The Nominees:
- FX's Atlanta
- ABC's Black-ish
- Netflix's Master of None
- ABC's Modern Family
- HBO's Silicon Valley
- Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- HBO's Veep
Comedy has been one of the best genres to watch over the past few years. It's been home to so many different and bold experiments. There is so much greatness happening here. And yet, it's not as exciting as the race for Limited Series or Drama Series. This category ultimately feels more familiar. That's not inherently bad. It's just a little more lackluster to talk about because it already seems inevitable that Veep is going to win again. It is the two-time reigning champion in this category. It picked up 3 awards at the Creative Arts Emmys over the weekend - with Master of None being the only other nominee here to even win one. The voters still clearly love the show because it was one of the most nominated comedies for this year's ceremony. It deserves to win as well. Season 6 may not have been as strong as the previous seasons of the show. And yet, it's still incredibly inventive and hilarious. It hasn't gotten into Modern Family territory where we're sick and tired of it winning over and over again. It would be right if it won in comedy series and Julia Louis-Dreyfus prevailed in Lead Actress. There's is just little more to actually say about it which isn't that exciting.
The only real competitor that could possibly take down Veep is FX's Atlanta. That show had a strong first season and was one of my favorite comedies of last year. It would be the show I would vote for. But I'm not a voter at the Emmys. It didn't win anything at the Creative Arts Emmys. But then again, it was only up for one award though. Most of its nominations come from the awards being rewarded during the primetime ceremony. I still feel confident that it's going to win something somewhere. I'm probably more confident in its odds for writing or directing. Donald Glover could surprise in Lead Actor. But a win in this category would be a true upset. It would be completely deserving. That first season knew exactly what it wanted to be and it was so remarkably different than anything else on television. It just seems less likely given the overall support for Veep.
Beyond that, it doesn't seem like any other show has the potential to prevail this year. Modern Family is still getting nominated. It did win five years in a row. But the ship has largely sailed on that show. It may only win again when it airs its final season. Even then, it would need a creative resurgence for it to be justified. Meanwhile, Black-ish and Master of None had strong overall seasons. They would be worthy winners. They should probably win sometime. But the support just doesn't seem to be there. They'll have to settle for wins elsewhere or none at all. And finally, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Silicon Valley are considerable long shots. A streaming comedy has yet to win here while the HBO voting block clearly favors Veep. Both are respectable shows still doing strong work. But most fans would probably say their recent seasons were a bit problematic as well. So again, this category belongs to Veep with only Atlanta as a true dark horse contender.
Should Win: Atlanta
Will Win: Veep
Dark Horse: Atlanta
The only real competitor that could possibly take down Veep is FX's Atlanta. That show had a strong first season and was one of my favorite comedies of last year. It would be the show I would vote for. But I'm not a voter at the Emmys. It didn't win anything at the Creative Arts Emmys. But then again, it was only up for one award though. Most of its nominations come from the awards being rewarded during the primetime ceremony. I still feel confident that it's going to win something somewhere. I'm probably more confident in its odds for writing or directing. Donald Glover could surprise in Lead Actor. But a win in this category would be a true upset. It would be completely deserving. That first season knew exactly what it wanted to be and it was so remarkably different than anything else on television. It just seems less likely given the overall support for Veep.
Beyond that, it doesn't seem like any other show has the potential to prevail this year. Modern Family is still getting nominated. It did win five years in a row. But the ship has largely sailed on that show. It may only win again when it airs its final season. Even then, it would need a creative resurgence for it to be justified. Meanwhile, Black-ish and Master of None had strong overall seasons. They would be worthy winners. They should probably win sometime. But the support just doesn't seem to be there. They'll have to settle for wins elsewhere or none at all. And finally, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Silicon Valley are considerable long shots. A streaming comedy has yet to win here while the HBO voting block clearly favors Veep. Both are respectable shows still doing strong work. But most fans would probably say their recent seasons were a bit problematic as well. So again, this category belongs to Veep with only Atlanta as a true dark horse contender.
Should Win: Atlanta
Will Win: Veep
Dark Horse: Atlanta
