Emmys 2017: The dark horse pick to win every major category
Courtesy: Netflix
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Pamela Adlon, Better Things
- Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
- Allison Janney, Mom
- Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
- Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
- Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
The Emmys love recognizing Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her work as Selina Meyer on Veep and as long as Louis-Dreyfus keeps knocking her performance out of the park, there’s no reason to believe they’re going to stop. And while her competition in the field for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series all earned their noms, none of them vaulted to the undeniably acclaimed levels of Veep.
Still, it would be a delightful coup to see Tracee Ellis Ross win, as she’s hilarious on Black-ish, and the show navigated the tricky waters of post-election humor with nuance and jokes. Plus, it would also be a feather in the cap for broadcast network comedies. The talk vis-a-vis redeeming broadcast television is all about This Is Us, but recognition for Black-ish could do well to ensure networks continue to fund and support quality sitcoms too.
Moreover, Ellis Ross has been thinking about her acceptance speech since she was 12 and we’d love to see what she has to say. That, coupled with the fact she would be the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy since 1981 and she set history with her Golden Globes win, creates an aura around her win that makes her a strong upset candidate.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
- Aziz Ansari, Master of None
- Zach Galifianakis, Baskets
- Donald Glover, Atlanta
- William H. Macy, Shameless
- Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Donald Glover almost definitely and certainly should win for Atlanta. Fans, critics, cynics — with whatever perspective you approach your picks, Glover makes sense. His comedic timing is impeccable and he performs equally well as the straight man or in physical farce. You could even argue that because his FX show is new and, at times, very weird, that he’s also a dark horse! (He’s not. He’s very much the favorite.)
That, in turn, puts Aziz Ansari in prime upset position for Master of None. Like Glover, he’s the man behind and center stage in an auteur comedy, beloved by millennials and heralded for bringing some much-needed representation to the TV landscape. If you wanted to recognize everything that makes Glover buzz-worthy but not recognize Glover, for some reason, Ansari would be your pick. (A more forgiving interpretation would be wanting to recognize Ansari’s and Glover’s progress but preferring Ansari’s performance. After all, Master of None and Atlanta are very different shows.)