The Emmys are coming up in September and the nominees have been announced. So, it’s time to look back on all the great comedy of the past year. Here are my personal Emmy picks for 2015.<\/p>\n
Outstanding Comedy Series<\/strong><\/p>\n The nominees:<\/p>\n Louie<\/em> My choice:<\/p>\n Parks and Recreation:\u00a0<\/strong>The show made a bold choice for their final season, doing a time jump that led to the creation of an entire sci-fi world. The season wrapped things up in a satisfying way. It was all about wish fulfillment, but they managed to do this in a way that felt earnest instead of obligatory. This is one of the best sitcoms of all time and it deserves acknowledgment in its final year.<\/p>\n Outstanding Lead Actor<\/strong><\/p>\n The nominees:<\/p>\n Anthony Anderson, black-ish<\/em> My choice:<\/p>\n Anthony Anderson:\u00a0<\/strong>Many of the other actors in the category have high-concept and novelty on their side, but Anthony Anderson is funny and authentic as Dre Johnson and that should be what matters. He understands how to balance playing up Dre’s overzealous nature for laughs with reeling it in for the emotionally earnest moments.<\/p>\n Outstanding Lead Actress<\/strong><\/p>\n The nominees:<\/p>\n Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback<\/em> My choice:<\/p>\n Amy Poehler:\u00a0<\/strong>First off, this is by far the strongest acting category this year and I could easily see a case for any of these women winning. But, to me, Amy Poehler deserves it the most for her final year as a truly iconic character. Leslie Knope has been my favorite character on TV for years now and this season wasn’t any different, as she continued making her one of the funniest and most interesting characters around.<\/p>\n Outstanding Supporting Actor<\/strong><\/p>\n The nominees:<\/p>\n Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine<\/em> My choice:<\/p>\n Andre Braugher:\u00a0<\/strong>Braugher’s performance as Ray Holt is uniquely impressive. He brings a great sense of stoicism, but he’s no straight man. He’s responsible for some of the most laugh out loud funny moments of the series, especially in the second season when they allowed him to really get silly, like when he’s gleefully mocking his nemesis Madeline Wuntch.<\/p>\n Outstanding Supporting Actress<\/strong><\/p>\n The nominees:<\/p>\n Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory<\/em> Julie Bowen:\u00a0<\/strong>It’s a predictable choice, but Julie Bowen really does give a great performance. Her portrayal of Claire Dunphy is not only funny, but at times gut-wrenchingly sympathetic. The character herself tends to be pegged as the serious one, but Julie Bowen is able to brilliantly play that serious nature for laughs.<\/p>\n Outstanding Guest Actor<\/strong><\/p>\n The nominees:<\/p>\n Mel Brooks, The Comedians<\/em> My choice:<\/p>\n Bradley Whitford: <\/strong>Honestly,\u00a0I wish Bradley Whitford was nominated for Brooklyn Nine-Nine<\/em> instead of Transparent<\/em>, but regardless of the material, he was great in this episode. His earnest approach to the role was very effective.<\/p>\n Outstanding Guest Actress<\/strong><\/p>\n The nominees:<\/p>\n Christine Baranski, The Big Bang Theory<\/em> My choice:<\/p>\n Gaby Hoffman:\u00a0<\/strong>Caroline Sackler is a tough, sometimes viscerally hard to watch character. The character’s writing is uniquely ambitious and properly bringing her to life was a huge challenge that very few actress would be up to. Gaby Hoffman makes her feel completely real and even manages to make you laugh as you cringe.<\/p>\n Outstanding Writing<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik for Episodes<\/em>, \u201cEpisode 409\u2033<\/p>\n Will Forte for The Last Man On Earth<\/em>, \u201cAlive In Tucson\u201d (Pilot)<\/p>\n Louis C.K. for Louie<\/em>, \u201cBobby\u2019s House\u201d<\/p>\n Alec Berg for Silicon Valley<\/em>, \u201cTwo Days Of The Condor\u201d<\/p>\n Jill Soloway for Transparent<\/em>, \u201cPilot\u201d<\/p>\n Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche for Veep<\/em>, \u201cElection Night\u201d<\/p>\n My choice:<\/p>\n Alec Berg:<\/strong> I may never get over just how good “Two Days of the Condor” is. The episode flawlessly brought together threads from throughout the season for its pay offs, each character had their moment in the son and the tension and pacing were absolutely brilliant. It’s one of the most well-crafted pieces of TV writing I’ve seen in my life.<\/p>\n Outstanding Directing<\/strong><\/p>\n Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for The Last Man On Earth<\/em>, \u201cAlive In Tucson\u201d (Pilot)<\/p>\n Louis C.K. for Louie<\/em>, \u201cSleepover\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Judge for Silicon Valley<\/em>, \u201cSand Hill Shuffle\u201d<\/p>\n Jill Soloway for Transparent<\/em>, \u201cBest New Girl\u201d os<\/p>\n Armando Iannucci for Veep<\/em>, \u201cTestimony\u201d<\/p>\n Phil Lord and Christopher Miller:<\/strong> “Alive in Tuscon” is a unique and visually stunning piece of television that could easily stand on its own as a great short film. It balances comedy and its specific brand of melancholy perfectly and made the show come out of the gate as a strong and interesting series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Emmys are coming up in September and the nominees have been announced. So, it’s time to look back on all the great comedy of the past year. Here are my personal Emmy picks for 2015. Outstanding Comedy Series The nominees: Louie Modern Family Parks and Recreation Silicon Valley Transparent Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Veep My<\/p>\n
\nModern Family<\/em>
\nParks and Recreation<\/em>
\nSilicon Valley<\/em>
\nTransparent<\/em>
\nUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/em>
\nVeep<\/em><\/p>\n
\nMatt LeBlanc, Episodes<\/em>
\nDon Cheadle, House of Lies<\/em>
\nWill Forte, The Last Man On Earth<\/em>
\nLouis C.K., Louie<\/em>
\nWilliam H. Macy, Shameless<\/em>
\nJeffrey Tambor, Transparent<\/em><\/p>\n
\nLily Tomlin, Grace And Frankie<\/em>
\nAmy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer<\/em>
\nEdie Falco, Nurse Jackie<\/em>
\nAmy Poehler, Parks And Recreation<\/em>
\nJulia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep<\/em><\/p>\n
\nAdam Driver, Girls<\/em>
\nKeegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele<\/em>
\nTy Burrell, Modern Family<\/em>
\nTituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/em>
\nTony Hale, Veep<\/em><\/p>\n
\nNiecy Nash, Getting On<\/em>
\nJulie Bowen, Modern Family<\/em>
\nAllison Janney, Mom<\/em>
\nKate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live<\/em>
\nGaby Hoffmann, Transparent<\/em>
\nJane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/em>
\nAnna Chlumsky, Veep<\/em><\/p>\n
\nPaul Giamatti, Inside Amy Schumer<\/em>
\nBill Hader, Saturday Night Live<\/em>
\nLouis C.K., Saturday Night Live<\/em>
\nBradley Whitford, Transparent<\/em>
\nJon Hamm, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/em><\/p>\n
\nGaby Hoffmann, Girls<\/em>
\nPamela Adlon, Louie<\/em>
\nElizabeth Banks, Modern Family<\/em>
\nJoan Cusack, Shameless<\/em>
\nTina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/em><\/p>\n