Emmy Preview Picks, Part 1

The Emmys are on Sunday night, and in preparation I'm looking at the nominees and making some picks over the next two days. First, I'll look at comedies.

The Comedy format has shifted a lot over the past few years. They're all half hour slots, but many have more depth and range of emotions than a lot of dramas. And that makes the competition somewhat difficult. These half hours that really play out more like dramas are now competing against traditional sitcoms, which leaves the titles skewed. Some have argued the Emmys should really be broken down into half hour shows versus hour long shows, and that makes some sense, but it will never happen.

The other curveball for the Emmys is the typical season for nominees. Those receiving awards on September 17, 2017, aired between June 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017. That means there are many shows whose seasons aired almost a year ago or more than a year ago. That's rough to think about for a viewer or audience.

Then there's the idea that I'm not totally in tune with Emmy comedy picks. Some of the shows nominated are fine. But not my favorites. My favorite network sitcom last year continues to be "Life in Pieces," which I find brilliant. I also really loved comedies like "The Santa Clarita Diet" on Netflix and "You're The Worst" on FXX, both of which did something interesting in the genre, and neither qualified for the Emmys.

But enough about wistful thinking, here's a look at what's nominated and my bold predictions.

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

And the Winner Is: I think "Atlanta" will take home the trophy. It was a hot new show for critics last fall. I saw the first two and it wasn't for me, but I think it feels like a winner. Based on the currently eligible season, I think of this group I'd probably lean toward "VEEP," which is always of consistent quality. I love "Kimmy Schmidt" and "Silicon Valley," but their most recent seasons weren't their best.

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

And the Winner Is: Jeffrey Tambor will likely win here, as he has in year's past. His show, "Transparent," is one of those that creates a serious challenge to the notion of Comedy and Drama as straight up categories. There are a few worthy nominees here, but I think Tambor takes it. The dark horse here, to me, is Donald Glover possibly riding the wave with Atlanta.

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”)

And the Winner Is: I think Julia Louis-Dreyfus wins here, as this feels like a place where the Emmys will possibly go with the familiar. And she's plenty deserving. And outside show belongs to Pamela Adlon, who did fantastic things in another show I didn't care for, "Better Things." I love Allison Janney on "Mom," but that is really more of a supporting part to me.

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”)

And the Winner Is: This is a tough category for me to call. I like both actors from "VEEP," and would lean toward Tony Hale. But I worry they will cancel each other out. This could be a surprise category, and if so I'd lean Titus Burgess.

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”)

And the Winner Is: Another tough one. Personally, I would just give Kate McKinnon an award for entertaining me every year. But I'm going somewhere else here. I think Judith Light is a decent candidate, but I'm leaning toward Anna Chlumsky, who had a fantastic season on "VEEP."

Variety Talk Series
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” (TBS)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)
“The Late Late Show With James Corden” (CBS)
“Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO)
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)

And the Winner Is: There is only one who deserves to win here, and it's "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver." It needs to win and deserves to win and I can't entertain any other ideas.

Variety Sketch Series
“Billy On The Street” (truTV)
“Documentary Now!” (IFC)
“Drunk History” (Comedy Central)
“Portlandia” (IFC)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“Tracey Ullman’s Show” (HBO)

And the Winner Is: I think "Saturday Night Live" gets the nod here, but if you're looking for a dark horse, I'd go with the absurdist "Documentary Now!"