Best Comedy Series
There are some quality comedies I simply don’t have time
to watch. I’ve only seen the pilots of Girls
and Veep. I’ve also completely
missed out on some Emmy-friendly shows, like The Big Bang Theory. So those aren’t here. I was also pretty
conflicted about Community. I love the
show, but Dan Harmon was such a huge presence that there was no way that this
season could measure up. Hopefully it will bounce back to my Emmy dream team next
year. Considering this, here are my nominations…
30 Rock
Even
in its worst years (looking at you, Season 4), 30 Rock was one of the best
shows on television. Its last season was about as perfect of a goodbye as I
could have hoped for. From Liz Lemon getting married in the Princess Leia dress
to the crew tanking the show so Liz could meet her twins, this season had some
wonderful emotions to ground its never-ending assault of jokes. Its last two
episodes mocked the notion of a sentimental finale while still bringing a
couple tears to my eyes. NBC, please give Tina Fey a new sitcom ASAP.
Parks and
Recreation
The show deserves a nomination for that wedding episode
alone. The unquestioned love between Leslie and Ben, Ron Swanson DIY-ing the
wedding rings, and Ann’s makeshift dress all combined to make a wedding too
perfect for real life. The rest of the season was also pretty great, nailing Leslie’s
ethical dilemmas as she struggles to adjust to what she thought was a lifelong
dream. And of course, there was Ben’s perfect proposal. Parks and Rec, I love
you and I like you.
The Middle
When a friend tells me they’re looking for a new sitcom, I order them
to watch The Middle. They do not
always listen, and this makes me sad. The
Middle is the most underappreciated comedy on TV right now. It has an
incredible cast, and they’re only getting better. Every episode has at least
one plotline that makes me suspect that the writers are spying on my family. The Middle is much more realistic than Modern Family, and it’s all the better
for it.
New Girl
The first
ten episodes of New Girl were
pleasantly amusing. The rest of the first season solidified the ensemble.
During the second season, the writers have really figured out who these
characters are. (Except Winston. “Likes pranks” is not an adequate personality
trait.) The Schmidt-Cece arc has had some great emotional beats that parallel
Jess and Nick’s struggle to figure out their relationship. Although the
Schmidt-isms alone would give this show a spot on my list, New Girl tops off its more dramatic plotlines with some incredible zingers
and superb physical comedy.
Arrested
Development
I considered giving this last spot to Modern Family. It’s not as good as it once was, but it still has a
very good cast and some pretty good writers. Then I watched Season 4 of
Arrested Development. It’s not perfect, but Mitch Hurwitz has mostly succeeded
in making the world’s most complex comedic layer cake. Although the first few
episodes were a little confusing, the setups paid off in some pretty great
ways. This additional season could have easily just been some callbacks to the
old seasons, but they did a pretty good job of creating some innovative comedy.
It also doesn’t hurt that one of the best sitcom casts of all time was just as
good as it ever was.
Coming whenever I feel like posting: Best Lead and
Supporting Actors!
Although Modern Family will probably be nominated again this year, there's no way it's winning for the 4th year in a row, considering how dreary this past season was. I have to say I'm really pulling for Parks and Recreation and New Girl this year!
ReplyDeleteI think Parks and Rec definitely deserves an Emmy, but I think 30 Rock had the best season of any show this year. Maybe it's just me being sentimental, but I loved that finale.
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