Best of 2013: Max Greenfield, Nick Offerman, Amber Tamblyn, and more top comedy actors
What was somewhat interesting about this year in comedy is that there was no breakout hit like we had with “Modern Family” years ago. Heck, there wasn’t even one that had a sort of “Girls” season 1 effect where it took most of pop culture by storm.
But, even without a breakout hit, this was still a great year for acting in comedy. There are some people out there killing it who you don’t often see nominated for any trophies. This seems to be the theme for most of our nominated shows in our latest chapter of our CarterMatt Best of 2013 series, where we look at either who made us laugh, or who did a good job really facilitating the comedy.
Adam Driver, “Girls” (HBO) – It still amazes us that on “Girls,” the funniest and most interesting character is actually a guy. There is such something some bizarre and yet convincing about the way that Adam Driver plays his character. You really want to believe that Adam is a guy you want to hang out with, but then he reminds you that you’re better of running in the opposite direction.
Amber Tamblyn, “Two and a Half Men” (CBS) – Jenny may have some serious problems as a character, but without Amber Tamblyn, would this season even be worth watching? It’s such a different role than anything that she’s ever done before, but yet it’s still funny, sassy, and a very different side to the traditional “Two and a Half Men” female.
Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (FOX) – Andre is the sort of actor who can literally do everything, and while Captain Holt may not be the most hilarious person of the cast, he is completely endearing to watch and provides that certain counterbalance to the wackiness that constantly surrounds him. He is by far the best part of a very good comedy.
Betsy Brandt, “The Michael J. Fox Show” (NBC) – Who knew that Betsy would be the biggest sell on a show that stars Michael J. Fox? This is another situation similar to Amber’s role; the show around her isn’t always a home run, but she does a great job with all of her scenes and for adding some new dimensions and layers to the traditional sitcom wife role.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” (HBO) – This is probably the most predictable nomination ever, but to be honest, you have to include her because she’s almost beyond the sigh of “not again.” Julia’s got brilliant comic timing, but more than that, season 2 actually did a good job opening you up to a much greater part of Selina Meyer’s life.
Max Greenfield, “New Girl” (FOX) – This was probably the first year that we really feel like Schmidt was the star of “New Girl,” mostly thanks to the writing this year for the character. The Cece vs. Elizabeth debate did not make the guy an endearing character in the slightest, but still to us it was a complete blast to watch him start to unravel throughout the early episodes this year.
Nick Offerman, “Parks and Recreation” (NBC) – Offerman is the most under-appreciated actor with a show still on TV. Is there a better male character than Ron Swanson? Plus, Nick excels at really giving you some of Ron’s humanity to also balance out all of his eccentricities.
Rainn Wilson, “The Office” (NBC) – Speaking of which, Rainn was the most under-appreciated actor of the past decade. There has never really been a character quite like Dwight Shrute, and we doubt that there ever will be again. He was just the ultimate guy that you would hate in real life, but you never wanted him to change while watching him battle Jim Harper and often sanity within the walls of a tiny Scranton paper company.
Who was your favorite of the comedy actors this year? Share below.