Emmy Review: Lead Actress in a Comedy

By Abe Friedtanzer

I’m still sad that Elle Fanning isn’t here for The Great and I can’t understand how Better Things gets nothing but rave reviews and somehow Pamela Adlon isn’t nominated? That said, the list of actresses here is strong, And you'd think that previous winner Rachel Brosnahan would be the frontrunner with last year’s tough competition, victor Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and six-time consecutive champ Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) out of the way. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel may be the comedy nominations leader, but Brosnahan isn’t likely to eclipse Moira Rose. 

I’ll try to avoid major plot details in my analysis – but if you’d like more spoiler-filled descriptions, click on the episode titles. Let’s consider each nominee…

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Emmy Review: Lead Actor in a Comedy

By Abe Friedtanzer

Of the major categories, this one is the most unchanged from last year. Two-time winner Bill Hader is out because season three of Barry has yet to premiere, and Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef is in his place. Larry David didn’t make the cut. Both Ted Danson and Eugene Levy have won Emmys in the past, but this is their last shot to win a trophy for their current shows. 

I’ll try to avoid major plot details in my analysis – but if you’d like more spoiler-filled descriptions, click on the episode titles. Let’s consider each nominee…

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Emmy Review: Guest Actress in a Comedy

By Juan Carlos Ojano

More complicated than it seems, this race features acting veterans, comedic geniuses, and double the Maya Rudolph. Saturday Night Live has been dominant in this category since 2009 (the first year they were allowed to compete with the "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program" category discontinued). So dominant, in fact, that they've only missed a nomination one year (2015) and in most of those 11 years they've had multiple nominations. SNL has won nearly 50% of the time since it began competing here. Meanwhile, Maya Rudolph makes history as the  first actress to be nominated in this category twice in the same year. Does that support her cause or result in a vote split? 

Let’s consider each nominee…

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Almost There: Joan Allen in "The Upside of Anger"

by Cláudio Alves

Just as we did last week, today's Almost There was chosen by you, the reader. From a group of 2005 Oscar hopefuls, Joan Allen came out victorious for her work in The Upside of Anger. She got 25% of your votes, beating performances like Zhang Ziyi's watery Sayuri in Memoirs of a Geisha, Maria Bello's steamy turn in A History of Violence, and Scarlett Johansson's arresting Oscar bid in Match Point. All those actresses got closer to the gold than Allen realistically did, but she was still part of the conversation. After all, it's difficult to believe someone could watch The Upside of Anger and not want to shower its leading lady with accolades…

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Emmy Category Review: Guest Actor in a Comedy

By Juan Carlos Ojano

Three men from Saturday Night Live, a “regular” guest actor in a Comedy Series frontrunner, a lead in an anthology series episode, and a comedy veteran receiving a posthumous nomination. These are the men nominated in this category. SNL has had at least two nominees in this category since 2013, peaking last year with four of the seven slots. Their last winner was in 2017. Meanwhile, performances from Comedy Series have bagged the last two wins. 

Let’s consider each nominee...

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