Brooke (Helene Yorke) has renounced the entertainment business in favor of planting trees and proving that she’s a good person. However, a PR crisis for their brother Chase Dreams (Case Walker) continues to tempt her back into her role as his manager.

All the jokes at the expense of overlong, self-important theater productions land as the play grows more and more esoteric, eventually doubling back to the stone age. Each joke is more specific and miraculous than the last. Most of the comedy comes from the way it dramatizes our titular “other two” siblings' central conflict - do they do what is “right” or what will get them ahead? Cary ends up blackmailing actor Lukas Gage (a fantastic guest star) for potentially leaving the AIDS play so that his boyfriend Lucas can get a part as a gay porn star. Meanwhile, Brooke sneaks out of each production to pull strings to keep Chase in a relationship with Kiernan Shipka (playing herself), sabotaging his burgeoning love with “normal girl” Pam Snot (Michelle Moughan).

As fun as the play shenanigans are, The Other Two always has a knack for bringing its characters back into the real world. Brooke is so concerned with out-doing her nurse boyfriend Lance (Josh Segarra) in terms of goodness that she constantly lies about her work. This breach of trust leads to a painfully emotional fight that ends their relationship. It’s clear that Lance loves Brooke for who she is, warts and all. The problem is Brooke doesn’t love herself. Yorke out-acts all of this year’s Lead Actress in a Comedy nominees and would’ve made an incredible nominee.

Favorite Shows With Only Writing Nominations

The Other Two joins a long line of acclaimed seasons of television that were only nominated for writing. Below are examples of this phenomenon since 2000.

• 2021 - Girls5Eva - “Pilot” written by Meredith Scardino

• 2019 - Pen15 - “Anna Ishii-Peters” written by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle and Stacy Osei-Kuffour

• 2016 - Catastrophe - “Episode 1” written by Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan

• 2012 - Community - “Remedial Chaos Theory” written by Chris McKenna

• 2008 - The Wire - “-30-” written by David Simon and Ed Burns

• 2005 - The Wire - “Middle Ground” written by George Pelecanos and David Simon

• 2004 - Scrubs - “My Screw Up” written by Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan

• 2003 - Lucky - “Pilot” written by Robb Cullen and Mark Cullen

• 2002 - Andy Richter Controls The Universe - “Pilot” by Victor Fresco

• 2001 - Freaks and Geeks - “Discos and Dragons” by Paul Feig

What’s interesting is how many of these shows were short-lived, despite early support from the Emmys. Both Freaks and Geeks and Lucky were canceled after their first seasons (the 2001 Freaks and Geeks nomination came for one of the final episodes that was aired in the summer following season 1). Meanwhile, shows like Girls5Eva, Pen15 and Andy Richter Controls the Universe only lasted two seasons (granted Pen15 had a two-part second season and ended on its own terms). Many of these shows still have passionate fans, particularly Freaks and Geeks which heralded a crop of new talent that defined comedy culture for the past two decades. Despite The Other Two’s cancellation after season three, this nomination puts it in a crop of other shows whose place in culture has only grown since the shows have been off the air.

A particularly good example of this phenomena is The Wire, which managed the “lone writing” feat twice - in 2005 and 2008. 

So Can The Other Two Win Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series?

In short, no. None of the lone writing nominees mentioned above ended up winning. Shows like The Americans won writing awards with low nomination tallies. However, there needs to be some level of broad support for a show to win a Primetime Emmy.

If not The Other Two, who will win? Funny enough, none of the other nominees have ever won a writing Emmy before. There’s a real race to be had. In terms of level of difficulty and ingenuity, Jury Duty could very well pull a surprise win here. However, the improv nature of the show could specifically hinder it in this category. Similarly, what makes The Bear stand out in this lineup could also handicap its chances of winning. The show is by far the most dramatic of the bunch. Emotional and personal episodes have done well in the writing category, such as Fleabag, Hacks and Master of None. However, a win for The Bear would be a strong shift towards drama.

If the writers aren’t going for distinctiveness, they often will honor a departing show (for example: Schitt’s Creek recently won for its finale). This could help both Barry, which takes bolder yet polarizing swings, and Ted Lasso, an Emmy favorite having its weakest season. Ted Lasso feels like the default choice given the hefty 23 nomination haul. Yet, if it couldn’t win in this category for its stronger previous seasons, why would it win now?

Who knows, maybe all these narratives split the votes and we get a surprise like a Only Murders in the Building win? The show is well liked, though it missed some key nominations, like directing and actor, which signals waning support.

Current Predicted Ranking

1. The Bear - “System” written by Christopher Storer

2. Ted Lasso - “So Long, Farewell” written by Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly and Jason Sudeikis

3. Jury Duty - “Ineffective Assistance” written by Mekki Leeper

4. Barry - “wow” written by Bill Hader

5. Only Murders in the Building - “I Know Who Did It” written by John Hoffman, Matteo Borghese and Rob Turbovsky

6. The Other Two - “Cary and Brooke Go To An AIDS Play” written by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider

Who do you think will win Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series? 

Comments

[Carlos]

Such a hilarious and underappreciated show. Its Emmy noms should've been in the double digits, including several acting noms (Yorke for sure, but also Talbert in lead actor, and Molly Shannon, Ken Marino and Josh Segarra in supporting)

[Carlos]

Such a hilarious and underappreciated show. Its Emmy noms should've been in the double digits, including several acting noms (Yorke for sure, but also Talbert in lead actor, and Molly Shannon, Ken Marino and Josh Segarra in supporting)

[NATHANIEL R]

I came prepared to mention BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and then realized that in addition to it's writing nod it received multiple nods for random crafts like makeup and the like so didn't qualify for this list. But... in spirit... it does.

[Joe G.]

I, too, thought of Buffy as a lone nominees but was surprised to see it got other noms that year. I do think, however, there is a difference between being a lone nominee at the Primetime Emmys, even with a few creative arts Emmys.

This is a great category, though I'm curious about what Abbott submitted since it got left out. Did they submit too many episodes, or a less than stellar one?

I think this is a place where a loved show, like Jury Duty, could spoil. This is one of the awards that aligns with the comedy series winner just as frequently as it doesn't.

[Diana Jones]

This topic is very interesting for me. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a screenwriter and writing comedies. But apparently it's not mine. The thing is that writing is also a burden for me. That's why I once used a statement of purpose writing service As a result, I received a paper that highlighted my unique personality. This is extremely important. Moreover, they professionally revealed my experience, skills, achievements and scientific interests. Of course, I was able to impress the admissions committee and was simply happy.