If you had watched last year's Emmys (which, thanks to the strikes, were held in January this year), you would have been able to catch them just fine if you had just watched three shows: “Succession,” “The Bear” and “Beef.”
Okay, you would have felt really informed if you had a penchant for serial killer miniseries (Paul Walter Hauser won for “Black Bird” and Niecy Nash-Betts for “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) and had kept up with Jennifer Coolidge’s wacky exploits in “The White Lotus.” John Oliver also won a pair of Emmys, as is often the case, and Quinta Brunson took home best comedy actress for “Abbott Elementary.”
But above all, it was “Succession,” “The Bear” and “Beef.” Repeat and repeat. The September ceremony could use a little more variety. You might have to watch, oh, five seasons to feel up to speed. Two of them are comedies. (Well, at least they compete in the comedy categories.) Read on to find out which ones they are.
COMEDY SERIES
“Abbott Elementary School”
“Bear”
“Control your enthusiasm”
“Tricks”
“Only murders in the building”
“Palm Royale”
“Reservoir dogs”
“What we do in the shadows”
Winner: “Bear”
“The Bear” won 10 Emmys for its first season, including awards for best comedy series, writing, directing and for actors Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Its second season, which premiered in June 2023, was even better, including two of the best episodes of television this decade: “Fishes” and “Forks.” Its third season premiered shortly after Emmy nomination voting ended this year, and as the first half of a two-part story (seasons three and forthcoming fourth were filmed back-to-back), it sometimes felt like the show was going in circles. That led to an inevitable “‘The Bear’ isn’t that big of a deal” backlash, which won’t hurt the show’s prospects this year one bit. It’s going to win just about everything.
COMEDY ACTRESS
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary School”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
Maya Rudolph, “Loot”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Kristen Wiig, “Palm Royale”
Winner: Elegant
Smart won this Emmy for the first two seasons of “Hacks.” Strikes by actors and writers, as well as a heart operation Smart underwent, delayed the show’s third season. But it came back strong with its best run yet, delving into the ever-evolving and complicated relationship between Smart’s showbiz legend and Hannah Einbinder’s young, progressive writing partner. This is the hardest comedy category to predict, as the award could easily go to the deserving Edebiri in a big bear hug on Emmy night. I’m not ready to say yet (check back in September), but I suspect Smart will win again. She brought new depths of vulnerability to Deborah Vance and has become as much of an icon as her character.
COMEDY ACTOR
Matt Berry, “What We Do in the Shadows”
Larry David, “Control Your Enthusiasm”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, “Dogs of the Reservation”
Winner: White
This category features three comedy legends (Short, Martin and David), two first-time nominees (Berry for the fifth season of “What We Do in the Shadows” and Woon-A-Tai for the third and final year of “Reservation Dogs”) and White, who won last year and will win again for the season that ended with Carmy falling apart while locked in the restaurant’s walk-in freezer. “No amount of good is worth how terrible it feels,” he says, a sentiment that will never be used as evidence that “The Bear” belongs in the comedy categories.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN COMEDY
Carol Burnett, “Palm Royale”
Liza Colon-Zayas, “The Bear”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary School”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary School”
Meryl Streep, “Only Murders in the Building”
Winner: Individual Binder
With the third season’s focus on the shifting power dynamics in the relationship between Ava and Deborah, “Hacks” gave Einbinder room to play a character who’s becoming just as confident and ambitious as her mentor. You’d hardly recognize Ava if you rewatched the first episode. Einbinder is really the series’ co-star, particularly this year when the show eliminated screen time for most of the supporting characters. But it’s also okay to see Einbinder in this category because “Hacks” is all about Deborah Vance. Don’t you dare try to steal her spotlight.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN COMEDY
Lionel Boyce, “The Bear”
Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”
Ebony Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Paul Rudd, “Only Murders in the Building”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary School”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”
Winner: Bachrach moss
“I wear a suit now.” How did this happen? How did Moss-Bachrach’s Richie go from being “always and forever the worst of the lot,” as he was described in the series opener, to a guy who let go of his anger (except toward Carmy) and aimlessness and embraced purpose and confidence? This transformation happened in the episode “Forks,” but Moss-Bachrach had been showing us Richie’s cuteness all along, so when everything clicks at Chef Terry’s restaurant, it had us crying tears of joy. Have you ever been so invested in a TV character’s success? Go Richie!
COMEDY GUEST ACTRESS
Olivia Colman, “The Bear”
Jamie Lee Curtis, “The Bear”
Kaitlin Olson, “Hacks”
Maya Rodolfo, “Saturday Night Live”
Da'Vine Joy Randolph, “Only Murders in the Building”
Kristen Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”
Winner: Curtis
Lead actress nominees Wiig and Rudolph reunite for their terrific work at their alma mater. It’s Rudolph’s 16th nomination and her fourth for headlining “SNL.” Then there are the two Oscar winners, Colman and Curtis, nominated for “The Bear.” Colman was sublime as the comforting chef who advises Richie in “Forks,” while Curtis stormed in like a hurricane in the legendary Christmas Eve dinner episode “Fishes.” Curtis’ portrayal of the trauma-inflicting (and embroiled in) alcoholic mother wins.
COMEDY GUEST ACTOR
Jon Bernthal, “The Bear”
Matthew Broderick, “Only Murders in the Building”
Ryan Gosling, “Saturday Night Live”
Christopher Lloyd, “Hacks”
Bob Odenkirk, “The Bear”
Will Poulter, “The Bear”
Winner: Bernthal
Bernthal and Odenkirk, adversaries in “Fish,” face off again. (Will they be carrying forks in their tuxedo pockets?) Odenkirk was one of several perfectly cast actors for the episode, a force to match Bernthal’s intensity and doggedness. nothing“Oh my God!” his Uncle Lee shouts at Bernthal’s Mikey. Bernthal wins for the anguished close-up response to that taunt, as well as the scene between the brothers. (Side note: No disrespect to Poulter, who made me want to drop everything, travel to Copenhagen, and train to be a pastry chef. In fact, I still might.)
