2024 Emmy Nominations - Comedy

by Nathaniel R

PALM ROYALE secured 11 Emmy nominations including Comedy Series and acting nods for Carol Burnett and Kristen Wiig

Hey people out there in the dark! The strike threw off the timeline and we have not one but two Emmy award ceremonies this year. The first was for the 2022/2023 season and the upcoming 76th Emmys are for programs that aired between June 1st, 2023 and May 31st of 2024. That means some shows that people are discussing heavily right now, like House of Dragons, The Acolyte, or The Bear, are either ineligible (the first two) or are being honored for their previous seasons (like the latter).  Shogun led for Drama with an enormous 25 nominations but  The Bear was close behind with 23 nominations in the comedy categories (whether or not it belongs there is another conversation). 

You can see an exhaustive list of all 2,000,001 categories at the Emmy official site but let’s discuss the main nominations across the three chief ‘sections’ starting with Comedy. We have to break this into three posts since there's so much to discuss... 

COMEDY SERIES

• Abbott Elementary (season 3) - 3rd nomination

• Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 12) - 11th nomination

• Hacks (season 3) - 3rd nomination

• Only Murders in the Building (season 3) - 3rd nomination

• Palm Royale (season 1) - 1st nomination

• Reservation Dogs (season 3) - 1st nomination

• The Bear (season 2) - 2nd nomination

• What We Do in the Shadows (season 4) -2nd nomination

The Bear won last season. None of the others have ever won the top prize and there is certainly a lot of goodwill to go around but it takes a lot for the Emmys to change course; we expect The Bear to repeat. With its 11th nomination in this category, Curb Your Enthusiasm has tied the all time record (previously shared by two classics: Cheers & M*A*S*H) . Most shows don’t last that long so it will be fascinating to see how many decades it will take for that record to be broken, if ever. Hacks or Abbott Elementary (the two still-running shows with the most nominations) would have to last nine more seasons and be nominated each time.

Notably missing from the list is the return of previous absolute Emmy obsession Frasier. Less surprising is that they ignored shows they've always ignored like Righteous Gemstones, Girls 5eva, Ghosts, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Resident Alien. Newer series that didn't land included: I’m A Virgo, Loot, Gen V (what was that doing in Comedy?), and The Gentlemen.

LEAD ACTRESS COMEDY

• Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary 

• Ayo Edebiri, The Bear

• Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building

• Maya Rudolph, Loot

• Jean Smart, Hacks

• Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale

Jean Smart has won twice for Hacks while Quinta Brunson won last year for Abbott when Smart didn’t have a season eligible. Ayo Edebiri is also a previous winner (albeit in supporting) for her role in The Bear. So, in short, half of this group has already triumphed for these roles.The big story here is surely that Maya and Kristen, both SNL alums, were nominated for the first time in this category and Selena Gomez finally landed in the shortlist after being passed over for the first two seasons of her hit show.

Other contenders that someone somewhere was surely rooting for included Sarah Lanchashire (Julia), Devery Jacobs (reservation Dogs), Natasha Demetriou (What We Do in the Shadows), Renee Elise Goldsberry (Girls5Eva), and previous category regular  Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That)

LEAD ACTOR COMEDY

• Matt Berry, What We Do in the Shadows

• Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm

• Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building

• Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

• Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

• D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Reservation Dogs

Jeremy Allen White won last year for The Bear’s first season, otherwise none of these men have won for these particular roles. Larry David, Martin Short (who had a very good season), and Steve Martin are all back joined by first time nominees Matt Berry and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai who have been working their characters for years without any Emmy notices so huzzah to them. 

Other contenders Emmy voters didn't rally around in sufficient numbers included Jharrel Jerome (I’m a Virgo), Kelsey Grammar (Frasier), Theo James (The Gentlemen), Kayvan Novak (What We Do in the Shadows), anyone from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The eternal mystery (apart from that Emmy voters don't watch SyFy shows) is why Alan Tudyk can't get arrested for his utter brilliance on Resident Alien. 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS COMEDY

• Carol Burnett, Palm Royale

• Liza Colon-Zayas, The Bear

• Hannah Einbinder, Hacks

• Janelle James, Abbott Elementary

• Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary

• Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building

It’s hard to quibble with this lineup apart from the fact that Hannah Einbinder is inarguably a leading lady in Hacks and should be competing in that category instead. Sheryl Lee Ralph won two years ago for Abbott. Is it someone else’s turn or will she get an encore trip to the stage? 

Fun Trivia: Carol Burnett is now the oldest woman ever nominated for comedy acting at 91. She’s won 9 Emmys during her career though she’s never been nominated in this particular category. Her most recent Emmy was just last season for the Variety special “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter & Love”.

Some unlucky contenders that didn't muster enough voters included: Abby Elliott (The Bear), Megan Stalter (Hacks), Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary), Molly Gordon (The Bear), Paulina Alexis (Reservation Dogs), Judith Light (Julia), and Busy Philipps (Girls5eva)

SUPPORTING ACTOR COMEDY

• Lionel Boyce, The Bear

• Paul W Downs, Hacks

• Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear

• Paul Rudd, Only Murders in the Building

• Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary

• Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

Moss-Bachrach won last year while Tyler James Williams and Bowen Yang return but the rest are newbies.  It’s wonderful to see Paul W Downs singled out for his exasperated manager in Hacks… especially since he’s also a writer on the increasingly brilliant show.

Trivia: Paul Rudd received not just his first Emmy nod but his second, too, this season. He’s also up for “Oustanding Narrator” for the doc series Secrets of the Octopus. 

Notably absent: Chris Perfetti AGAIN sigh (Abbott Elementary), previous nominee Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Hacks), Matty Matheson (The Bear), Harvey Guillen AGAIN (What We Do in the Shadows), and Walton Goggins (I’m a Virgo)

GUEST ACTRESS, COMEDY

• Olivia Colman, The Bear

• Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear

• Kaitlin Olson, Hacks

• Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Only Murders in the Building

• Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live

• Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

Fun Trivia: 50% of this list are Oscar winners with Jamie Lee Curtis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Olivia Colman all competing. We suspect that Jamie Lee will take it.

Notably absent: J Smith Cameron, Christina Hendricks, and Helen Hunt (Hacks), Caroline Aaron (Ghosts), Gilian Jacobs, Sarah Paulson (The Bear), Peri Gilpin and Bebe Neuwirth (Frasier), Lily Gladstone (Reservation Dogs), Sienna Miller (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Ayo Edebiri (SNL), and Vanessa Bayer AGAIN who is utterly brilliant as the energy vampire in What We Do in the Shadows.

GUEST ACTOR, COMEDY

• Jon Bernthal, The Bear

• Matthew Broderick, Only Murders in the Building

• Ryan Gosling, Saturday Night Live

• Christopher Lloyd, Hacks

• Bob Odenkirk, The Bear

• Will Poulter, The Bear

Love the nominations for Ryan Gosling (wonderful SNL host) and Matthew Broderick who was clearly having a ball playing an impossibly maddening version of himself. Jon Bernthal is the only nominee reprising a previously nominated character.

Some standouts who weren't lucky enough to snag a nod (the guest categories DESPERATELY need juries rather than regular balloting given the infrequency of the contenders): Keegan Michael-Key (Abbott Elementary), Nate Bargatze, Adam Driver, Timothee CHalamet  (SNL), Tony Goldwin (Hacks), Andrew Lopez, Robert Townsend (The Bear), Simu Liu (The Other Two), Elijah Wood (I’m a Virgo), Ethan Hawke (Reservation Dogs)

DIRECTING, COMEDY

• Abbott Elementary “Party”, Randall Einhorn

• Hacks “Bullletproof”, Lucia Aniello

• The Bear “Fishes”, Christopher Storer

• The Bear “Honeydew”, Ramy Youssef

• The Gentleman “Refined Aggression”, Guy Ritchie

• The Ms Pat Show “I’m the Pappy”, Mary Lou Belli

WRITING, COMEDY

• Abbott Elementary “Career Day”, Quinta Brunson

• Girls5Eva “Orlando”, Meredith Scardino & Sam Means

• Hacks “Bulletproof”, Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs, Jen Statsky

• The Bear “Fishes”, Christopher Storer, Joanna Calo

• The Other Two, “Brooke Hosts a Night of Undeniable Good” Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider

• What We Do in the Shadows, “Pride Parade” Jake Bender & Zach Dunn

Another stellar lineup. Very happy to see The Other Two included.

Up next: DRAMA

Comments

[Sad Man]

I can't believe they nominated Selena Gomez's horrible performance over someone like Emma Stone's brilliant turn in The Curse.

[Cláudio Alves]

Sad Man—I believe THE CURSE was competing as a Drama, so Gomez's nomination had no effect on Stone.

[Philip H.]

I'm so happy Selena Gomez finally got her acting nomination. :) She is essential to the success of the Short and Martin performances.

The leading actress comedy category is STACKED. Love those ladies.

Sad Man - The Curse was submitted in Drama. Womp womp.

[Mr Ripley79]

I was hoping you'd comment on Claudio's Julianne Moore post about A Single Man.

[G.Shaq]

Ok but - Palm Royale had SO many worthy supporting roles, in both male and female roles. Love me some Carole B but hello!?

[Peggy Sue]

Good recap.

Larry David for the win. Susie Essman robbed.

Hope Hannah wins so she can Edebiri herself to lead where she belongs. Seems the only way. (Hannah is loved on twitter so no one complains about the fraud)

Keep reading everywhere that Bear is in comedy due to it's running time. Ally McBeal was over 45 minutes and it was always in comedy. Imagine being Aniello & Downs having to deal with this without complaining.

Selena Gómez gives one of the worst performances on television. Justice for Rose Byrne in Physical.

[Frank Zappa]

That Cannes win made me curious (or baffled) because to me Selena Gomez is a real non-actress, especially when she starts speaking with that flat, untrained, nasal voice of hers. If you don't study the craft and train your instrument, you better be a Crawford or a Davis.

[Brittani Burnham]

It's hard for me to imagine Selena Gomez doing anything other than sarcasm. I should watch that show, sometime. Really happy for Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. I wish more of the other actors got in.

[Sad Man]

@Claudio: Well, that's silly, isn't it? To me The Curse is a dark comedy. I just mentioned Stone because of her amazing work in it, but you could replace Gomez with pretty much anyone to be honest.

@Phillip: Listen, I'm sure her nomination has made her many fans very happy. But I think the exact opposite about her being essential to the show. Maybe during season 1, when the dynamic was more interesting. But in season 3, to me, it's very clear that the writers didn't really know what to do with her and her character got in the way. You could pretty much edit her out of it. And her character aside, in terms of performance only, she's clearly out of her league.

[Austin john]

The list of Emmy nominations for the year 2024 turned out to be very strong in terms of the actors and comedians in particular. Likewise, for the compilation of academic excellence in particularly profound and demanding courses like Supply Chain Management, there is need for a supply chain management dissertation writing service. In this way, professional help in dissertation writing guarantees academic and professional preparation of a work, as well as expertise of the nominees.

[Sophia Sophiam]

I am truly grateful for the wealth of knowledge and inspiration you have shared through your work. Your words have touched my heart, stirred my emotions, and ignited a sense of passion and purpose within me. Thank you for being a beacon of light in geometry dash a world that often feels overwhelming.