Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Lead Actress in a Comedy

Laura Dern - "Amy Jellicoe", Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel - "Jessica Day", New Girl
Lena Dunham - "Hannah Horvath", Girls
Tina Fey - "Liz Lemon", 30 Rock
Sutton Foster - "Michelle ", Bunheads
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Selina Meyer", Veep
Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation

I hope to add to this later, but find comedy leads really difficult to write about for whatever reason. A cursory glance at last year's slate indicates a persistent issue there. I could not manage to narrow from seven to six.

Honorable Mentions: Courteney Cox, Cougar Town; Portia DeRossi, Arrested Development; Dakota Johnson, Ben and Kate; Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project; Jane Levy, Suburgatory; Martha MacIsaac, 1600 Penn; Ashley Rickards, Awkward.; Krysten Ritter, Don't Trust the B* in Apt. 23; AnnaSophia Robb, The Carrie Diaries

Extra points to Robb for gamely taking on a role that might have had even more baggage attached than Mads Mikkelson in Hannibal.

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Jenna Elfman, 1600 Penn; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Patricia Heaton, The Middle; Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope

For a second, I forgot what Melissa McCarthy's show was called and I almost typed The Heat. I'm not sure the distinction makes a substantive difference to the television academy voters, anyway.

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Adam Driver - "Adam Sackler," Girls
Alex Karpovsky - "Ray Ploshansky", Girls
Timothy Simons - "Jonah Ryan", Veep
Damon Wayans, Jr. - "Brad Williams", Happy Endings
Mike White - "Tyler", Enlightened
Rainn Wilson - "Dwight Schrute", The Office

Driver and Karpovsky were both standouts last year, and built on those established character traits with surprising emotional depth - Adam in coming to terms with the wreckage Hannah left behind her and Ray in feeling his heart leap forward and struggling to force the rest of him to follow. Simons took a lot of verbal abuse in the second season of Veep, ostensibly about Jonah but pointedly remarking on physical attributes. He is great at both the obsequiousness of a mid-level bureaucrat, but also at playing someone who wants to give as good as he gets but can't quite keep up. As much as Happy Endings was ever governed by story arcs, Wayans really shone in the stories following Brad's loss of his job, especially in the episode where he becomes Jane's "trophy wife." In an ideal world, Mike White would get just as much recognition as network-mate Lena Dunham for everything he put into Enlightened. While Tyler's dreams may not be as expansive as Amy's, White's performance shows us that they're still there. The failure of the backdoor pilot may have been the best thing to happen to The Office, as Rainn Wilson became the MVP of the show's final episodes. Without letting up on the characteristics that made Dwight such a standout character, the show rooted a happy ending in Dwight finally getting the branch manager position and marrying Angela. 

Honorable Mentions: Will Arnett, Arrested Development; Max Greenfield, New Girl; Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live; Tony Hale, Veep; Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live; Zachary Knighton, Happy Endings; John Krasinski, The Office: Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock; Chris Messina, The Mindy Project; Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock; Lamorne Morris, New Girl; Oscar Nunez, The Office; Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation; Adam Pally, Happy Endings; Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation; Jim Rash, Community; Reid Scott, Veep; Jason Sudeikis, Saturday Night Live; Matt Walsh, Veep; Luke Wilson, Enlightened

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live; Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Peter Facinelli, Nurse Jackie; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family; Brad Garrett, How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life; Nolan Gould, Modern Family; Simon Helberg, The Big Bang Theory; Ed Helms, The Office; Justin Kirk, Weeds; Seth Meyers, Saturday Night Live; Kunal Nayyar, The Big Bang Theory; Ed O'Neill, Modern Family; Rico Rodriguez, Modern Family; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family; Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development

I didn't watch Modern Family this season, so I don't have a specific opinion about it one way or the other. But it certainly wouldn't shock me if they just went all in, added the kids and filled the entire category with cast members from that show.

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Jenna Fischer - "Pam Beesley Halpert", The Office
Angela Kinsey - "Angela Lipton", The Office
Zosia Mamet - "Shoshanna Shapiro", Girls
Kate McKinnon - "Misc. Characters", Saturday Night Live
Alia Shawkat - "Maeby Funke", Arrested Development
Casey Wilson - "Penny Hartz", Happy Endings



Honorable Mentions: Vanessa Bayer, Saturday Night Live; Sufe Bradshaw, Veep; Carly Chaikin, Suburgatory; Anna Chlumsky, Veep; Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings; Elisha Cuthbert, Happy Endings; Ana Gasteyer, Suburgatory; Allie Grant, Suburgatory; Rashida Jones, Parks and Recreation; Ellie Kemper, The Office; Jemima Kirke, Girls; Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Christa Miller, Cougar Town; Busy Philipps, Cougar Town; Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation; Retta, Parks and Recreation; Hannah Simone, New Girl; Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live; Jessica Walter, Arrested Development; Allison Williams, Girls; Bebe Wood, The New Normal

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Ellen Barkin, The New Normal; Kristen Bell, House of Lies; Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory; Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Carrie Brownstein, Portlandia; Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory; Sarah Hyland, Modern Family; Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope; Jane Lynch, Glee; Melissa Rauch, The Big Bang Theory; Maya Rudolph, Up All Night; Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer; Eden Sher, The Middle; Anna Deavere Smith, Nurse Jackie; Lily Tomlin, Malibu Country; Sofia Vergara, Modern Family; Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland; Julie White, Go On; Ariel Winter, Modern Family

Dream Emmy Ballot 2013: Guest Actor in a Comedy

Terry Crews - "Herbert Love", Arrested Development
Dermot Mulroney - "Jeff Flender", Enlightened
Chris O'Dowd - "Thomas-John", Girls
Patton Oswalt - "Garth Blundin", Parks and Recreation
Andrew Rannells - "Elijah", Girls
Ben Stiller - "Tony Wonder", Arrested Development

Trust me when I say there's text already written to go with this but I've realized that I vastly overestimated my typing speed and thus will leave this as a placeholder for the future. Maybe not too distantly!

Honorable Mentions: Will Arnett, 30 Rock; Chris Diamantopoulos, Arrested Development; Mark Duplass, The Mindy Project; Dennis Farina, New Girl; Will Forte, 30 Rock; Anders Holm, The Mindy Project; Nick Kroll, Parks and Recreation; Jason Mantzoukas, Parks and Recreation; James Marsden, 30 Rock; Rob Reiner, New Girl; Seth Rogen, The Mindy Project; Jason Schwartzman, Parks and Recreation; David Walton, New Girl; Patrick Wilson, Girls; Henry Winkler, Arrested Development; Dean Winters, 30 Rock

Wouldn't be surprised to see: F. Murray Abraham, Louie; Benjamin Bratt, Modern Family; Matthew Broderick, Modern Family; Louis CK, Saturday Night Live; Bobby Cannavale, Nurse Jackie; Matt Damon, House of Lies; Kevin Hart, Saturday Night Live; Judd Hirsch, Maron; Ron Howard, Arrested Development; Nathan Lane, Modern Family; Jay Leno, Louie; David Lynch, Louie; Kyle McLachlan, Portlandia; Garry Marshall, Louie; Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory; Mike O'Malley, Glee; Seth Rogen, Arrested Development; Martin Short, Saturday Night Live; John Slattery, Arrested Development; Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live; Fred Willard, Modern Family; Robin Williams, Louie

Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Lead Actress in a Comedy

Laura Dern - "Amy Jellicoe", Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel - "Jess Day", New Girl
Lena Dunham - "Hannah Horvath", Girls
Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation
Ashley Rickards - "Jenna Hamilton", Awkward.
Krysten Ritter - "Chloe", Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23

Honorable Mentions: Christina Applegate, Up All Night; Leslie Bibb, GCB; Rachel Bilson, Hart of Dixie; Courteney Cox, Cougar Town; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Jane Levy, Suburgatory; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep; Lea Michele, Glee; Lennon Parham, Best Friends Forever; Amanda Peet, Bent; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope; Jessica St. Clair, Best Friends Forever; Dreama Walker, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Beth Behrs, 2 Broke Girls; Kat Dennings, 2 Broke Girls; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Patricia Heaton, The Middle; Laura Linney, The Big C; Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Anna Chlumsky - "Amy", Veep
Eliza Coupe - "Jane", Happy Endings
Cheryl Hines - "Dallas Royce", Suburgatory
Zosia Mamet - "Shoshanna Shapiro", Girls
Aubrey Plaza - "April Ludgate", Parks and Recreation
Casey Wilson - "Penny", Happy Endings

Chlumsky ably navigates between "high-strung" and "manic," a distinction that helps keep Veep from being too broad. I'm sure every Happy Endings fan has different favorites among the show's ensemble, and as someone who's kind of both a control freak and a total mess, mine are Jane and Penny. Coupe sells Jane's image of a world on which she can impose order without making her too draconian and Wilson sells Penny as an romantic and an optimist without making her seem naive. Hines' performance rests right in Suburgatory's sweet spot, with a perfect balance of the kind of superficiality the show sends up (with varying degrees of success) and the heart that shows that it's not all just silliness. Mamet, too, was distinctively, delightfully silly, but also undercut Shoshanna's superficiality by showing the fear driving her insecurity about falling behind her peers in gaining life experience. Plaza shows April growing into a more considerate adult without making it feel like a loss of her distinctive personality.

Honorable Mentions: Vanessa Bayer, Saturday Night Live; Sufe Bradshaw, Veep; Elisha Cuthbert, Happy Endings; Jemima Kirke, Girls; Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Diane Ladd, Enlightened; Busy Phillips, Cougar Town; Retta, Parks and Recreation; Naya Rivera, Glee; Maya Rudolph, Up All Night; Miriam Shor, GCB; Hannah Simone, New Girl; Allison Williams, Girls

Particular props to the ensembles of: Community (Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Gillian Jacobs); Suburgatory (Carly Chaikin, Ana Gasteyer, Allie Grant)

I Wouldn't Be Surprised to See: Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory; Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives; Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope; Jane Lynch, Glee; Melissa Rauch, The Big Bang Theory; Eden Sher, The Middle; Catherine Tate, The Office; Sofia Vergara, Modern Family; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland; Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Adam Driver - "Adam Sackler", Girls
Donald Glover - "Troy Barnes", Community
Max Greenfield - "Schmidt", New Girl
Bill Hader - "Various roles", Saturday Night Live
Danny Pudi - "Abed Nadir", Community
Reid Scott - "Dan", Veep

As much as Lena Dunham obviously shapes the tone of Girls, Driver represented an important aspect of the show in bringing so much oddball energy to bear as a romantic lead truly unlike any other on television. Troy and Abed's relationship formed such a significant through-line for this season of Community that I might venture to say that they functioned more as leads than Jeff did, but not so much so that it seems like category fraud. Both Glover and Pudi grounded Community's wide-ranging universe in real-world emotions in showing Troy grappling with the way he wants and needs to change in growing older, and in recognizing at the same time that there are aspects of Abed's personality that resist that same kind of change. (Also, Troy's reaction to the troll doll when he returns to the apartment in the relevant timeline in "Remedial Chaos Theory" may be my favorite scene of the whole year. I kept that episode on my DVR for months just so I could watch it if I was in a bad mood.) It's repetitive and reductive, but also true to call Greenfield a scene-stealer. I'll also say that he benefitted the most from the New Girl writers shaping the characters as they got to know their actors better, revealing a sweet, somewhat fussy heart underneath Schmidt's player facade. It says "various roles," but in terms of more-or-less single-handedly keeping his show from teetering off the edge into cultural insignificance it might as well say "Stefon" next to Hader's name. Not only funny, but consistently funny on a show that tends to run recurring characters into the ground. It always seems easier to say someone's a charming asshole than to authentically represent one in the flesh, but Scott was more than up to the task of making it clear why Dan is indispensable to the people he works for, as well as why they hate themselves a bit for relying on his particular mode of doing business.

Honorable Mentions: Mark Deklin, GCB; Josh Hopkins, Cougar Town; Jake Johnson, New Girl; Luka Jones, Best Friends Forever; Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live; Bobby Moynihan, Saturday Night Live; Jim Rash, Community; Jeffrey Tambor, Bent; James Van Der Beek, Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23; Brian Van Holt, Cougar Town; Mike White, Enlightened; Luke Wilson, Enlightened

Particular props to the ensembles of: Happy Endings (Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr.); Parks and Recreation (Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt); Veep (Tony Hale, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh)

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live; Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Chris Colfer, Glee; Kevin Dillon, Entourage; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family; Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock; Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock; Ed O'Neill, Modern Family; Jeremy Piven, Entourage; Andy Samberg, Saturday Night Live; James Spader, The Office; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family; Jason Sudeikis, Saturday Night Live; Rainn Wilson, The Office

Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: The Unsubmitted

It's well past time to get this show on the road. Ideally, I like to get these done and posted before the nominations get announced. We'll see how far we get before tomorrow morning.

Andrew Scott - "Jim Moriarty", Sherlock

Here's where I wish for a site that focused on the mechanics of how the television academy votes, because I'm not sure whether PBS electing to submit "A Scandal in Belgravia" for Sherlock precluded Scott from submitting his work in "The Reichenbach Fall". (It's a curious decision overall, as I think "Reichenbach Fall" is a stronger episode all around, especially for the central actors.) If that isn't the case, it's not surprising, necessarily, that Scott didn't submit, given that Cumberbatch and Freeman didn't get nominated last year, but his performance was such a standout that it's disappointing regardless. (He just won a BAFTA, for goodness' sake.) The scene where Moriarty insists he's actually an actor was eerie perfection in sowing little seeds of doubt.

Indeed, there's a whole chunk of British actors who I was surprised to see unlisted in the ballot of prospective nominees. Underinformed management teams across the pond?

Jack Gleeson - "Joffrey Baratheon", Game of Thrones
Charles Dance - "Tywin Lannister", Game of Thrones

More than the others, I think these two being absent from the ballot represents someone asleep at the wheel in compiling HBO's submission package. Gleeson and Dance helped the show's writers demonstrate a sense of scope in depicting the Lannisters and their thirst for power - Tywin as the craftiest guy in the room, but also a man who recognizes the potential inherent in being the one pulling the strings instead of the public face, and Joffrey as the rotten manifestation of all his family's foibles.

Laura Carmichael - "Lady Edith Crawley", Downton Abbey
Zoe Boyle - "Lavinia Swire", Downton Abbey

The Downton Abbey-as-convalescent-home storyline gave Carmichael an opportunity to grant some much-needed shading to Edith as she discovered a sense of purpose in helping others. (And Carmichael pretty much single-handedly kept that whole potential-heir/burn-victim story from going too far off the rails.) I think the fundamentally good-hearted but ultimately doomed young woman (Beth March, Melanie Wilkes, etc., etc.) is a deceptively difficult role, but Boyle performed hers capably.

Anna Chancellor - "Lix Storm", The Hour

An old-school character for a period show, Chancellor's savvy, experienced newswoman provided good low-key balance to the energies brought by Ben Whishaw and Romola Garai. (And her character feels more and more valuable the more I watch of The Newsroom. Another rant for another time.)

Alex Karpovsky - "Ray", Girls
Andrew Rannells - "Elijah", Girls

Both Karpovsky and Rannells performed admirably in their roles as the blunt truth-tellers of the Girls universe, keeping the show on an even keel by tempering the self-absorption of other characters. They also had my absolute favorite moments in the finale - Karpovsky's scenes with Zosia Mamet (there is like not even enough material there to get shipper-y over, and yet I am slightly obsessed with the concept of Ray and Shoshanna together. I need it to happen in Season Two) and Rannells' line reading of "Girls who huff." (The tone of which is difficult to communicate here, but it cracks me up every time.)

Matt Ross - "Dr. Charles Montgomery", American Horror Story

I already think Ross was criminally underrecognized for his work on Big Love, so that's probably giving him a boost here. But he made Dr. Montgomery's Frankenstein-esque forays into medical experimentation some of AHS's best trips over the top.

Lamorne Morris - "Winston", New Girl
Dan Byrd - "Travis Cobb", Cougar Town

I tend to take a sort of "Throw your hat in the ring! Why not?" attitude towards most potential submissions, especially when most or all of the other members of an ensemble present as contenders. It took New Girl's writers longer to "find" Winston than it did for Nick and Schmidt, but by the end of the season, Morris had turned in some good moments too. (Like the Theodore K. Mullins speech). And some of Byrd's best work on Cougar Town came this year in their exploration of Travis and Laurie's relationship.

Taran Killam - "Mr. Rad", Community

Maybe Community's best one-off, grounding the show's Glee parody in crazy-eyed mania and subtly sending up Matthew Morrison's performance as Will Schuster.

Roger Bart - "Mason Treadwell", Revenge
Ashton Holmes - "Tyler Barrol", Revenge

Bart was the best of the characters against whom Emily sought revenge, showing the cracks in his man-about-town facade where his image of himself as a journalist comes into conflict with the knowledge of how he sold his soul and screwed the Clarkes over. And Holmes' performance fit perfectly into the vein of classic crazy soap villains, from quiet menace to devourer of scenery.

Jay Jackson - "Perd Hapley", Parks and Recreation

Jackson has become Parks and Rec's most valuable tertiary player over four seasons, representing the heart of Pawnee's absurd media culture. The fourth season's depiction of the election cycle gave him ample opportunities for more examples of Perd's affable cluelessness - my favorite might be his running out the clock on Leslie's response in "The Debate."

Morena Baccarin - "Isobel Swift", The Good Wife
Mary Beth Peil - "Jackie Florrick", The Good Wife
Parker Posey - "Vanessa Gold", The Good Wife

Baccarin held her own as a foil to Dylan Baker's Colin Sweeney, a character who is essentially designed to suck all the air out of the room. Peil was great both in shrouding Jackie's machinations in a faux-innocent "who, me?" exterior, and in muddling her motivations as potential mental issues came into play in the latter episodes of the season. And maybe it's residual Josie and the Pussycats love, but I thought Posey and Alan Cumming were delightful together as politically minded exes.

Kate Burton - "Vice President Sally Langston", Scandal

Burton had twice as many potential submissions as ultimately ended up on the ballot, so I'm not surprised that her Scandal role fell by the wayside. Nevertheless, her scenes as the evangelical Christian VP of Scandal's universe didn't veer over into caricature when they easily could have and suggested that the show going forward may have some very interesting things to say about women in politics. (And as a lover of troupe-building creators, I love that Shonda Rhimes gave her such a different character from Ellis Grey to play here.)

Alison Brie - "Trudy Campbell", Mad Men
Embeth Davidtz - "Rebecca Pryce", Mad Men
Christine Estabrook - "Gail Holloway", Mad Men
Sam Page - "Greg Harris", Mad Men

None are terribly flashy performances, but all contribute to the fully realized world of Mad Men, particularly in the interplay and contrast between home and office beyond whatever Don's situation is in any given year. I've always been disappointed not to see Page submit his name for consideration - true, most (if not all) Mad Men fans hate Greg, but Page has always done a great job of presenting him without judgment, with all his weaknesses. You want Greg to accept responsibility for why things in his life are the way they are, but also understand why he doesn't feel the need to be introspective. I don't think Page gets enough credit for that.

Quoted

"Maybe because the show is a comedy, some viewers can’t help believing the show “wants” us to sympathize with Hannah in stealing the money, but I think that couldn’t be less true. The interest of the show is in showing her as an intelligent, unformed, selfish, self-pitying young screw-up. She’s funny, and she’s irritating. She’s sometimes perceptive, and yet stunningly un-self-aware. She cares deeply for her friends, and sees her parents as ATMs. The show is not about seeing her as a good person, it’s about wanting to see her—hopefully, by taking on some responsibility, growing up and seeing beyond herself—become one."

- James Poniewozik
from "From Tony Soprano to Hannah Horvath: What Does a TV Show 'Want' You to Think of Its Characters?" at Tuned In


I've been working a lot recently trying to articulate what exactly it is I want to focus on in my studies going forward, and I think part of what I want to achieve is the kind of breadth of knowledge Poniewozik draws upon here to make his point. I particularly love the comparison of the character moments in the respective pilots of Girls and The Shield. (I'm currently in the middle of the sixth season of The Shield - knocking shows off of this list like a champion, if I may say so, and on the verge of tackling Nos. 1 and 2 in the aforementioned process of deepening my body of knowledge.) So much has been said about the pilot all over the Internet that I think I'll save judgement on Girls for a few weeks, but based on Sunday's episode I agree with this assessment of the level of self-awareness involved in presenting the show's characters.