Emmy Hopefuls: On Saturday Night Live and why Kenan Thompson is so deserving

It’s the start of a new month and with that in mind, it’s the start of another series! Throughout this month, we’re discussing Emmy Hopefuls, performers and shows who really need to be considered for awards coming up at the Primetime Emmy Awards later this season. Yet, the contenders we are speaking about here, for one reason or another, haven’t gotten their due. Maybe they haven’t been eligible all that long, or maybe they’ve been snubbed so many times over that it’s hard to fathom.

With today’s feature, we’re specifically focusing on someone who has been snubbed to oblivion over the years: Kenan Thompson of Saturday Night Live. Despite being on the show for more seasons than any other cast member ever, he has only received a single nomination last year for Outstanding Music and Lyrics. He’s never been nominated in his chosen category, which is Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Why all the snubs? – For starters, we do think that there was a time in which the Emmys were not altogether kind to recognizing SNL as tremendous art — many cast members have been snubbed over the years. Beyond just that, this is one of the most competitive fields out there given that there are hundreds of comedies. As if that wasn’t competitive enough, this is a category that has been dominated much in recent years by Modern Family, which makes the field of other prospective nominees even smaller.

Kenan also has never been a performer who overtly looks for attention from awards shows — he’s fairly low-key outside of Saturday Night Live and often the Emmys look for someone who is a huge success in a single year. Thompson’s performance is wonderfully consistent, really to the point that you take him for granted.

Why he’s especially deserving now – Two words: LaVar Ball. Sometimes the recipient of nominations for this show get that after the arrival of an iconic character. Playing the opinionated sports dad is probably Kenan’s most-noteworthy Weekend Update character ever, even more so than David Ortiz or Willie. This impersonation is hilarious, but we also don’t want to take away from some of the other work he does. He’s great as the straight man such as the game-show host or the father in a family sketch, but he can also do some big, wacky characters. He can make you laugh with just a facial reaction and can change the energy of a sketch in just a single like. He’s shown over time to have a great sense of humor about just about everything with the show, including his own longevity.

We know it could be perceived that this is some sort of Lifetime Achievement Award but we’re really not looking at it that way. Kenan is more than deserving for everything he’s done just in this past year alone — he’s done physical comedy, some fantastic impressions, and he brings such a sense of joy to every single thing he’s a part of time and time again.

Related – See who is hosting the next new episode

Do you think that Kenan Thompson should get an Emmy nomination this year for Saturday Night Live? Be sure to share right now in the comments!

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