Emmys 2016: Should ‘black-ish,’ ‘Veep,’ ‘Master of Nine,’ or ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ win comedy prize?
This was a really great past year for comedy, and in looking at some of the nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards, you can argue that there are three or four great choices that didn’t even get thrown on here. Think of this as the burden of only having seven spots to fill.
Below, you can see our full breakdown for the Outstanding Comedy Series category, including our personal winner pick and a likely projection of the September 18 awards show itself. Be sure to vote in the poll below with your own pick, as we’re going to announce the reader selections come the morning of the show.
The nominees
black-ish (ABC)
Master of None (Netflix)
Modern Family (ABC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
Analyzing the field – Like with the drama field, there are a few shows here you can eliminate from contention rather quickly. For example, “Modern Family” is too old in the tooth at this point, and the Emmys (other than the reality categories) like to pretend they have the finger on the pulse. We also think that “Transparent” lost a little buzz over the past year, and while “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is fun, it may have lacked the buzzworthy moments in season to capture the prize.
To us, the trophy comes down to “black-ish,” “Master of None,” “Veep,” and “Silicon Valley” for the prize, with the latter show somewhat on the fringe because the subject matter may not appeal to the average voter.
This leaves us ultimately with three clear contenders: “Game of Thrones,” “The Americans,” and “Mr. Robot.”
What should win – “black-ish,” with “Master of None” a close second. While you want good belly laughs out of a comedy, there are times you also want them to be a reflection of the time, where you are left thinking about something in your own life. Through this past year “black-ish” improved by leaps and bounds, taking risks you don’t see with most family comedies while also still staying true to that identity.
What will win – It’s an election year, and “Veep” lost nary a step with David Mandel stepping in as showrunner. It may be a tad predictable choice, but the Emmys are known for being somewhat expected with their comedy choices. Even if there were parts of this past season that were somewhat absurd in terms of Presidential policy, the show certainly had enough humor to be deserving of a trophy.
Now, we turn this over to you!