Mid-Season Emmy Predictions 2014 – Part II: Comedy

Finishing up our look at the Emmy lineup for this season, we look at the Comedy side of things, which for the most part is far more barren than the Drama categories. Part of this is the departure of 30 Rock leaving holes in most of the major categories, but a lot of it is the lack of new comedies that are high in quality *and* are likely to catch the fancy of this awards body (for one example, Fox’s Enlisted has received strong reviews, but in its Friday slot it’s unlikely to be on ever be on the Emmy radar), and the spring lineup doesn’t look much better. But we’ll try our best to find just what they might enjoy…

Comedy Series
1. Modern Family (ABC)
2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
3. Veep (HBO)
4. Louie (FX)
5. Girls (HBO)
6. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)

7. Looking (HBO)
8. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
9. New Girl (Fox)
10. Episodes (Showtime)

As the two most popular sitcoms on TV, Modern Family and Big Bang Theory are surefire nominees and most likely competing for the win once again. Close behind them though would be HBO’s Veep, a show that has been consistent in terms of quality and picked up two acting wins last season, including a surprise win for Tony Hale, so support for the show should remain strong. Girls and Louie both remain anomalies in their Emmy success, considering how odd and indie they are compared to their competition, but since they were nominated last year another nomination shouldn’t be hard.

And then there’s the last slot, which is tough to predict not because there’s no much competing for it (as it is in Drama Series) of how little there is. New Girl was thought to be on the cusp of a nomination last year but was instead completely snubbed, and this season has so far been regarded as a decline from that season in quality. Looking has has a similar aesthetic to Girls, and the Emmys have been kind to shows with heavy LGBT themes before, but early reviews aren’t quite as strong as Girls’s first season. Episodes has a weirdly strong fanbase here, so maybe that would be enough to push it in? How I Met Your Mother was nominated once before, and maybe if they nail the landing on their final season they can make it again? So with weak of a lineup I’m going with Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which has been a not-flop this season and even managed two super-surprising Golden Globe wins – those don’t always mean anything (ask Nip/Tuck!), but considering the acclaim and that Fox doesn’t have anything else to campaign, it seems like a safe bet.

Actor in a Comedy Series
1. Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
2. Michael J. Fox, The Michael J. Fox Show
3. Louis C.K., Louie
4. Don Cheadle, House of Lies
5. Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
6. Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

7. Jonathan Groff, Looking
8. Robin Williams, The Crazy Ones
9. Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
10. Steven Merchant, Hello Ladies

With Alec Baldwin and Jason Bateman gone, this category is proving even harder to fill than Series, so that means last year’s four nominees that qualify (Parsons, C.K., Cheadle, LeBlanc) are all probably good to go. We can also probably mark down Emmy favorite Michael J. Fox for his self-titled show, even though its ratings have been pathetic and the critical reaction indifferent. Another name that should’ve been easy to mark would be Robin Williams for The Crazy Ones, but even the Golden Globes ignored him, so maybe not. Jonathan Groff is a well-renowned stage actor, which can sometimes help in getting traction with this awards body, especially in a well-acclaimed series. But once again I’ll go with surprise Golden Globe winner Andy Samberg of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, who in fact is already an Emmy winner for his work on “Dick in a Box,” so he’s not quite a stranger to these guys.

Actress in a Comedy Series
1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
2. Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
3. Lena Dunham, Girls
4. Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
5. Anna Faris, Mom
6. Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
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7. Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
8. Malin Akerman, Trophy Wife

As with Lead Actor the absence of two of last year’s nominees (Tina Fey and Laura Dern) leave this category pretty empty. Louis-Dreyfus, Falco, Dunham and Poehler should all be nominated with ease, but while Lead Actor has an influx of actors in new shows, all there really is for this category is Anna Faris in Mom and Malin Akerman for Trophy Wife (and Rebel Wilson for Super Fun Night, but probably not). There are also previous nominees Deschanel and McCarthy, though their shows haven’t exactly picked up in buzz from when they were first snubbed. I’ll go for the slightly buzzier Deschanel, but man this category has become barren.