2015 Emmys: Why Adam Scott, Jay Baruchel, Thomas Middleditch, Anthony Anderson deserve Comedy Actor nods

We’ve talked up quite a bit the unpredictability of several categories in the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards, but we would be kidding ourselves here if we were to say that the Actor in a Comedy Series race is a category without a favorite. While we wouldn’t say that the front-runner is a lock by any means, everyone else is playing for the upset at this point.

As with every other edition of our Emmy Preview series so far, we’ve enclosed below our favorite nominees this year; in addition to that, you can vote for any of them or someone else you would like to see in the poll below!

Anthony Anderson, “black-ish” (ABC) – Anderson has always been a supremely talented guy, and we’re so thrilled for him now that he has what we feel is the perfect venue for his talents. This is a show that is some ways similar and yet different, but almost always funny regardless. There are not as many family comedies of this variety now as there maybe were a decade ago, and there is a nostalgic charm around his performance.

Jay Baruchel, “Man Seeking Woman” (FXX) – Baruchel probably spent more time dealing with strange characters and oddities on this imaginative show than almost any other actor has over the past year, and his performance is in some ways a master-class in letting the absurdity speak for itself. Without his reactions, we have a pretty good feeling that the entire premise of the show wouldn’t work. Sometimes, there is a fine line between surrealism and just being silly.

Louis CK, “Louie” (FX) – It continues to amaze us just how consistent CK and his show are year after year. We don’t feel like the series is any worse now than it was a couple of years ago, and he continues to somehow find avenues to explore even if his real-life persona is not so much akin to the one that he plays on this show. In some ways he is surrounded at times by craziness similar to Burachel on “Man Seeking Woman,” though it is in a far more literal sense.

Thomas Middleditch, “Silicon Valley” (HBO) – Usually our comedy list is filled with zany characters, and that’s why this year is rather unique in how the majority of our chosen nominees are actually the ones who are the sounding board and have to deal with what surrounds them. Middleditch has proven that Richard can be angry and impulsive, but most of his true skill points come from being this perpetually-awkward person who somehow typically figures it all out, even when it feels like he has no chance.

Adam Scott, “Parks and Recreation” (NBC) – Scott’s Ben Wyatt was a tremendous TV character, mostly because if you see him for just a couple of minutes you may think “oh, that guy is reasonably normal.” That is before you see the Cones of Dunshire or know what happened to him as Mayor. He was the perfect addition to an already-almost-perfect show when he signed on, and through it all managed to be completely endearing and silly in his own way.

Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent” (Amazon) – We close here with someone who is far and away the consensus favorite for the year. It would be an even bigger snub than Tatiana Maslany the past two years of Tambor is not nominated for this show. We do want to emphasize that it is ground-breaking and we are in a climate now where transgender stories are coming to life. What we do want to stress here above all else, though, is that this is a sensational and heartwarming performance, and the best of Tambor’s entire career. Remember that this is a man with a tremendous resume, including playing multiple characters on “Arrested Development.”

Honorable mentions – William H. Macy (“Shameless”), Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”)