Saturday, May 3, 2014

2014 Emmy Nominations: Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

2014 Contenders
Ty Burrell "Modern Family"
Ed O'Neill "Modern Family"
Eric Stonestreet "Modern Family"
Jesse Tyler Ferguson "Modern Family"
Tony Hale "Veep"
Adam Driver "Girls"
Andre Braugher "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
James Wolk "The Crazy Ones"
Hamish Linklater "The Crazy Ones"
Taran Killam "SNL"
Bobby Moynihan "SNL"
Jay Pharoah "SNL"
Bradley Whitford "Trophy Wife"
Neil Patrick Harris "How I Met Your Mother"
Fred Willard "Family Tree"
Christopher Guest "Family Tree"
Ed Begley Jr. "Family Tree"
Timothy Simons "Veep"
Matt Walsh "Veep"
Reid Scott "Veep"
Kevin Dunn "Veep"
Simon Helberg "The Big Bang Theory"
Kunal Nayyar "The Big Bang Theory"
Max Greenfield "New Girl"
Lamorne Morris "New Girl"
Damon Wayans Jr. "New Girl"
Chris Colfer "Glee"
Darren Criss "Glee"
Chord Overstreet "Glee"
Aziz Ansari "Parks & Recreation"
Nick Offerman "Parks & Recreation"
Chris Pratt "Parks & Recreation"
Jon Daly "Betas"
Karan Soni "Betas"
Beau Bridges "The Millers"
Terry Crews "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
Joe Lo Truglio "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
Pablo Schreiber "Orange is the New Black"
Keegan Michael Key "Key and Peele"
Christopher Michael Welch "Silicon Valley"
Zach Woods "Silicon Valley"
T.J. Miller "Silicon Valley"
Michael Richards "Kirstie"

Commentary - Last year, it wasn't a surprise that only three of the Modern Family quartet made the cut, as the competition got stiff, and the show showed its age, it seemed inevitable. But I don't think anybody thought it would be Eric Stonestreet, and honestly, it makes this year even more difficult to predict. Which of the four make it in? Do all of them come back in full force? Is Stonestreet cut this year, or is it one of his co-stars? I'll be honest, with a few exceptions, there are not a lot of newer contenders vying for these six slots, so a lot of it will come down to which of the old favorites gets into the mix. The one new contender to the race that you should be very worried about (if you were one of the guys on this list) is Andre Braugher. I actually think that Terry Crews and Jo Lo Truglio have more range in the show, but no one can deny that Braugher's deadpan serves as a perfect foil for Samberg's ridiculousness, and let's not forget this is Andre Braugher we are talking about. He pulled off several miracles with his nods for Men of a Certain Age, and is clearly beloved by the Television Academy, and he is a serious threat here. But besides him most of the major players here are previous contenders. Tony Hale pulled off a feat last year when he won this award, and if Season 3 is indication, the writers of Veep have realized how important their supporting cast is, as most of them are getting some great screen time this year. As Veep rises, Hale remains a top threat for the prize. Adam Driver got in last year for Girls, even though it went through a bit of a sophomore slump. Reviews for Season 3 seemed much stronger, and he has a high-profile role coming up in the new Star Wars film, so he will definitely be on voters' radars. From this point, it starts to be less individualized and more of a grouping. There are some great supporting casts from shows like Veep (besides Hale), Glee, New Girl, Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (besides Braugher), Silicon Valley, The Big Bang Theory, Family Tree, Betas, and Saturday Night Live. The question is, among these sets of contenders, will any of them emerge? Will Nick Offerman or Simon Helberg, both previous contenders who failed to make the cut, do so this time around? Will previous nominees like Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Colfer, or Max Greenfield launch a comeback? Right now there are so many questions, and a lot depends on how the season finales shake down. But I will say this, the exclusion last year of two-time winner Stonestreet is proof that this can be a fluid category, and that you should always keep your eyes opened for a spoiler.

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