The nominations are in for the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards. Over the next few weeks, I'll be going through several of the major categories and offer my predictions on who will win this year. Next up, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
The nominees are: Louie's Louis C.K.; House of Lies' Don Cheadle; Derek's Ricky Gervais; Episodes' Matt LeBlanc; Shameless' William H. Macy; and The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons.
1. JIM PARSONS - THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "THE RELATIONSHIP DIREMPTION"
Parsons is the reigning champion in this category and is the only actor here nominated from an actual multi-camera sitcom. The latter shouldn't make a big difference. The category is for the best performer in a series submitted as a comedy - not best comedic performance. I'm predicting another Parsons win because it doesn't seem like there's any major contenders for an upset. Yes, his episode has some broad laughs but it has some real human emotional beats as well.
2. LOUIS C.K. - LOUIE (FX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "MODEL"
Is this the year that C.K. finally wins for acting? I don't know. From my perspective, he seems like the best nominee to beat out Parsons. However, like every other year, I feel more compelled to recognize C.K.'s talents as a writer and a director but not as an actor. He's not bad and his episode is one of the few self-contained stories from this past season and he's really good in it. I'm just not sure if that is quite enough.
3. RICKY GERVAIS - DEREK (NETFLIX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "EPISODE 6"
Enough of the voters banded together to get Gervais a nomination in this category despite Derek being a subpar show at best. That same admiration for the actor and his personality also makes him a huge spoiler in this race. Remember he's won in this field before (in 2007 for Extras). You shouldn't be surprised if he manages to pull off another upset.
4. WILLIAM H. MACY - SHAMELESS (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "LAZARUS"
Of the three actors from Showtime series, I think Macy has the best chances at winning because he's the new guy to the field. Sure, this season of Shameless was dark and doesn't really belong in the comedy fields. But that's a quibble for elsewhere. That switch managed to get Macy into this race - something he wasn't able to do for the first three years as a drama. Now that he's on the ballot, it'll force the voters to see more of what he's doing on the show. That newfound knowledge may help him although he's very much unproven in this field.
5. MATT LEBLANC - EPISODES (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "EPISODE SIX"
The voters love Episodes. That is a fact. It always manages to get nods in the writing and directing fields as well as LeBlanc getting into this race. I don't get the love. I saw the first episode of Episodes and thought it was horrible and haven't given it a second chance to prove otherwise. That may mean I'm counting LeBlanc out of this race too easily. But I, at least, will admit that.
6. DON CHEADLE - HOUSE OF LIES (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "WRECKAGE"
Who honestly knows what happened on House of Lies this year? I don't remember any kind of buzz around the latest season even when it was actually airing back in January. But Cheadle remains a movie star doing television. His recognizable name propels him into this race but I'm pretty sure it won't lead to a win.
1. JIM PARSONS - THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "THE RELATIONSHIP DIREMPTION"
Parsons is the reigning champion in this category and is the only actor here nominated from an actual multi-camera sitcom. The latter shouldn't make a big difference. The category is for the best performer in a series submitted as a comedy - not best comedic performance. I'm predicting another Parsons win because it doesn't seem like there's any major contenders for an upset. Yes, his episode has some broad laughs but it has some real human emotional beats as well.
2. LOUIS C.K. - LOUIE (FX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "MODEL"
Is this the year that C.K. finally wins for acting? I don't know. From my perspective, he seems like the best nominee to beat out Parsons. However, like every other year, I feel more compelled to recognize C.K.'s talents as a writer and a director but not as an actor. He's not bad and his episode is one of the few self-contained stories from this past season and he's really good in it. I'm just not sure if that is quite enough.
3. RICKY GERVAIS - DEREK (NETFLIX)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "EPISODE 6"
Enough of the voters banded together to get Gervais a nomination in this category despite Derek being a subpar show at best. That same admiration for the actor and his personality also makes him a huge spoiler in this race. Remember he's won in this field before (in 2007 for Extras). You shouldn't be surprised if he manages to pull off another upset.
4. WILLIAM H. MACY - SHAMELESS (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "LAZARUS"
Of the three actors from Showtime series, I think Macy has the best chances at winning because he's the new guy to the field. Sure, this season of Shameless was dark and doesn't really belong in the comedy fields. But that's a quibble for elsewhere. That switch managed to get Macy into this race - something he wasn't able to do for the first three years as a drama. Now that he's on the ballot, it'll force the voters to see more of what he's doing on the show. That newfound knowledge may help him although he's very much unproven in this field.
5. MATT LEBLANC - EPISODES (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "EPISODE SIX"
The voters love Episodes. That is a fact. It always manages to get nods in the writing and directing fields as well as LeBlanc getting into this race. I don't get the love. I saw the first episode of Episodes and thought it was horrible and haven't given it a second chance to prove otherwise. That may mean I'm counting LeBlanc out of this race too easily. But I, at least, will admit that.
6. DON CHEADLE - HOUSE OF LIES (SHOWTIME)
EPISODE SUBMISSION: "WRECKAGE"
Who honestly knows what happened on House of Lies this year? I don't remember any kind of buzz around the latest season even when it was actually airing back in January. But Cheadle remains a movie star doing television. His recognizable name propels him into this race but I'm pretty sure it won't lead to a win.
