The Sitcom Sandwich Looks at the Emmys

Emmy nominations were announced last week, and the pop culture world has been buzzing.  There were shocking snubs, surprising inclusions, and ultimately a list that represents some of the best television has to offer.  Here at the Sitcom Sandwich, I thought it would be a good time to focus on the comedy nominations and offer some thoughts. 

Let's start with the comedy series nominations...

Comedy Series
“Atlanta” (FX)
“Black-ish” (ABC)
“Master of None” (Netflix)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Silicon Valley” (HBO)
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)
“Veep” (HBO)


First, a confession:  I have never watched Atlanta.  I enjoy Donald Glover, but I've not had the chance to watch this reportedly wonderful show.  I have, though, watched everything else.  Black-ish is one of the best sitcoms on network television.  Master of None is a brilliant piece of work and establishes Aziz Ansari as a true comedy auteur along the lines of Louis CK.  Modern Family is funny but tired and nowhere near what it once was.  Nominating it here feels more like a reflex than an actual recognition of the show's current quality, especially when it's included in this list of fresh, innovative series.  Silicon Valley, Kimmy Schmidt, and Veep are three of the funniest shows currently running, so I'm never going to challenge their inclusion.  

So what's missing?  If the Emmys went to ten nominees the way the Oscars do, what would I add?  My first choice would be Michael Schur's brilliant The Good Place.  That was my favorite new show of the past season.  It was a clever, funny show with a stellar cast that aired its season finale in the winter and was likely forgotten by viewers.  I'll talk more about the show as I look at later nominations, but suffice it to say that the Emmys dropped the ball in completely overlooking this show.

Another show I would add to this list is another new show from last season, Speechless.  To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of this show in its early episodes.  This show about a family, the DiMeo's, raising a special needs, wheelchair bound son, JJ,  and the lengths his mother will go to to insure her son as normal of a life as she can took some time to hit its stride.  Minnie Driver's Maya was a bit abrasive in early episodes, and the family's neglect of their other two children, particularly son Ray (Mason Cook), was at times uncomfortable.  As the show progressed, though, they found a tone that worked, softening some of the harder edges and building terrific relationships, particularly that between Maya and JJ's aide Kenneth (Cedric Yarborough).  The last few episodes of the season struck a beautiful balance between comedy and pathos as the younger DiMeo children started questioning what their role would be in their brother's future as JJ started contemplating, too, what his adult like would and could be like.  It is a terrific show, and my hope is that it will not be forgotten in years to come. 


My last inclusion in this category would be NBC's Superstore.  It's a funny, quirky ensemble workplace comedy led by the truly delightful America Ferrera about the eccentric employees of Cloud 9, a Wal-Mart-esque discount store.  It was nice this season to see NBC introducing some sitcoms after seemingly giving up on them, and Superstore became a quiet hit after a seemingly afterthought of a summer introduction.  In its second season, the cast gelled nicely and found that sweet spot between bizarre and silly that kept it engaging and fresh.  Add to it a fantastic season finale that found the store being decimated by a tornado, and you have a winning show with a great ensemble cast.  

I'd also give special mention to USA's Playing House.  This is a terrifically funny show that likely flies under the radar despite being one of the best, most nuanced, and most realistic looks at female friendship I've ever seen.  Unfortunately, the way that its seasons fell make it ineligible this year, but I'm hoping that its most current season, which launched in June, will stay in memories next year if only for its honest but hilarious examination of breast cancer.  The work that Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham have produced is something truly special.

Comedy Actor
Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
Aziz Ansari (“Master of None”)
Zach Galifianakis (“Baskets”)
Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)
William H. Macy (“Shameless”)
Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”)

First of all, thank you for this great diverse line up even if I'm not a huge fan of several on this list.  Anthony Anderson and Aziz Ansari most definitely belong here, as, I'm sure, does Donald Glover.  I am not a big fan of Shameless, and I am among those who question whether or not Transparent is actually a comedy (although I adore Jeffrey Tambor).  Zach Galifianakis also tends to wear a bit thin for me.  The real question is who should be here instead, and therein lies the problem with this list.  There weren't a lot of great male-led comedies this season.  The Big Bang Theory has grown tired, and while Jim Parsons has kept working to find more levels and depth to Sheldon, the show around him hasn't risen to his level in years.    Outside of Black-ish, most of the shows on ABC are largely female driven; the same is true of the best NBC had to offer outside of the delightful Trial and Error, but the male lead on that (Nicholas D'Agostino) is largely the straight man for the hijinks that surround him rather than a comedy lead.  

The two big snubs here, to me, are Thomas Middleditch from Silicon Valley and Will Forte from The Last Man on Earth.  On both counts, I get it at some level.  The work Middleditch is doing on Silicon Valley is very subtle and often does tend to be more reactionary to the work being done around him.  But his Richard Hendricks is the soul of the show, and it's unfortunate to see that overlooked.  As for Forte, his Phil Tandy Miller is the comic epicenter of a show that had an uneven season.  Tandy, too, can be an overbearing presence on the show.  Some find Forte's schtick hilarious; others find it grating, and looking at the list of actors who did make the cut, it's not surprising that Forte was not included.  

Comedy Actress
Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”)
Tracee Ellis-Ross (“black-ish”)
Jane Fonda (“Grace and Frankie”)
Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”)
Allison Janney (“Mom”)
Ellie Kemper (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”)

This is a crazy strong list and proof that women are ruling comedy on television right now, especially when you think about the list of women who aren't on this list but could be -- Minnie Driver (Speechless), Kristen Bell (The Good Place), Issa Rae (Insecure), America Ferrera (Superstore), Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend),  Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project), Katy Mixon (American Housewife), Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat), Wendy McClendon-Covey (The Goldbergs), Caitlin Olson (The Mick).  You have a whole separate category of those not included but worthy of inclusion  I'm really glad to see Pamela Adlon on this list.  Better Things was a quietly stellar show last summer that deserved to be remembered.  The move for Allison Janney from supporting to lead is long overdue -- Anna Faris stopped being the center of Mom a long time ago, and it's Janney who keeps people tuning in.  This will definitely be the race to watch come Emmy night, although it would shock me if Julia Louis-Dreyfus didn't take it again.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin (“Saturday Night Live”)
Louie Anderson (“Baskets”)
Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”)
Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”)
Tony Hale (“Veep”)
Matt Walsh (“Veep”)
I love Alec Baldwin, but his inclusion here is more a reflection of Hollywood's hatred of Donald Trump than a true reflection of merit.  It also seems unfair to include him on a technicality (he appeared on too many episodes to qualify as a guest) when there are others who are deserving of recognition.  For me, the biggest insult is to Ted Danson.  His work as Michael on The Good Place was absolute genius, especially when considered in the context of the first season.  The moment in the season finale when Michael's true nature is revealed still haunts me and is one of the finest moments of acting I've seen in a long time.  I would also make an argument for including on this list Cedric Yarborough (Speechless), Mark McKinney (Superstore), John Lithgow (Trial and Error), TJ Miller (Silicon Valley), Zach Woods (Silicon Valley), Andre Braugher (Brooklyn 9-9), Lamorne Morris (New Girl), and Jake Johnson (New Girl), not to mention the brilliant Veep duo of Timothy Simmons and Sam Richardson. 

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)
Vanessa Bayer (“Saturday Night Live”)
Leslie Jones (“Saturday Night Live”)
Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”)
Judith Light (“Transparent”)
Kathryn Hahn (“Transparent”)
I maintain the argument here I made above challenging the real comedy credentials of Transparent.  Don't get me wrong -- it's a wonderful and important show, but is it a comedy?  Is it fair to compare the work being done on that show with the work being done on more traditional comedies?  I also question a bit the inclusion of Jones and Bayer.  Did either really have moments that have stood out this season the way that Kate McKinnon did?  Jones is still not a great live performer, and while her filmed bits have been clever, I'd question whether they were more worthy of inclusion over those not on this list.  Bayer, too, is funny but this season (her last) didn't give her nearly as much to do as seasons past.  Imagine if this list included Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), Andrea Martin (Great News), Sherri Shepherd (Trial and Error), Kristen Schaal (The Last Man on Earth), Lauren Ash (Superstore), or Jennifer Lewis (Black-ish).  These women have given us funny, dynamic characters and have often stolen the show.  

Clearly, it's been a strong year for comedy even though more attention has gone toward the big name dramas, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out -- whether SNL's 22 nominations will become a referendum of sorts against Donald Trump, whether Veep will continue its dominance, and whether the variety of offerings will be reflected in the winners.  I'll make solid predictions as the night gets closer, but until then, I'm going to brush up on a couple of the shows I'm not as familiar with and keep laughing.