Emmy Wishlists: Comedy Categories

The Emmy nominations are tomorrow! My how the time flies! I had wanted to do a more extensive write-up on the shows and performances that I wish the TV Academy would honor with a nomination tomorrow. Instead just a whole bunch of lists starting with Comedy!

Comedies don't get their fair shake especially during this Peak TV era and yet I would probably say comedies are where the real quality stuff is happening at the moment. There's just so much out there, in so many networks, highlighting so many great performances. Here are my comedy picks (10 per category because why not?), in alphabetical order:

BEST COMEDY
Black-ish
Broad City
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Fresh Off the Boat
Jane the Virgin
Master of None
Shameless
Veep
You're the Worst

If you're not watching any of these shows, you're definitely missing out. I especially recommend the ABC family comedies and the CW offerings. There were more I could've included like a revived Girls, the joyful Galavant, the biting Silicon Valley, the crazy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the solid freshmen series Superstore and The Real O'Neals, and so much more, etc.

BEST LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Jay R. Ferguson, The Real O'Neals
Chris Geere, You're the Worst
Derek Jacobi, Vicious
Jake Johnson, New Girl
Ian McKellen, Vicious
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
Timothy Omundson, Galavant
Randall Park, Fresh Off the Boat
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

BEST LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Aya Cash, You're the Worst
Ilana Glazer, Broad City
Abbi Jacobson, Broad City
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Gina Rogriguez, Jane the Virgin
Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish
Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat

Even with 20 names, I'm already sad that perhaps other than perennial favorite JLD, none of these names are super likely to make the shortlist. But I do have hopes for Ansari and Bloom in buzzy freshmen series. If I had to pick just one for a guaranteed nomination, I would give it to Aya Cash who was next level great this past season.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Jaime Camil, Jane the Virgin
Brett Dier, Jane the Virgin
Paul W. Downs, Broad City
Noah Galvin, The Real O'Neals
Pete Gardner, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Tony Hale, Veep
Mark McKinney, Superstore
Cameron Monaghan, Shameless
Andrew Rannells, Girls

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY
Donna Lynne Champlin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Kether Donohue, You're the Worst
Yael Groblas, Jane the Virgin
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Zosia Mamet, Girls
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Chelsea Peretti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Amy Poehler, WHAS: First Day of Camp
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live

If you ask me to give you 10-20 more names for both of these categories, it would be so damn easy. There's just so many great actors and performances. I do think a few of these have a good chance based on history (Braugher, Hale, Chlumsky, Krakowski, Poehler). But I'm rooting HARD for a few people like Camil, Champlin, and Groblas... all no-brainers if voters actually watched TV.

BEST GUEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Christopher Abbot, Girls
Shoukath Ansari, Master of None
Noel Fisher, Shameless
Ryan Gosling, Saturday Night Live
Dennis Haysbert, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Justin Kirk, You're the Worst
Jason Mantzoukas, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Martin Mull, Veep
Peter Scolari, Girls
Corey Stoll, Girls

BEST GUEST ACTRESS, COMEDY
Sasha Alexander, Shameless
Anna Camp, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Claire Danes, Master of None
Tovah Feldshuh, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Tina Fey/Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Megan Fox, New Girl
Kathryn Hahn, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Lisa Kudrow, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live
Octavia Spencer, Drunk History

Guest categories are great since they're SUCH a hodgepodge of random actors and performances. And like where else could a first-time actor like Shoukath Ansari be placed next to someone like Gosling? Or how about Megan Fox (she was good!) next to Spencer (who played Harriet Tubman in a show with drunk people). Of course this is assuming/wishing the TV Academy actually think outside the box, which they so rarely do.

Coming up! Drama categories!