Emmys 2016: Why Will Arnett, Aziz Ansari, Sir Patrick Stewart, Anthony Anderson deserve Comedy Series nods
Starring as an actor in a comedy series these days means so much more than being able to say silly lines or being a physical presence. You’ve got to be versatile, you have to be able to tackle serious moments, and above all else, you have to be compelling. Whether you are the straight man or completely off the rails, you have to figure out a reason for viewers to choose watching your show over any other in an era of hyper competition.
Luckily, our personal Emmy choices for Actor in a Comedy Series check all of those boxes. They’re funny, meaningful, and different from the norm. Take a look at them below, and be sure to vote for your favorite! We’ll announce the people with the most votes come July 13, one day before the actual Emmys are announced.
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series – CarterMatt Picks
Anthony Anderson, “black-ish” (ABC) – Anderson has found arguably the role of his life with Dre, and we say that knowing that he has done a ton of other great work. He has elevated the role of typical sitcom dad with not just his comedy talent, but also his heart and ability to tackle tough subjects in such a way that there is still lightness, and that viewers are compelled to stick to the story. He’s a complete package in a genre where we tend to often get isolated extremes.
Will Arnett, “Flaked” (Netflix) -Arnett’s Netflix series is challenging, and in many ways deliberately so. He presents Chip as a man so open about his devastating past, desperate to help others recover from theirs; yet, in the process you learn that he has not fully recovered at all, and seemed to be in some ways fine living out a facade. There are laughs that come out of Arnett’s performance, but there’s so much more than that. This is a fantastic character with more humanity, more depth than the majority of other comedy characters combined.
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None” (Netflix) – Through all of its various anecdotes and stories, Ansari was at the center of all of it pulling the strings. Dev is not necessarily always someone you relate to or even agree with, but he’s played in such a way that you want to constantly follow him journey and be a fly on the wall. He’s a fantastic narrator, he understands perspective incredibly well, and above all else he has amazing delivery and quick, super-funny reactions.
Rob Lowe, “The Grinder” (Fox) – Oh, how we wish we were going to be able to keep talking about “The Grinder” for another year or two given just how biting and funny and witty it was. Somehow Lowe found himself a part that was just as good as the one he had on “Parks and Recreation,” and on a series about a TV lawyer suddenly transitioning into the real world of law. Everything about this show was absurd, and that is in part why it was so brilliant.
Sir Patrick Stewart, “Blunt Talk” (Starz) – For those who had a chance to see “Blunt Talk,” odds are you reveled in the opportunity to see Sir Patrick in such an element. It’s a treat, since he carries with him a sharp tongue, an edge, and a bravado wholly different from almost every other character that he has ever played. Professor X this is not! Somehow “Blunt Talk” has been somewhat lost in the shuffle the past few weeks, and that’s a shame since his performance is so magnetic that you could sit down, watch the entire series, and feel like it went by in a blink.
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent” (Amazon) – It’s a tremendous series led by a tremendous actor who somehow feels like he is still coming into his own. the beauty of “Transparent” is that it seems to have no problem defying expectations, and does so almost effortlessly. We had little hope that season 2 would be able to recapture the magic of the original, but it did that and then added more. Tambor’s bring so much energy to Marua that it is infectious and spreads around to the rest of the cast within a matter of seconds.