Emmys 2015: Five Things To Watch Out For In The Comedy Races

Transparent dazzled critics last fall and stormed the Golden Globes, nabbing the Best Comedy Series trophy, but will all the buzz impress Emmy voters? Emmy voters are notoriously old-fashioned in comparison to the Hollywood Foreign Press. They’ve given the top prize to Modern Family for five years in a row, so they definitely favor traditional sitcoms over alternative fare. Still, Transparent’s marked itself as a show about what a “modern family” looks like in 2015. America is embracing the LGBT community and maybe that means the Emmys might, too. Other potential contenders for the throne this year include the CW’s Jane the Virgin (which won its appeal to be considered as a comedy), Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and HBO’s stellar Veep.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of Emmy’s favorite actresses. She’s won for her work on Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and most recently, Veep. While she’s the favorite to win, there are a bunch of other talented women hot on her heels. Both Amy Schumer and Amy Poehler could beat her — Schumer is riding a huge amount of buzz and Poehler never won for Parks & Recreation (and this would be her last year to be nominated). Of course, people were also wowed by two of Netflix’s leading ladies: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Ellie Kemper and Grace and Frankie’s Lily Tomlin. (And I wouldn’t count out The Comeback’s Lisa Kudrow.) Looks like Louis-Dreyfus might have to work extra hard this year for the award.

For the past five years, The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons has dominated at the Emmys. He’s won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series four times – which ties him with Michael J. Fox, Kelsey Grammar, and Carroll O’Connor for the most ever in the category. If Parsons wins this year, he would hold the all-time record. But Jeffrey Tambor could spoil all that. The veteran actor wowed critics with his performance as a transgender woman in Transparent and he snagged this year’s Golden Globe in the category. All things considered, it’s the race to watch this year; if either actor wins, history will be made.

Broadway star Tituss Burgess has been pounding the proverbial pavement for over a decade, but his supporting turn in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt may make him a star — and earn him an Emmy. Burgess has been getting quite a bit of buzz, but will it be enough to secure him a nomination? He’ll also have to contend with “newcomers” to the category like Grace and Frankie’s Martin Sheen, Veep’s Hugh Laurie, and Jane the Virgin’s Jaime Camil.

It’s hard to believe, but Jon Hamm has never won an Emmy. He’s been nominated eleven times for his work on Mad Men and for his guest appearances on 30 Rock, but he’s yet to take home the prize. Emmy pundits believe that will all change this year. While it’s true that the Academy may finally give Hamm the award for his work on the final season of Mad Men, many are buzzing that he’s also a shoe-in for his turn as the delightfully despotic Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. And since the Guest Actor awards are typically handed out earlier at the Creative Arts Emmys Ceremony, we may see Hamm accept his very first Emmy for his wonderful work humping an ottoman…

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