Comedy Emmys: Who Got Snubbed?
Emmy nominations are like selections for an All-Star team or the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. No matter how deserving the nominees, you can count on the Internet hordes to grab their pitchforks and set fire to the village, all the while screaming SNUB! So why should ComedyNerd be any different? With the recent announcement of the comedy nominees for the 2022 Emmy Awards, we’ll give a nod to the deserving candidates who were actually chosen and save our irrational love for those who were unjustly forgotten. Bring on the snubs!
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Actual Nominees: Abbott Elementary, Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, What We Do In The Shadows
Nomination We Love: As the world’s only vampire mockumentary, What We Do In The Shadows has no business working at all. And yet, it’s brilliant. Basically, if Taika Waititi touches it, we’re in.
The SNUB! Many deserving nominees were left on the side of the road with no money for a sandwich, including Black-ish, Atlanta, Cobra Kai, and Insecure. We have a soft spot for freshman sitcom Ghosts, a surprise breakout hit for CBS, if only because we don’t want the network sitcom to die. But we tipped our hand earlier with our Waititi love -- Hulu’s Reservation Dogs is the true snub here. “A program that's just as uncompromising as it is groundbreaking,” says Time and who are we to argue?
Seriously, there’s nothing else like it on TV. A show about finding dignity in a world where no one seems to have any.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Actual Nominees: Rachel Brosnahan, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Quinta Brunson, Abbot Elementary, Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant, Elle Fanning, The Great, Issa Rae, Insecure, Jean Smart, Hacks.
Nomination We Love: We would have bet our 2014 Suburu Forester that Quinta Brunson would get a nom, but it’s still sweet to see her on the list.
The SNUB! Black-Ish’s Tracee Ellis Ross has been nominated four times and was considered a favorite in her show’s final season. Nope! But we’re going with Only Murders In the Building’s Selena Gomez -- If you’re holding your own against Steve Martin and Martin Short (both of whom deservedly received noms), then you’re doing something right.
“I dare any TV Academy member to watch episode two of Only Murders titled, “Who is Tim Kono?” and not believe she delivers one of the best performances on TV from the past year,” says Variety critic Clayton Davis.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
The Actual Nominees: Donald Glover, Atlanta, Bill Hader, Barry, Nicholas Hoult, The Great, Steve Martin and Martin Short, Only Murders In The Building, Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso.
Nomination We Love: Um … none of them? Or rather, all of them -- each one was entirely predictable (with the possible exception of Hoult). With only six actors nominated in the category (vs. eight for Outstanding Supporting), why not make room for an outside-the-box candidate?
The SNUB! While neither of these guys would have been much of a surprise, we’ll always give a little love to Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David and Black-ish’s Anthony Anderson. But since we’re looking to go beyond the usual suspects, couldn’t we give an Emmy hug to MacGruber’s Will Forte? Nobody takes more chances, nobody is willing to get more naked to make us laugh. Is there anyone else who could get away with a line like: “I apologize with my whole heart, base to tip.”
“Forte returns to a role that fits him like a friggin’ glove,” says IndieWire. “(He) is planted right inside his goofball wheelhouse.”
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
The Actual Nominees: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Hannah Einbinder, Hacks, Janelle James, Abbott Elementary, Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live, Sarah Niles, Ted Lasso, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary, Juno Temple, Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Nominations We Love: This feels like an Abbott Elementary kind of year for the comedy Emmys, and the dual nominations for James and Ralph confirm it. We’d go so far as to say they’re the co-favorites -- unless they split the vote.
SNUB! We’d have given a comedy trophy to Amy Ryan for playing Holly Flack on The Office, but it wasn’t meant to be. It felt like justice might be served this year, but Ryan went unrecognized again for her turn on Only Murders In The Building. And no offense, Kate McKinnon, but you spent half the season filming other stuff -- the SNL nom should have gone to Cecily Strong, who delivered the year’s most powerful comedy haymaker.
But for a true SNUB! we’re going with Barry’s Sarah Goldberg. This was the season where Barry’s chaos twisted everyone around him--and no one unhinged more than Goldberg’s Sally.
OK, so her meltdown wasn’t “comedy” per se, but it was pretty damn fine acting. Vanity Fair agreed: “Goldberg was breathtaking in the climax of the dark HBO comedy’s run, alternating between rage and panic and a hint of slapstick as she faced up to the reality of her Hollywood dream.”
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
The Actual Nominees: Anthony Carrigan and Henry Winkler, Barry, Brett Goldstein, Toheeb Jimoh, and Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso, Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary, Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Nominations We Love: Last year, Bowen Yang was the first SNL featured player to nab an Emmy nom. This year, he proved it was no fluke. And we’re always down for NoHo Hank to get some recognition.
SNUB! This year’s supporting actor noms were clustered around just a few shows, but couldn’t they make room for Barry’s Stephen Root? An oversight for sure, but Kenan Thompson is our egregiously unrecognized actor.
Maybe Emmy voters are just bored, viewing Kenan’s SNL year as “more of the same,” but that’s always been the man’s strength. He’s the reliable steady hand who guarantees laughs, no matter the script. IndieWire agreed in its review of this season’s Lizzo episode, stating that “Thompson once again had an episode where his very presence made everything funnier.” The Comedy Emmys should simply reserve an annual spot for him until he decides to hang up his SNL saddle once and for all.
For more ComedyNerd, be sure to check out:
The Exact Moment Richard Pryor and George Carlin Changed Forever
South Park: The 15 Worst Things Cartman Ever Did
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Top image: 20th Television, Broadway Video, Alec Berg Inc.
