This award will be announced at the Creative Arts Emmys Ceremony on September 15th.
CATEGORY: Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
NOMINEES: Will Arnett for 30 Rock, Bobby Cannavale for Nurse Jackie, Jimmy Fallon for Saturday Night Live, Michael J. Fox for Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jon Hamm for 30 Rock, Greg Kinnear for Modern Family
ANALYSIS: Before watching the tapes, I had seen four of these six nominees: Arnett, Fallon, Hamm, and Kinnear. First, I rewatched Fallon's episode which was one of my favorite of the past season. As was the case with Maya Rudolph, Fallon, a previous SNL cast member, fell right back into place on the show and the transition was flawless. Even in big ensemble pieces like Michael Buble's Christmas Duets album, Fallon stuck out with his many celebrity impressions, most pretty spot-on. Even weirder skits like Mirror Jimmy and Beethoven worked mainly because of Fallon's committal to the writing. The highlight of the episode, the Weekend Update Joke-Off which reunited Fallon with his WU co-host Tina Fey and current WU anchor Seth Meyers with his counterpart Amy Poehler, really stood out this season, no doubt due to Fallon's involvement. Fallon is also nominated in the competitive category of Best Variety Series, and as he is not a favorite to win there, Emmy voters may choose to recognize his work on his old TV show as a reward. Next, I found Hamm's guest-star spots on both the East and West Coast versions of the 30 Rock live episode. While funny, his part was so brief and only allowed for a limited amount of laughs. In guest categories, it is so important to make such a big impact in one episode, and where some guest stars have whole episodes centered around their character, Hamm made two small appearances in an episode packed with the entire 30 Rock ensemble and other big-name guest stars. While Hamm is a big name actor, it may not be enough to garner him a win here, but don't worry; he's got a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series where he could be very competitive. Keeping with 30 Rock, I next rewatched Arnett's episode. I have always really liked Devon Banks, Arnett's character, but I have felt he has been stronger in season's past, yet Arnett has never won this award. Having worked with the cast many times in the past, Arnett seamlessly fit in and his snark fit in line with the episode. However, at times, Arnett's character seemed forgotten, especially with his counterpart, Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy, playing a big role in another storyline in the episode. His screen time is much better than Hamm's, and his material is perfect for Arnett, well known for playing mischievous characters. He could be considered a dark horse here. Finally, I rewatched Kinear's episode of Modern Family. I remembered the storyline fairly well, a grown man who kisses family and friends on the lips. It was funny the first time I watched it, but watching it the second time around, knowing what was coming, I chuckled. There really wasn't much else to the part, although whether that's the writer's fault or Kinnear's is pure conjecture. His character has a funny quirk, but isn't exactly "funny." Therefore, I do not consider him a real contender for the prize. Next, I watched the two episodes I hadn't seen before. I started by watching Fox on Curb Your Enthusiasm. I should preface this by saying that the storyline was pretty offensive and sometimes the jokes came off very wrong. That doesn't really have anything to do with Fox's performance, which was very funny. He was very good at playing the line between right and wrong, and there were even times I wasn't sure what his intentions were. The overall worship of Fox in this episode was also very funny, and the way he soaked it up was very cynical but made for a good laugh. As evidenced in this episode, everyone loves Fox and it's no surprise he racked up two nominations for his guest starring roles this year (he is also nominated for his role on The Good Wife). He certainly has potential to win here, especially if the Academy wants to reward Curb Your Enthusiasm for having a good season, but not giving it the Comedy Series or Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series awards. Finally, I watched Bobby Cannavale's episode of Nurse Jackie and, quite frankly, I was underwhelmed...a lot. He had maybe three scenes in the whole episode and his character was just kind of...there. His character didn't have a storyline, and he was kind of funny when he was on screen. Apparently, his work on Nurse Jackie actually was very good this season, but this episode did not showcase that. While it can be unconventional, actors can change their episode submissions if they decide they have better episodes to showcase. Perhaps Cannavale will do this, but for now, he is not a threat for the award if he stays with this episode.
WHO SHOULD WIN: This category is not nearly as competitive as Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series with really two clear frontrunners for the award. Personally, I would give this award to Fallon, one of my favorite SNL hosts this season. He is the only actor in this category who really owned his episode (that includes Fox).
WHO WILL WIN: This is a tough one to call. I really think it could go to Fox or Fallon, but the only thing holding me back from giving it to Academy favorite Fox is his frontrunner status for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his work on The Good Wife. Could the Academy give him both awards? It's quite possible. Do I think it will happen? Something tells me no. Maybe it's my inner optimistic, but I think Fallon will join McCarthy and SNL will win both guest acting categories, a pretty big feat.
RANKINGS:
1. Jimmy Fallon - Saturday Night Live
2. Michael J. Fox - Curb Your Enthusiasm
3. Will Arnett - 30 Rock
4. Bobby Cannavale - Nurse Jackie
5. Jon Hamm - 30 Rock
6. Greg Kinnear - Modern Family
Disagree? Wanna voice your opinion? Lemme know in the comments section!
Evan
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