Emmys 2011 - The Comedy Nominations a.k.a The Ones Which Need Analysing

Hey guys,

Like many of you I woke up to the some good/some bad/some ridiculous Emmy Nominations this morning and so I thought I'd write a little post about some general thoughts on the comedy aspect...

Leading Comedy Actor a.k.a The One With The Pointless Nomination
This is by no means stating that there is anything wrong with Johnny Galecki's performance in 'The Big Bang Theory' and he is a terrific member of the ensemble, but when you put him next to Jim Parsons I would wager that 100 out of 100 people would say he was the lesser lead. That's not a negative, it's just that he isn't even the best leading character on his own show! So why when there are so many comedies out there that have no recognition would the Emmys waste one of their six leading comedy actors on a performance that isn't even the best in its own show. Based on what I've read through this morning and some of the shows I've watched it seems farcical to lose one of the potential 'Community' leads amongst other shows as Johnny Galecki will never win.
Some decent nominations in the category are of course Jim Parsons who is consistently funny, and I'm pleased that Steve Carell's final few episodes where he shone have made him worthy of a nomination. I also thought Matt LeBlance was very good in 'Episodes' which was very hit and miss... Alec Baldwin is the perfect example of 'sticking-him-in' because he's been in every year so far. Unadventurous is the word!

Supporting Comedy Actor a.k.a The One That's Messed Up
People should just look at that list and laugh to avoid weeping. It's the perfect example of farcical voting and just utterly plain pathetic. There's six nominations to cover the finest in comedy on television and they put in four(!) nominations from the same show, a supporting actor in a show that's long past its peak and isn't that great and the customary copy and paste from last year. Modern Family does not have four of the best comedy performances in a supporting role, and even it it does, much like Johnny Galecki's nomination it's wasted space. It lacks creativity and spectrum and it also alienates a lot of television fans in one quick go. Why hasn't 'The Office' or 'Community' or 'Parks & Recreation' or 'Bored To Death' or any other shows with equally strong supporting characters got any love? No reason. It's poor...

Supporting Comedy Actress a.k.a The One That's Offensive To Supporting Actresses
No offence but to nominate a sketch show actress for a comedy award associated with great performances, development and a recognisable character is offensively bad. Kristen Wiig is great, but if they want to nominate someone from a show that throughout the rest of the nominations is called 'Variety, Music Or Nonfiction Programming' then they need to create a new category. In fairness, I think recognising these type of performances would be a great new category, but I'm against adding them to the comedy categories...

Leading Comedy Actress a.k.a The One That's Just About Right
Sure it has some un-originality, but mixing 'Mike & Molly, 'Parks & Recreation' 'Raising Hope' & 'The Big C' shows some of the spark that the other categories lack, even if Tina Fey and Edie Falco make up some typical and predictable nominations...

Best Comedy a.k.a The One That Highlights The Problems
Evidence that even shows that maybe past their peak and should make way for the better, more original and fresh shows still get votes because that's just what happens at the Emmys; for examples see 'The Office' & '30 Rock'.
It's nice to see 'Parks & Rec' and 'The Big Bang Theory' getting some love but for 'TBBT' season four was its weakest by far and yet it gets its first nomination. This just shows that it takes too long for the Emmys to appreciate shows; they should have been giving 'TBBT' love the last two years rather than now, and shows like 'Community' should be getting their love now.
The other nominations for 'Glee' and 'Modern Family' are probably justified as they are quite fresh and popular but everyone knows that both series could have had a stinker of a season and they still would have been listed.

I'm sure some will agree, some will disagree with my thoughts, but I really think that the comedy nominations need some work and re-thinking as they just aren't working at the current time.

There are some problems in the drama categories as well, but I hope that someday I'll be pleasantly surprised with the comedy nominations, rather than predictably disappointed...

Adam