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| Comedy Announcements! |
The second announcements will be for the COMEDY categories. Presenting the awards will be none other than the Sultan himself, MAX BENOWITZ! *Que the Cheers*
Best Comedy TV Show
Archer
Veep
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Wilfred
Rick and Morty
For the best comedy show category, my first elimination was probably Rick and Morty. Funny as it was, the inagural season of the show was not quite good enough to warrant best comedy. The next cross-off had to be Wilfred. Though brilliant, we are judging here on a basis of comedy. Wilfred is more of a dramedy. With just three left, I had to judge each season individually. While Always Sunny delivered in comedy compared to previous years, the overall quality didn't quite match up with Veep or Archer. In the end, Veep barely edged out it's FX competition. The third season of the political satire may well have been its very best and Archer: Vice may have been the weakest season to date. Thus, HBO steals another category.
Best Lead Male Actor (Comedy TV Show)
H. Jon Benjamin - "Sterling Archer" - Archer
Nick Kroll - "Rodney Ruxin" - The League
Charlie Day - "Charlie Kelly" - It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Elijah Wood - "Ryan Newman" - Wilfred
John Oliver - "Himself" - Last Week Tonight
Do we go subtlety over ridiculousness here? That's the question I had to ask myself. While Elijah Wood and John Oliver are both hysterical in an understated way, Nick Kroll, Charlie Day, and Jon Benjamin are all so over-the-top that one can't help but laugh. Kroll and Oliver were first crossed off in my book. Kroll wasn't on The League quite enough to warrant the award. Oliver is still developing his persona. This left us with the man behind Sterling Archer, the ever hilarious actor/writer Charlie Day/Kelly, and the semi-dramatic Elijah Wood. I have to give it to Day. His character continues to be hilarious even on a ninth season, and he consistently puts forth a ridiculous yet clever acting job to keep the laughs flowing.
Best Lead Female Actor (Comedy TV Show)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Selina Meyer" - Veep
Jessica Walter - "Mallory Archer" - Archer
Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope" - Parks and Recreation
Mindy Kaling - "Mindy Lahiri" - Mindy Project
I enjoy Jessica Walter. I enjoy Amy Poehler. I enjoy Mindy Kaling. But honestly, this was a no-contest. Julia Louis-Dreyfus proves herself year after year to be the if not the funniest, among the most funny women in comedy. Thus, she takes this category with ease.
Best Supporting Male Actor (Comedy TV Show)
Chris Parnell - "Cyril Figgus" - Archer
Ike Barinholtz - "Morgan Tookers" - Mindy Project
Tony Hale - "Gary Walsh" - Veep
Zach Woods - "Donald 'Jared' Dunn" - Silicon Valley
Timothy Simons - "Jonah Ryan" - Veep
Best supporting male and female may have been the two most difficult categories to pick. All five of these men truly do deserve a Benny, but since that's impossible, I had to start eliminations. Ike Barinholtz and Zach Woods were booted first. Barinholtz because as good as Mindy Project can be at its high points, the low points are quite bleak. Barinholtz is usually hilarious, but overall doesn't match up. Woods was funny, but really didn't get to be in the first season of Silicon Valley enough to be in the final running. Once again, it came down to Veep vs Archer. Unlike previous categories, Archer takes this one. Chris Parnell is always hysterical whether he's being an understated low-self-esteemed accountant or being forced into the field with his coworkers. Much as I love Simons and Hale, Parnell outclasses here.
Best Supporting Female Actor (Comedy TV Show)
Anna Chlumsky - "Amy Brookheimer" - Veep
Aisha Tyler - "Lana Kane" - Archer
Kaitlin Olson - "Dee Reynolds" - It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Amy Sedaris - "Princess Carolyn" - BoJack Horseman
- Pamela Adlon - "Pamela" - Louie
Ah, the other impossible category! All five of the stiff competitors are fantastic here. Sedaris is the newest addition, as BoJack only just started. However, it is Adlon that was the first marked off. Snarky and funny as she is, the writing that backs her up is sometimes too dramatic to be the best comedic actress. Next was Aisha Tyler. Always playing the straight man gives her a bit of a Michael Bluth persona, but doesn't quite cut the comedy as well. For nine seasons, Kaitlin Olson has been honing her craft and developing the character of Sweet Dee Reynolds. All that practice really paid off, as Olson narrowly takes the award from her competitors.
Best Writing for a Comedy
Armando Ianucci - Veep - “Clovis”
David Zuckerman - Wilfred - “Happiness”
Adam Reed - Archer - “Rules of Extraction”
David Hornsby - It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - “The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award”
Armando Ianucci - Veep - “Debate”
Archer and Always Sunny were both hilarious this year, but in all honesty, this was a year for Veep. That being said though, Wilfred's finale, "Happiness" was beautifully written, shot, and acted. It may not have been fully comedic, but by Arrested Development did it deliver. Thus, in my forever indecision, I have created a new category below. There. Now Wilfred got the rightful recognition. In the end though, the funniest episode of the year, complete with writing, acting, and overall delivery was Veep's "Debate."
Best Dramedy
Wilfred
Louie
Girls
House of Lies
No competition. We'll miss ya, Wilfred.
Labels: Archer, Armando Ianucci, Arrested Development, Chris Parnell, Elijah Wood, FX, FXX, HBO, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kaitlin Olson, The Bennys. Charlie Day, Veep, Wilfred