The Critics Made Some Good Choices
Part 2: The Comedies
I have a mixed feeling towards the comedies, but that may be based on my own biases. Here are my reactions.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
I’d be an idiot if I denied Schitt’s Creek deserved to be here. The Critics actually recognized some of the actors before the Emmys caught on. Ramy and Better Things should’ve been acknowledged by the Emmys in this category before, and Mom has been ignobly ignored. What we Do in the Shadows has an even more devoted following than Schitt’s Creek. I’ve clearly got to see The Flight Attendant. Ted Lasso has been building a following and the fact that it’s written by one of my all-time favorite showrunners Bill Lawrence makes me want to get on the bandwagon even more.
Did Pen15 deserve a nomination more than say, Dead to Me or Insecure? Considering that it got no other nominations, I do judge this one a little harshly. But still, good choices mostly.
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
It would be wrong if Eugene Levy wasn’t here, and it would be even more wrong if Ramy Youseff wasn’t. I’ve been thinking more favorably towards Hank Azaria’s work on Brockmire the last year or so, therefore I acknowledge the wisdom of the choice. I’ve always been found of Jason Sudeikis’ work on almost everything else, so I’ve no problem acknowledging him here. I’m a little surprised Matt Brewer is being considered a lead on What We Do In the Shadows, but I can live with it.
If you’re going to honor The Great, why not, you know, honor The Great? Why give a nod to Nicholas Hoult as opposed to Elle Fanning? There are a lot of better choices for this category, starting with Walon Goggins and Anthony Anderson and Iain Armitage? Still, this is how they work.
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Much better. Catherine O’Hara, Issa Rae and Christina Applegate were more than worthy of their Emmy nominations so I’m glad to see them here. I’m even happier to see Pamela Adlon acknowledged for her incredible work on every facet of Better Things — the Emmys shouldn’t have ignored her. Kaley Cuoco has always been a favorite of mine, so I’m glad to see her back in the ranks.
Natasia Demetriou — it’s not a bad choice, per se, but I’d still rather have seen Linda Cardellini or Allison Janney in here instead. Like I said, Elle Fanning would’ve been a better choice.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
This is where I start having troubles. Daniel Levy, no disagreement. William Fichtner has been deserving of a nomination for so many series over the past twenty years that I’m thrilled he got nominated for anything, especially his superb work as Bonnie’s unlikely soulmate on Mom. Alex Newell is a force of nature on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. (I would’ve liked to see the series and the lead nominated, but we can’t have everything.)
There may be a little too much love for What We Do in the Shadows in this category, but that doesn’t bother me. The biggest flub in this category Andrew Rannells in Black Monday. Love the actor, hate the show, and his work are nowhere near the best thing of it. It would’ve made more sense to honor Don Cheadle or Regina Hall for their work here, or better still Mahershala Ali for Ramy. Hell, I’ve settled for a nod for any of the young actors in Shameless over him.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
This will be interesting. Annie Murphy was going to be here anyway, so no problem. Rita Moreno is a national treasure, and frankly she should’ve gotten a nod from the Emmys for One Day at a Time. I’ve loved Jaime Pressly for a very long time, and her work on Mom is just another feather in her cap. There have always been a lot of good actresses on Roseanne and I’m glad to see Lecy Goranason continuing the tradition as Becky in The Conners. I’ll give Hannah Waddingham more than the benefit of the doubt for her work on Ted Lasso.
I’m a little mixed on the nomination for Ashley Park in Emily in Paris. It’s clearly not the best series even on Netflix, and I’d much rather they honor someone who was fairly outstanding such as Yvonne Orji for Insecure or Zoe Perry or Annie Potts for Young Sheldon. But then again, that’s always been the purpose of the Critics Choice — to nominate shows and actors we wouldn’t normally consider.
Tomorrow, I wrap it up with Limited Series and Movies, along with some ephemera. Here I have some real issues.