In the writing and directing categories, things are a bit different. Shows submit however many episodes they wish in these races. Some shows submit only one episode per season, others submit several. Voters rely on their knowledge of television to identify episodes that really standout, and these categories often take some pre-nomination viewing to decide which episodes to nominate. Thus, in these categories, the episodes of each show is pre-determined, and it explains how some shows get multiple nominations in one category. Once the nominations are selected, voters watch all five episodes and vote on the best.
Today, we're starting with a writing category, Best Writing for a Comedy Series. This is always a fun category and this year, it is filled with sentimental nominations. As a refresher, the nominees for Best Writing for a Comedy Series are...
Hogcock! for 30 Rock (written by Jack Burditt and Robert Carlock)
Last Lunch for 30 Rock (written by Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield)
Episode 209 for Episodes (written by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik)
Daddy's Girlfriend (Part 1) for Louie (written by Louis CK and Pamela Adlon)
Finale for The Office (written by Greg Daniels)
Three of these nominees are series finales of past Emmy favorites (Hogcock! and Last Lunch are technically a two-part series finale), and if the Emmys choose to get nostalgic and reward one of these shows one last time, this is a good place to do it. Hogcock! is the first half of the 30 Rock series finale and, in my opinion, the funnier half. This is the 30 Rock people have come to love over the past seven years. The jokes are fast and furious, and the pace is just crazy enough to distract from the fact that this is a monumental episode in the show's history. The second half of the finale, Last Lunch, is definitely more sentimental. Everything is coming to a head, and we're saying goodbye to important characters and a show that certainly changed the landscape of television. Burditt and Carlock, the writers of Hogcock!, have a combined three nominations in this category (Carlock with 2). Fey has three nominations herself, while Wigfield has none. While some voters may go for the funnier episode (Hogcock!), I'd say the episode with the better chance is Last Lunch. It is the true series finale of 30 Rock, it was co-written by an Emmy darling and the fearless leader of the series, and it seems poetic for this episode to win the Emmy. But there is competition lurking elsewhere.
Of all the submissions I watched, I was least fond of the Episodes tape. I've never watched this show before, nor have I heard much about it, aside from star Matt LeBlanc. It was a little hard playing catch-up at first, but once I got a handle on things, I started following along and was able to focus on the episode. To be honest, I found a few things funny and I chuckled a little bit, but I didn't think it was a great episode worthy of an Emmy nomination. I would've loved to have seen a nomination here for an episode of Girls, New Girl, or Parks and Recreation, but I guess Emmy voters must have a soft spot for Episodes (it stars LeBlanc and is written/produced by his former Friends boss David Crane).
Louie, or rather Louis CK, is an Emmy favorite. This is evident by the fact that he has broken the record two years in a row for most nominations in a single year for a person. This year, he carries eight (I think my math is correct) nominations for Louie, his stand-up special Oh My God, and a stint as host of the week on Saturday Night Live. After winning this category last year, it's no surprise to see him back again, with what I think is a funnier episode than the one that clinched him the win last year. In this episode, Louie finds out his ex-wife has a new boyfriend, and his young daughters pressure him to start dating. It's an awkward, funny, but endearing episode that sees CK waddle back into the world of flirting, and (spoiler alert for the oblivious) by the time he finally gets the girl at the end, you'll be pumping your first just like him. It's a great episode, and certainly a worthy winner.
The final nomination is another series finale, this time for The Office. While 30 Rock has held onto Emmy love throughout its entire run, The Office fell off the Emmy wagon toward the middle of it's run. Last season, the first without leading man Steve Carell, the show garnered no nominations. It made a resurgence this year including a welcome back to the category it won in 2007. As someone who, like many others, stopped watching the show when Carell left, I was eager to watch the series finale, and I did really enjoy the episode. With a lot of loose ends to tie, it did a great job of satisfying every character's story while still bringing laughs. This one is definitely more sentimental than 30 Rock, but a great conclusion to a landmark series. The problem with the episode is that I think it'll face comparisons to the 30 Rock finale, and I think this one will get the short end of the stick.
That said, here are my predictions:
1. Last Lunch for 30 Rock
2. Daddy's Girlfriend (Part 1) for Louie
3. Hogcock! for 30 Rock
4. Finale for The Office
5. Episode 209 for Episodes
Unless the support for Episodes is a lot stronger than I'm predicting, this one is the nominee with a very narrow chance of winning. I can see any of the remaining four winning. While Daddy's Girlfriend and Hogcock! are the funniest episodes in the category, I think sentimentality and humor will prevail in a win for Last Lunch. It would be sweet to see The Office get a final win, especially since this is it's only major shot unlike 30 Rock which has nominations throughout the field, but 30 Rock has long been hailed as one of the best-written comedy series in recent memory, so a win here would only make sense. The spoiler is Daddy's Girlfriend, a great episode that also balances humor and sweetness with ease. For now, I'm predicting a 30 Rock victory.
Evan
No comments:
Post a Comment