Gold Derby: The comedy races
GOLD DERBY / Tom O’Neil
Tel. (646) 408-3744
Last year the Emmys looked like a TV rerun with so many returning winners, including best comedy series “30 Rock,” best drama series “Mad Men,” plus acting champs Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”), Glenn Close (“Damages”), Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) and others. Now lots of feisty newcomers, like “Modern Family” and “Glee,” threaten to topple their reign.
COMEDY SERIES
Front-runners
“The Big Bang Theory,” CBS
“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” HBO
“Entourage,” HBO
“Family Guy,” Fox
“Glee,” Fox
“How I Met Your Mother,” CBS
“Modern Family,” ABC
“The Office,” NBC
“30 Rock,” NBC
“Two and a Half Men,” CBS
“Weeds,” Showtime
Spotlight: Is “30 Rock” a rolling stone that can’t be stopped? The savage satire of the TV biz has triumphed three times in a row and may be irresistible to Emmy voters, who work in the industry. Voters love to embrace familiar favorites. Remember, “Frasier” swept this category five years in a row beginning in 1994.
Possible
“Bored to Death,” HBO
“Californication,” Showtime
“Community,” NBC
“Cougar Town,” ABC
“How to Make It in America,” HBO
“Hung,” HBO
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” FX
“The League,” FX
“Nurse Jackie,” HBO
“Parks and Recreation,” NBC
“Party Down,” Starz
“The Sarah Silverman Program,” Comedy Central
“United States of Tara,” Showtime
COMEDY ACTOR
Front-runners
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Matthew Morrison, “Glee”
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”
Charlie Sheen, “Two and a Half Men”
Spotlight: Lots of overdue veterans (Carell, David, Sheen) must not only take on formidable foes who usually dominate this category (Baldwin, Shalhoub), but they must also fend off popular upstarts (Parsons, Morrison).
Possible
Kevin Connelly, “Entourage”
David Duchovny, “Californication”
Thomas Jane, “Hung”
Johnny Galecki, “Big Bang Theory”
Jay Harrington, “Better Off Ted”
Zachary Levi, “Chuck”
Joel McHale, “Community”
Josh Radnor, “How I Met Your Mother”
Jason Schwartzman, “Bored to Death”
Adam Scott, “Party Down”
COMEDY ACTRESS
Front-runners
Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”
Courteney Cox, “Cougar Town”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine”
Lea Michele, “Glee”
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”
Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation”
Sarah Silverman, “The Sarah Silverman Program”
Tracey Ullman, “State of the Union”
Spotlight: Lea Michele gives a full-throttle performance that showcases her multi-octave voice, but voters usually focus on acting range. Examples: the multiple personalities portrayed by Toni Collette (last year’s champ) or Tracey Ullman (frequent past winner in the variety categories now, strangely, placed in comedy by Emmy chiefs).
Possible
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?”
Katey Cuoco, “The Big Bang Theory”
Portia de Rossi, “Better Off Ted”
Brooke Elliott,, “Drop Dead Diva”
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”
Patricia Heaton, “The Middle”
Felicity Huffman, “Desperate Housewives”
Billie Piper, “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”
SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Front-runners
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men”
Kevin Dillon, “Entourage”
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
John Krasinski, “The Office”
Jack McBrayer, “30 Rock”
Tracy Morgan, “30 Rock”
Ed O’Neill, “Modern Family”
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”
Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family”
Rainn Wilson, “The Office”
Spotlight: Neil Patrick Harris has had such a notable starring role at award shows lately (hosting the Emmys, Tonys and TV Land Awards plus performing at the Oscars) that it’s shocking to think he still hasn’t won a top Hollywood award. He’s lost three Emmy races, but his show may be gaining momentum. “How I Met Your Mother” scored its first nomination for comedy series last year.
Possible
Fred Armisen, “Saturday Night Live”
Aziz Ansari, “Parks and Recreation”
Chevy Chase, “Community”
Chris Colfer, “Glee”
John Corbett, “United States of Tara”
Ted Danson, “Bored to Death”
Danny DeVito, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
Ed Helms, “The Office”
Nick Offerman, “Parks and Recreation”
Danny Pudi, “Community”
Andy Samberg, “Saturday Night Live”
Michael Urie, “Ugly Betty”
SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Front-runners
Jane Adams, “Hung”
Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”
Jenna Fischer, “The Office”
Cheryl Hines, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”
Jane Lynch, “Glee”
Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds”
Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family”
Kristen Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”
Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty”
Spotlight:
The best thing about wonderful “Ugly Betty” was watching Vanessa Williams claw her way up the masthead of a catty fashion magazine. In the series finale, when she finally reigned supreme, the devilish diva revealed her most shocking secret: a heart. Time to crown her with an Emmy tiara, please.
Possible
Alison Brie, “Community”
Anne Heche, “Hung”
Busy Philipps, “Cougar Town”
Anna Deavere Smith, “Nurse Jackie”
Holland Taylor, “Two and a Half Men”
Merritt Wever, “Nurse Jackie”
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