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The momentum for female TV comedy writers continues. On the heels of the recent success of comedy series created/co-created by women — including Fox’s New Girl, ABC’s Suburgatory and CBS’ 2 Broke Girls – and a second consecutive upfront with multiple pickups of new series from female creators including Fox’s The Mindy Project from Mindy Kaling and ABC’s How To Live With Your Parents from Claudia Lonow, female comedy writes are now making big strides in the boy’s club known as the writing for a comedy series Emmy category. Lena Dunham, creator-star of HBO’s new comedy series Girls, and Amy Poehler, star of NBC’s Parks And Recreation, today landed comedy series writing Emmy nominations alongside Parks & Rec co-creator Michael Schur, Louie creator-star Louis C.K., and Community’s Chris McKenna. Film prodigy Dunham is nominated for the Girls pilot, while Poehler is recognized for writing ”The Debate” episode of Parks & Rec. I counted only a handful times in Emmy history when two female writers have received comedy writing nominations, the last time in 2002 when Jennifer Crittenden was nominated for the “Marie’s Sculpture” episode of Everybody Loves Raymond and Julie Rottenberg & Elisa Zuritsky for the ”My Motherboard, My Self” episode of Sex And The City.
Related: 2012 EMMYS NOMINATIONS
Female comedy writers face even longer odds for winning an Emmy. Since the category was established in 1955, the comedy writing Emmy has been awarded to a female writer/writing team only three times: to Treva Silverman in 1974 for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Diane English in 1989 for the pilot of Murphy Brown and Tina Fey in 2008 for an episode of her NBC series 30 Rock. What works in Dunham and Poehler’s favor is that in all three cases, when a female writer won the Emmy, it was for a comedy with a female lead, which is the case with both Girls and Parks & Rec. Additionally, the comedy writing field opened up this year with the surprising omission of Modern Family, whose writers won the category for the past two years.
Related: EMMYS: Comedy From Female Perspective
Also helping Dunham and Poehler’s chances for an Emmy is the fact both landed acting nominations and will face off in both the comedy writing and best actress in a comedy series categories. Additionally, Dunham is nominated for directing the Girls pilot.
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I hate articles like this. So condescending. Awww look, woman can do what men can do.
Please. Just stop with the men vs. women comparisons. It only creates division.
I find it absurd that Lena Dunham managed to secure a writing nomination and that Girls was nominated for best Comedy Series. The show is atrocious. The whole premise that Dunham and her writing represent the voice of the current post-college generation is asinine and I think she gets far too much play for a one note premise (she basically has written and is playing the same role on Girls as she did in Tiny Furniture) that isn’t even very accurate to start.
But even if you assume that I am out of touch and incorrect about the post-college youth of today, the show itself has serious flaws. Its characters are not only limited (and some are downright one dimensional) but also prone to acting complete out of character just to get a cheap laugh (I am talking to you, absurdly large penciled on eyebrows scene). And far worse, the show just isn’t funny (shouldn’t that be a requirement for Best Comedy series?).
Sad statement on the state of TV comedies that Girls is considered one of the top 6.
Agreed. How in the world did the Emmy voters think that pilot was worthy of a nomination? Baffles the mind.
I didn’t get a bite until my early thirties, but if I had Dunham’s connections you better believe I’d have leapt at the chance.
Thing is, I’m curious as to how it would have affected my growth if success didn’t include fifteen-plus years of writing for only me, or those late nights wondering whether I’d wasted my degree and disappointed my parents, or lamenting that life would be easier if I was born a soulless math geek instead of an artsy type.
It’s those toxic emotions lead to the most serious self-reflection and, ultimately, the best work.
I think the best thing for Lena Dunham, creatively, is to indulge the “haters”, consider their gripes, then respond by creating something passionate and real. Because of all the writers I know, only the actors and the rich-kids can get away with creating this feather-lite bullshit, and only the actors and the rich-kids are surrounded by publicists and other assorted rubes who tell them that said bullshit is the work of a prodigy. In the moment it sounds great. In the long run, they become Eddie Murphy. Rich? Yes. In touch? Fuck no.
Too right and well said. The show appeals to wannabe hip voters who take their cues from the NY Times. I imagine most of the members who nominated ‘Girls’ are 60+ in age. “Oh yes! We ‘get’ this show. We’re in the know.”
And I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who was puzzled when I heard ‘Girls’ was nominated for best comedy. It’s one of the few shows that needs a laugh track in order to remind us it’s supposed to be funny. A frowny face and lonely long shots do not a comedy make.
Thankfully, you are indeed No One of Consequence. GIRLS is hilarious, brave and brutally honest. And I appreciate articles that celebrate even a micron of progress for women, so thanks, Deadline. But you can always count on the comment backlash from sexist haters, some of which, unfortunately, are also women.
Wait? Girls is a comedy?
Unfortunately in the case of both of them, they prove critics right when they say women aren’t funny.
You sir are very wrong in regards to Amy Poehler. She is hilarious and terrific on Parks & Rec. Lena Dunham is an annoying sad sack.
This comment gets a serious “Yuck” from me.
When saying such-and-such isn’t funny, why do people never consider that they play just as large a role in comedy as the comedian?
For instance, Curb Your Enthusiasm is almost universally considered to be hilarious. But if you’re some Jew-hating honky with a picture of Goebbels in your wallet, there’s pretty much nothing Larry David can do that will make you crack a smile. Instead you’ll just bristle and mutter something cryptic.
Same thing with the “women aren’t funny” argument. If you think women are threatening chirps meant for little more than DNA disposal, you won’t be drawn to her wit regardless of how brilliant it is. Gave the same line to Jimmy Kimmel, you’re in stitches.
There’s the comedian, there’s the material, there’s the viewer.
Really, can we give that tired trope a rest? So YOU don’t like TWO writer-actresses. Sorry, honey, but that doesn’t prove fuckin’ anything.
“Film Prodigy”??? Did you see TINY FURNITURE???? So over hyped, and BORING! Her work on GIRLS is way more deserving of being titled “prodigy” !!!!
Show was great in the beginning but fell flat towards the end of the season. But still a refreshingly good show.
Congrats to Lena and crew!
The phrase “female comedy writers” makes my skin crawl.
Okay, what about that term upsets you? This is something I’ve never heard.
All of you are too old (and probably too jealous) to relate to Girls. Lena Dunham encapsulates the voice and sentiment of my peers in our post graduate abyss. I look forward to her continued success as a writer, director, producer and actress. Congratulations on your much deserved Emmy nomination Lena.
I’ll translate:
“Post graduate abyss” = “life” for everyone else.
I’ll translate further…
“post graduate abyss” = assuming everything will be handed to you because you happen to be a college graduate. BFD. Get out there and hustle like everyone else and stop feeling so damn entitled.
Girls, is the biggest fake I have ever seen. I have been solicited nonstop to vote for this garbage to “put it on the map” as if I care about this unfunny porky trust-funder and her no-talent friends. HBO should be ashamed of itself.
This is why Hollywood never gets it right. We invest too much in generations which are successively less talented. The Emmy suck and are not even worth watching.
Wow. So much negativity on this article. We shouldn’t we celebrate great work by accomplished writers. Rick is so off base: Amy Poehler is one of the funniest women, nay PEOPLE, in show business. I personally don’t enjoy Girls that much, but anyone who understands the medium of TV as an art form should be able to tell why the show has won so many accolades. It’s certainly not one note.
I don’t get the fascination with, and celebration of this rich girls work. Best casting? HA.
Who are you people who wait to post negative comments? Is it because of jealousy? Timidity? I’m baffled by the threads of attacks on those who are taking risks and being recognized.
I was one of the women writing comedy in the 70′s and APPLAUD these women, who are gifted, original and hilarious. My comedy writer friends and I can’t stop talking about Lena Dunham, so young and with such a fresh voice. We all loved her movie and are excited about her work. I’d like to think that our legacy has been useful in opening doors for this talent.
I’m with Sybil, because of what I learned from Sybil herself about how difficult it is to be successful as a female comedy writer. Emmy nods might just help open those doors!
I resent being lumped in with anti-Semites and rednecks just because I find Larry David stultifyingly un-funny.