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(First in a series of analyses about all the Emmy contenders.) After three consecutive Emmy wins in the best comedy series category, 30 Rock may be upstaged this year. Frankly, it’s anybody’s to win. HBO has Curb Your Enthusiasm coming off a very strong season plus perennial nominee Entourage, CBS has The Big Bang Theory, Two And a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, in addition to 30 Rock, NBC has veteran The Office and promising sophomore Parks & Recreation and Showtime has Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara. But it’s two plucky newcomers, ABC’s Modern Family and Fox’s Glee, that have been stealing the early buzz. Since their fall launch, the two freshmen series have dominated the awards circuit. Glee won the best comedy series prizes at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, dethroning reigning champ 30 Rock at both. Modern Family won the DGA Award for comedy series and two WGA Awards, for new series and episodic comedy. (30 Rock won the best comedy series award and split the episodic comedy win with Modern Family). Both Modern Family and Glee also won Peabody Awards, along with a string of other accolades. So they have a big momentum in the top comedy category going into the Emmys. Things are a little different in the lead acting categories. The entire cast of Modern Family was submitted for supporting, as was the majority of the Glee cast including standout Jane Lynch. Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison will be competing in the lead acting field where 30 Rock’s Tina Fey and especially Alec Baldwin will still be the ones to beat. To make things even more intriguing, both Modern Family and Glee are produced by the same studio, 20th Century Fox TV, which will be mounting big campaigns for both. The studio wouldn’t discuss its Emmy marketing campaigns for the shows, with a 20th insider only saying that “both are getting robust campaigns”. And if pushing for both Modern Family and Glee is not enough, 20th has two more comedy contenders it’s going to promote heavily: last year’s best series nominees How I Met Your Mother and Family Guy.
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screw 30 rock, parks and recs is very good this year and should get a nod, glee is overrated, modern family should win it
30 Rock can still be very funny but the last two seasons have been noticeably uneven and weaker. It was a little uncomfortable to see that particular show reap all the rewards while there was already some competition. People have been voting for 30 Rock, Baldwin and Fey mechanically, the same way they mention Citizen Kane when asked about the greatest movies of all time. Steve Carell could have received at least one Emmy, Better Off Ted deserved its share of love and Community is currently on a roll.
The fact that both Modern Family and Glee are huge hits and that there are ensemble comedies gives me hope that the competition will be a little more open.
God I hope someone else wins other than 30 Rock, that show sucks. It gets great network treatment, and awards accolades, but does ‘meh’ ratings.
Parks & Recreation by all means deserves the accolades that have been wasted on Glee (minus the support for Jane Lynch, she’s absolutely earned her kudos.)
It’s a shame that this article didn’t mention the funniest comedy on TV currently: “Community.”
A show that’s smart, witty and original, it may be too quick for audiences to keep up with. Maybe in a few years ABC can re-make a dumbed down version ala “Modern Family” and its far superior inspiration, “Arrested Development.”
Modern Family is amusing, 30 Rock is funny.
Returning shows took a step back this season, only the new Community has been consistently funny all year with their 25 episodes.
I’d like to see Community and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia nominated, more people would discover those shows. Everyone has heard of Glee and Modern Family but they have too many baby boomer TV critics and young consumers that love the show.
Community (Modern Family)
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Glee)
The Office
The Big Bang Theory
How I Met Your Mother
Modern Family, Community, Big Bang Theory are all funnier than 30 Rock. Kinda getting sick of 30 Rock getting all the awards.
Agreed! Where’s the love for Community?
–Community
–Better Off Ted
–Party Down
–HIMYM
–The Big Bang Theory
All better than Modern Family. And Glee? Ugh. Don’t. Please. That’s like when Desperate Housewives won. It’s… not… a… comedy. Just because it’s slightly funny doesn’t mean it’s not a drama.
There are plenty of solid comedies on tv but 30 Rock remains the best. I don’t watch Glee but Modern Family, The Office and Parks & Rec are all strong contenders. If the award is truly about rewarding the best show then 30 Rock is still the top choice.
Time for 30 Rock to step aside. I’d be happy for MF to take it, but Community deserves it. Every single episode was outstanding.
30 Rock totally deserved the Emmy the first three years for Best Comedy, but they definitely had an off year this year. Modern Family is great. So is Parks & Recreation, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bored to Death, Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and New Adventures of Christine. Community was good at first but it’s gone off the rails lately into total lunacy. Glee is just fine. And with more choices now in sitcom, there should never ever be any more mention again of Entourage in the Best Comedy category.
Any discussion of best comedy shows on television that does not include Community is WAY off target.
Modern Family does a great job, Glee sure has its fans, and 30 Rock and P & R have their moments, but Community consistenly is one of the funniest 1/2 hours on TV right now: strong cast with great depth, hysterical writing, and amazing direction/cinematography/editing.
Glee was good the first several shows until we realized they have a gay/lesbian/leftist agenda. Not good for family viewing. The show is blocked now.
Too bad. We gay, lesbian leftists miss you and your special brand of free thinking.
Really? It took you more than 1 episode to realize the show is liberally minded and gay friendly?
Congratulations on missing the point of “Glee”. A few subplots about a gay teen does not make the show gay/lesbian/leftist. Perhaps you would prefer the kid to be beaten up every week so as to teach a lesson about family values to the rest of them gays out there.
What about the kid in the wheelchair, the overweight black diva in the making and the Goth Asian? Do their respective subplots about self-acceptance and being true to oneself also feed into you rather provincial mentality that this show is leftist?
I have an idea. I suggest they recast the show with tall, skinny straight, white leads who all walk around whistling Dixie singing “Rock of Ages” and “God Bless America”. Would you unblock the show then?
Yeah, my effing gay agenda, I wanna get married and not have Evangelicals give me the finger (which they do, surprisingly, how
Christian of them.
Give it a rest and go complain to PTC.
Any of these should win:
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Community
Parks and Recreation
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
The Middle
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Better Off Ted
New Adventures of Old Christine
You’re the first poster in this thread to mention “The Middle” and thank you for that. It’s a charming, trenchant, beautifully written show, and the ONLY sitcom on b’cast or cable to deal with middle-class economic reality. “Modern Family” is great too, but this week’s episode had the entire crowd jetting off to Maui for a hi-lux vacation at the (product placement) Four Seasons. How many Americans can identify with that right now?
Everyone of “MF” is beautiful. On “The Middle” Patricia Heaton has the courage and confidence to let herself be shot unflatteringly, in cheap clothes, cheap haircut, looking haggard, etc… like real middle Americans… and the program is effective as hell.
I don’t think that Tina Fey is really one to beat anymore having lost to Toni Collette already. I think Edie Falco will be the one to beat this year, given that she has two seasons of quality work to submit from.
The article didn’t mention Community for a good reason – it hasn’t a hope in hell of receiving a nomination at the Emmys. The story arcs aren’t strong enough and it’s too reliant on references and homages – its a brand of humour that I’m betting Emmy is not going to be receptive too.
I think Modern Family could take it this year. The guild support indicates a high level of respect for the writing on the show and where Glee’s writing is sometimes criticised, MF’s has been universally praised. If you look at 30 Rock, that show has won countless nominations and accolades for writing, so I think MF might have an edge over Glee.
30 Rock doesn’t deserve it this season. It has been very messy and inconsistent and the storylines have been executed in a very mediocre way. The B and C plots have also been terrible this season. I think Baldwin stands an excellent chance at winning again, just because there isn’t any new stand-outs submitting for lead.
I think Lea Michele and Jane Lynch are dead certs for nomination. Morrison might have a more difficult time just because his role isn’t showy enough and I think that Thomas Jane might sneak in the for Hung over him. I think if Chris Colfer submits wisely, he also stands a good chance at getting nominated – he’s been the MVP of Glee in the back nine and demonstrated considerable acting chops throughout the season. A more deserving nominee than Kevin Connolly or Tracy Morgan for sure.
I’d imagine it will go to Modern Family. The ensemble work on the show is extraordinary where 30 Rock relies, imho, too much on set pieces, guest stars and Tracy.
I would like to see Tracy win this year, though.
I just don’t consider Jackie and USoT comedies. Sure they’re a half hour long, but do you laugh? Out loud?
I really love TBBT also, but I have a sense that the academy isn’t in love with Chuck. I don’t know him but I agree with his vanity card every week, I imagine we could be friendly.
Then again, I’m a bastard.
Amy, you may be right that “Community” doesn’t have much of a chance of being nominated, but its amazingly good ep “Modern Warfare” (the paintball episode) is the first half-hour I’ve seen of any show to match a half hour of Arrested Development. Modern Family’s ok, Community is brilliant. And, as someone who was a die-hard 30 Rock fan for 3 seasons, it no longer deserves an Emmy. I stopped watching. Glee can’t touch Community.
I’ve heard great things about Party Down and Better Off Ted. Would love to see them get nominated. Alas, it ain’t gonna happen.
I’d love to see “How I Met Your Mother” win, but I’ll bet “Glee” sweeps. That’ll be OK with me, I’m sick of “30 Rock” winning and so are alot of people. NBC’s Thursday night line up sucks
“Community” is streets ahead!
Indeed it is streets ahead.
As an older guy I feel an obligation to spread Pierce’s new catchphrase.
There is finally a decent size group of comedies on tv. The top of the group includes The Office, Parks & Rec, Nurse Jackie, The Sarah Silverman Program, Modern Family and Cougar Town. However #1 is still 30 Rock and considering that they just had their best season yet they deserve every major award.
1)The funniest show on TV is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — no contest. But, I have no illusions about it’s broader appeal and it’s “over the line” brand of humor.
2)I happen to love Glee but not for it’s comedy — there really isn’t much except for Sue — I watch for the music as a former gleek in school myself.
3) Love Community and Big Bang Theory. Please give Anthony Michael Hall an Emmy (finally) for Guest Actor in a Comedy for his bully on Community — hilarious.
I think the nominee should be:
30 Rock
Entourage
Family Guy
Glee
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
The Big Bang Theory
Winner: Modern Family
Hoping for Gloria and Manny get nominee for Modern Family as well
I will change Entourage for Nurse Jackie
about the Winner totally agree Modern Family
I watch all of the major comedies that are going to be up for nominations, and I’ll be surprised if 30 Rock four-peats. 30 Rock is MY favorite show, but, I see more consistency from shows like Parks & Rec, Community, and Modern Family. I love Glee, but if it wins for Best Comedy, I’ll be EXTREMELY upset. I’m assuming Big Bang is also a frontrunner. I look for Jim Parsons to pull out a win over Alec, though, I don’t think he deserves it. My guess is Lea Michele, Edie Falco, or Toni Collette for Best Actress.