Emmy nominations prove comedies are where the best TV is right now
It’s cold, the couch is comfy, so why go out and battle the elements? Rug up with these seven shows that are guaranteed to make you laugh.
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Game of Thrones and its record 32 Emmy nominations may have stolen the headlines but there’s a much better story when it comes to American TV’s big awards night.
Amid the usual hurrahs and grumbles — which includes surprising snubs for Julia Roberts and Homecoming, Emma Stone, Cary Fukunaga and Maniac, Better Things, Catastrophe, The Good Wife and D’Arcy Carden — the real story of the Emmys is how much it got right.
Forget about the drama categories, those are pretty boring, even set aside the really great titles in the Limited Series or TV Movie, the most thrilling races this year are in comedy.
For once, there’s not some tedious hangover of a tired broad comedy edging out more deserving nominees. Every series on this list actually belongs here. Every one of them is guaranteed to make you laugh.
The breadth of incredible comedy shows that finally cracked into the Emmy nominations this year is proof it’s the funniest that are at the top of the TV game. But with so many shows demanding our attention every day, it’s easy to miss them.
These are the amazing Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy nominees you need to watch, and how to watch them.
Other key nominations: Bill Hader for Lead Actor, Writing and Directing, Anthony Carrigan, Stephen Root and Henry Winkler for Supporting Actor, Sarah Goldberg for Supporting Actress, Writing and Directing
Laced with tragicomedy and pathos, Barry features Bill Hader as a PTSD-afflicted war veteran turned gun for hire turned wannabe actor. Barry is running from his past, but can’t seem to run away far enough. That pull between redemption and old habits underpin the drama of the show.
Hader gives a perfectly calibrated performance as a man with a conscience as conflicted as Barry while Anthony Carrigan’s Noho Hank, a Chechan mob boss who confesses he’s more of an “optometrist by nature” than a goon, is just so playful.
Watch it: Foxtel Now and iTunes
Other key nominations: Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Lead Actress and Writing, Olivia Colman and Sian Clifford in Supporting Actress, Fiona Shaw and Kristin Scott Thomas in Guest Actress, Directing
Written by and starring the current Queen of Everything Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the six-episode series is so sharp, you’ll feel like someone has prodded you in the side with a pointy sword — or maybe that’s the stitch you’ll develop from laughing so hard.
Centred on a thirty-something woman we only know as Fleabag, the series is not so much plot-driven as it is a dissection of her strange life. She lives in London, has a prickly relationship with her family, including a messy but ultimately loving relationship with her sister.
It’s undeniably dark with a wicked sense of humour. Every moment is perfect.
Watch it: Seasons one and two on Amazon Prime Video, season one on iTunes
THE GOOD PLACE
Other key nominations: Ted Danson for Lead Actor, Maya Rudolph for Guest Actor, Writing
About bloody time the Emmys recognised The Good Place as the smartest comedy on network TV — it’s actually the only non-cable, non-streaming series that made the cut.
A philosophy class in stealth, The Good Place with its high concept premise about the afterlife is irresistibly charming and perpetually reinventing itself. Every performance from its diverse ensemble cast is on point, especially the sinfully talented D’Arcy Carden who couldn’t be more watchable.
Watch it: Netflix and iTunes
Other key nominations: Rachel Brosnahan for Lead Actress, Tony Shalhoub for Supporting Actor, Marin Hinkle for Supporting Actress, Directing
If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, then you’ve probably already seen this show twice over. If you’re not familiar with the cracking, witty dialogue of Sherman-Palladino, you’re about to be in a for a treat, even if it might give you whiplash.
Set in a candy-coloured version of 1950s Manhattan, the story is centred on Midge Maisel, a fast-talking Jewish housewife who discovers a prodigious talent for stand-up comedy after her husband up-ends their lives.
Marvelous Mrs Maisel won the Emmy last year, as did its star Rachel Brosnahan, and for good reason. The second season is even faster, wackier and more winning.
Watch it: Amazon Prime Video
Other key nominations: Natasha Lyonne for Lead Actress and Writing
When Russian Doll came out in February, it was the first great TV show of 2019, laying down a formidable challenge to all that would follow.
Co-created, written by and starring Natasha Lyonne, it’s a clever story about a woman on the night of her birthday party who can’t seem to escape the loop of death and reset. Think Groundhog Day if Groundhog Day was more existential and prickly.
It’s darkly hilarious and it’s a show you can polish off in under four hours.
Watch it: Netflix
SCHITT’S CREEK
Other key nominations: Catherine O’Hara for Lead Actress and Eugene Levy for Lead Actor
This acerbic Canadian comedy has been flying under the radar for some years and it’s finally broken through to the mainstream thanks to its recent-ish debut on Netflix.
When the very wealthy Rose family is defrauded of all their money, all they’re left with is a backwoods town they once bought as a joke.
Schitt’s Creek’s deliciously warped sense of humour is only outdone by Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy’s ridiculous (in a good way) performances.
Watch it: Seasons one to five on Netflix, seasons one and two on ABC iview, seasons one to four on iTunes
Other key nominations: Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Lead Actress, Anna Chlumsky for Supporting Actress, Tony Hale for Supporting Actor, Writing
The final season of Veep is every bit as venomous and absurd as what came before — if anything, the toxicity of Veep’s world of wacky politics seems to have been dialled up, maybe to match what’s happening in the real world.
Selina Meyer’s campaign to reclaim the presidency and every illegal or corrupt compromise she’ll happily make is horrifying viewing but it’s also a guilty pleasure — which begs the question, what does that say about us?
Watch it: Foxtel Now and iTunes
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Originally published as Emmy nominations prove comedies are where the best TV is right now
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