Emmy Preview 2018: Actor in a Comedy Series wishlist; vote for your favorite!
Who should be nominated for Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards? We are back with another edition of our annual CarterMatt Emmy Preview Series to answer this very question!
The Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series category both are the stuff of legend in 2018 — you’ve got more comedies on the air than ever, really to the point where it’s almost impossible for any voter to see or experience all of them. These categories aren’t really so much about the people who are the funniest; instead, it’s about the person who brings the most to the role and makes you draw the biggest reaction. Maybe they are especially endearing to you, they’re memorable for their madcap energy, or they make you cry amidst the laughter.
In addition to sharing our dream nominees, at the bottom of this article is a poll for you to vote for your own favorites! We will announce our reader picks on July 11, 2018, one day before the actual Emmy nominations are announced. Hopefully, this is a way to kick off the Emmy campaign period in a fun, super-engaging manner for everyone.
Voting Rules – Vote however many times you like! Voting is open between now and 1:00 p.m. Pacific time on July 11. By voting, you consent to have your vote tabulated in the final result. As a reminder, CarterMatt polls are simply for fun and to help aid in Emmy campaigns. Voting for the Emmys themselves is conducted by members of the Television Academy.
Actor in a Comedy Series – CarterMatt Wishlist
Ted Danson, The Good Place (NBC) – One of the things that Danson has always been rather exceptional at is towing the line between good and evil in his roles. He’s been the curmudgeon and the guy who’s tough to love before, but somehow in The Good Place he managed to make an underlying of the devil inherently likable! We got to see Michael learning how to love this season almost like a deer learning how to walk. It was almost precious, and that’s such an incredible skill for an actor like Danson to flex after such a long career.
Donald Glover, Atlanta (FX) – Glover is the favorite at present to win this category, and after watching either season of the series it’s not hard to understand why. He packs so much passion into Earn Makes, giving him a depth that you rarely ever see in this particular genre. While Atlanta does make you laugh, it also plunges into social commentary and subjects that make you think more than almost any other show out there. No matter the subject matter or the specific story being told, Glover is the anchor and vessel of much of the show’s thought.
Bill Hader, Barry (HBO) – The moment that we knew Hader was coming to Barry, we were excited just because of his talent. Then, we actually saw the show. He’s consistently funny but Barry Berkman is also so much more than our initial expectation. Hader is able to play the hitman side of this guy in a way that’s believable, but also still dive into the nuance and crazy neuroses of someone looking for a creative escape from that world. Barry, from start to finish, is an absolute thrill to watch.
Christopher Meloni, Happy! (Syfy) – We’re more than aware of the fact that this is probably too crazy and trippy a show for the average Emmy viewer, which is why it would be absolutely incredible if it got a nomination. The stuff Meloni does on this show is so out there that we just give him credit for being so game. He consistently delivers as Nick Sax, a character who goes through more than we can possibly describe in one season. Also, bonus points to Meloni for working so much with a CGI unicorn and finding a way for it to look read.
Tracy Morgan, The Last OG (TBS) – This series was more than just a comeback show for Morgan; it was also a surprisingly emotional tale of redemption. Tracy gave Tray Barker a vulnerability that we hadn’t seem before in any of his prior work. You felt for his struggle getting re-accustomed to life outside of prison, as well as his realization that he couldn’t just have the life that he once did all over again. Of course, Morgan’s consistently hilarious and the series also has that going for it, as well.
Timothy Olyphant, Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix) – Every single thing that Olyphant did over the course of season 2 was incredibly funny, whether it be the delivery of his lines, the physicality, or the back-and-forth that he had with Drew Barrymore and other members of the cast. Joel Hammond is a ridiculous, sometimes-manic character, but we also feel like if we were in his shoes, we’d likely act in just as constant a state of frenzy. We could watch Olyphant in this role for hours on end without stopping.