Emmy Preview 2018: Actress in a Comedy Series wishlist; vote for your favorite!
Who should be nominated for Actress 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.
Actress in a Comedy Series – CarterMatt Wishlist
Kristen Bell, The Good Place (NBC) – Everything was not fine for Eleanor in season 2 of the comedy, but we’re not sure anything ever will be. What makes Bell so wonderful in this role was watching her continuing to tow the line between idealism and cynicism. You’re watching the journey of someone battle to be good despite some of her innate nature; some of the best scenes within the show are the ones where Bell shows wickedness and innocence within the span of just a few short seconds.
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW) – We do feel as though Bloom was very much deserving for the first two seasons of the series. Yet, this was the one where she really knocked it out of the part. We saw through Rebecca Bunch this season a woman who still had the humor (and the musical numbers), but also someone with devastating vulnerability. This was a season about hitting rock bottom and figuring out how to climb back slowly and surely. Through Bloom’s fantastic performance, every single facet of the performance was believable.
Alison Brie, GLOW (HBO) – Brie was brilliant on shows like Community and Mad Men leading up to the Netflix comedy, but this is the performance that really brought together every aspect of her skill set. She tackled some more dramatic moments in this series, but also physicality, broad comedy, and diving into a character who, despite being set in a particular period in history, still feels fairly relevant in modern-day America.
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) – Brosnahan is likely the favorite right now to win this entire category and we absolutely understand why. As the series’ title character Brosnahan infuses her with so much humor and heart, she’s both an inspirational figure and also a relatable lead you just want to watch for the sake of the journey. Through the first season, she takes you on a tremendous emotional journey full of setbacks and victories, but in the end, it really just leaves you wanting more.
Debra Messing, Will & Grace (NBC) – What more could Debra Messing do with Grace that we didn’t see in the series’ original run? That is something that we wondered going into the start of the NBC revival, especially since that show was such a revelation in its own time. Yet, Messing never loses a beat here, making her character feel both familiar and refreshing. She’s an echo of the old Grace, but also a character living within her own world and her own time. Of course, she also remains incredibly funny in the process.
Issa Rae, Insecure (HBO) – There are few people consistently funnier on TV than Issa Rae, whether it be in her delivery, her spontaneity, or how she is able to embody her character of Issa even when she’s not saying anything at all. She brings her to life in a way that she could be your friend; she’s someone you know and care for, and few other performers within this genre are able to bring you that relatability while also finding room for humor.