Not that you shouldn’t watch all the performances, but it’s difficult, at best, to find the time. As a rule, I don’t sleep, so…here are my observations of the nominated performances.

PART 3: TELEVISION COMEDY

Women (…or Where the Hell is Amy Landecker?!)

Uzo Aduba – “Orange is the New Black”

Another show I haven’t yet found myself hooked on. BUT, there is no doubt (from what I’ve watched), Aduba is a deserving of both a nom and probably a win. She won last year and I see no reason for her not to win it this year, except for…
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Edie Falco – “Nurse Jackie” (SHE GETS MY VOTE)

She’s been nominated seven years in a row for “Nurse Jackie” and never won. This has been one of the most consistent shows on television for more than half a decade and she’s the leader…and she gets ZERO wins. I understand the fact that some actors names are so ubiquitous for excellence, we sort of forget about them. And we tend to reward the new & flashy. However, I hope, as with Jon Hamm, this year we reward Ms. Falco. I don’t think it will happen, but I remain hopeful.
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Ellie Kemper – “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

Okay. I watched this show, and alas, I never found it to be all that good. Really strange, really interesting, and occasionally funny, but I’m not even sure Kemper is the reason to watch the show. That prize goes to Titus Burgess! Glad we’re rewarding new shows and I guess she deserves a nom, but I’ll be disappointed if she wins.
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Julie Louis-Dreyfuss – “Veep”

Louis-Dreyfuss is the new Tina Fey…in that she could win twenty of these in a row, and no one could really argue. “Veep” remains relevant and hilarious. And she is the straw that stirs the drink. A worthy choice if she should win.
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Amy Poehler – “Parks and Recreation”

Like Falco, Poehler is saying goodbye to a well-loved character on a well-loved show. But in terms of substance, “P&R” lacks the range that the other shows possess. She would be my fourth choice out of these five.

Men

Ty Burrell – “Modern Family”

Okay. I love this show and I love Burrell in it, but enough is enough. They are all doing the exact same shtick at this point. It’s still hilarious, but at this point, I think it’s obvious that we want some reality with our funny.
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Louis CK – “Louie”

Man, how great would it be if he won…the speech…the discomfort…would be amazing. BUT, it’s just on the other side of uncomfortable humor and plenty of voters in our Guild love to say they love it, but actually find it really uncomfortable. Me? I can’t get enough…but, alas, he’s nominated against one of the great performances in the history of television, so…
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William H. Macy – “Shameless”

I’ve never been sure how I feel about laughing at an addict’s behavior. I’m not normally one of those guys who looks to closely to enjoy an uncomfortable situation, and his performance is always enjoyable. But I can never get past the incredible sadness of Frank Gallagher’s situation (which is probably Macy’s intent) so I never laugh with him. Thus it’s difficult to give it my vote. That may sound hypocritical, and I can live with that. And from a purely predictive point of view, I don’t think he has a shot to win.
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Jim Parsons – “Big Bang Theory”

The guy’s won every single Emmy ever made. He’s one of the nicest people you will ever meet and I’m happy for him. But, really…based on the requirements of their roles, he’d be fourth on this list for me. Let him win the Emmy. Our job is to acknowledge the best performance. That said, you can never count him out.
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Jeffrey Tambor – “Transparent”

Simply put, one of the greatest and most important characters in the history of television. It also is one of the funniest. Jeffrey Tambor is heartbreaking and hilarious in the same moment. Watch the end of Episode 2 of the second season as he dances in front of the mirror…or the first scene of the next episode, where he’s trying to learn how to say “YAAASSS!” The saddest and the funniest…in back to back scenes. Perfection. Give him a Lifetime Achievement award right now.

Ensemble

“Big Bang Theory”

See above. A fine cast (including Chicago’s own, Johnny Galecki) delivering funny punchlines with incredible regularity. People love the show. I think it’s okay, but I don’t think it deserves the award.
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“Key & Peele”

Not sure a duo equals an ensemble, but I think this is the NomComm’s way of saying they equally deserve recognition. I’m glad they did it and I agree. These two men have done great things for both our culture and our understanding of race relations. In a word, “Noooice!”…but not for the win.
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“Modern Family”

See “Big Bang Theory” above…great cast, making the absolute most of great situations…but…there exists these three other shows that far out-range it.
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“Orange is the New Black”

If “Transparent” didn’t exist, “Orange” would be the runaway favorite.
But “Transparent” exists.
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“Transparent”

This is the best show on television. Period. It also has the best cast on television. Period. Give it the award. Period.
(And on a personal note, Chicago’s Amy Landecker deserves future consideration. Her season two performance is ridiculous.)
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“Veep”

How great is this cast? It’s a very sardonic/”Curb Your Enthusiasm”-esque set of circumstances which can get old or uncomfortable quickly, and yet it never does with this group. If we were talking straight sitcom, this would be your winner.

Written on 1/17/2016