2015 Emmys: Why ‘Galavant,’ ‘Man Seeking Woman,’ ‘Silicon Valley’ are deserving of Comedy Series nods

For the time being, we’ve moved on from the Drama portion of our 2015 Emmy Preview series, and we have moved on to what is going to be another fun series of articles: Profiling the comedy race! There are some clear-cut favorites in the mix, but we also feel like there are a few other tremendous underdogs in this race who could come out and surprise everyone.

Below, you can take a look at some of our own personal nominees for the Outstanding Comedy Series category, which we have come up with at CarterMatt after some internal debate. Of course, we’ve also included a poll below for you to chime in with some of your thoughts! So far tens of thousands have votes have been cast across the categories, and it has been a fun way to help kickstart Emmy voting season. The nominations will be revealed come Thursday, July 16 bright and early.

The nominees

“Galavant,” ABC – So many months ago, there was a brilliant show, and we remember fondly “Galavant.” Performances were great, and still we celebrate, the underdog we know as “Galavant.” Sharply-written (it had us smitten!), always daring (a show worth sharing!); great! Why would you want to wait? Get in before the date! Send in a vote for GAL-A-VANT!

“Man Seeking Woman,” FXX – Now, we try to adjust from writing in verse, but the great thing about “Man Seeking Woman” is that it is a tremendously imaginative show in its own right. It is almost a surrealist comedy, and those are two words we did not expect to write in an Emmy article prior to it coming out. It is sometimes shocking, sometimes contemplative, and incredibly creative. In some ways, it is the adult TV equivalent of reading a Calvin and Hobbes comic when it comes to its use of perspective.

“Parks and Recreation,” NBC – What Mike Schur’s NBC gem was very different in that it used a tired-and-true format (the documentary-style comedy), but somehow still told a fresh, hilarious story. Give credit to the writing, but also to seven years of careful character-building. To us, the episode “Leslie and Ron” may be one of the most magical, emotional, and funny half-hours of anything that we have seen in years.

“Silicon Valley,” HBO – Consistently hilarious. The series has only improved in season 2 thanks to some incredible chemistry, plus excellent guest casting (Chris Diamantopoulos has been brilliant as Russ) and a ridiculous but fantastic subplot with Big Head. Like with “Parks and Recreation,” one story stands out: Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s incredible debate as to whether or not to let Blaine, a stunt-car racer who is dating the object of Dinesh’s affection, die after he and his team made a mistake in the planning.

“Transparent,” Amazon – We could obviously praise this show as being bold an an innovative step forward for television, but we’re not in the business of nominating simply based on social impact. The truth of the matter is that the show is brilliant. Jeffrey Tambor is far and away a favorite in the Best Actor race for a reason, and it is a tender, heartwarming story at times. Its sense of humor may be in some ways different than some of the other shows mentioned, but by the time you stop watching, you do still realize that you spend many moments with a smile on your face.

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Netflix – We saw Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, and Ellie Kemper on board this series early on, and we were spontaneously excited and afraid at the same time. Luckily, this is a series that has not even remotely let us down. It’s tremendously funny, and we feel the ghost of “30 Rock” burning brights in its veins. It’s a show that really goes for laughs, and it doesn’t tend to ever stoop to conventions or expectations to make that happen.

Honorable mentions – “Veep” (HBO), “Jane the Virgin” (The CW), “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Fox)