Last year’s nominees:
Entourage, “No Cannes Do”
Flight of the Conchords, “Sally Returns”
The Office, “Goodbye Toby”
The Office, “Money”
Pushing Daisies, “Pie-lette” (winner)
30 Rock, “Rosemary’s Baby”
This category is particularly tough to predict because there are so many contenders. I went through the ballot in this category and narrowed it down to a whopping 35 possibilities representing 12 shows. I’ve slimmed it down to ten contenders below, but it’s possible that any of the other 25 could easily be nominated.
The contenders:
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, “The Best Thing That Could Ever Have Happened” (Larry Shaw)
ABC’s primetime soap opera was a hit with Emmy voters in its first season, and that’s actually the last and only time this show merited a mention in this category. It won that award in 2005 for the pilot episode, and hasn’t been back since. This standalone episode, the show’s 100th, has a decent shot at breaking back into the list. While it’s hardly comic, it offers a deeper look into all the main characters by emphasizing their relationships with a dead handyman (Beau Bridges) introduced in that very episode. It’s a chance for the show to receive recognition again for a harmless episode that may appeal more to non-regular viewers.
ENTOURAGE, “Gotta Look Up To Get Down” (Mark Mylod)
HBO’s buddy comedy has been nominated in this category every year since its inception, even earning two mentions in 2006. The first three years boasted impressive nominated episodes (the pilot, the Sundance episode, the hot day in the valley), but last year’s episode wasn’t that grand or special (No Cannes Do). That’s why the prospects this year, which are bleak, may still be enough to get the show nominated for a truly sub par season. The mushrooms episode is out, so is the Dom one, and so this episode, guest-starring Jason Isaacs and featuring Ari receiving an enticing offer, is the show’s best shot. I think this could be the year the “Entourage” misses the boat for the first time, but we’ll see.
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, “The Tough Brets” (James Bobin)
Last year, FOTC made a surprising showing in the directing and writing categories with one nomination apiece, and this year, when the show could finally have taken off with voters, the show got axed. This episode, where Bret starts a gang, is the show’s sole submission in this category, and therefore has a decent shot as a way for voters to recognize this very strange, very unique departed comedy. Bobin directed last year’s nominated episode, and he’ll likely repeat for this year’s entry.
THE OFFICE, “Company Picnic” (Ken Kwapis)
NBC’s Emmy-winning comedy is actually fairly new to this race, with three nominations in its four years of eligibility. Last year’s super-sized finale episode, “Goodbye, Toby,” was one of the nominees, and therefore this year’s finale, “Company Picnic,” which once again gathers the office members together for a special event and once again reunites Steve Carrell and Amy Ryan, has a terrific shot at earning a nomination. The problem the episode faces is that it’s one of 12 submitted by the series, and therefore it’s truly give or take whether this will be one of the five selected. Kwapis is a nominee for directing 2007’s “Gay Witch Hunt.”
THE OFFICE, “Michael Scott Paper Company” (Gene Stupnitsky)
This is another one of the 12 episodes submitted by “The Office” for consideration in this category, but it has a sparkling advantage. This installment really launches the unique arc explored in this season, which follows Michael on his quest for independence and to see if he can rival his former company for clients and success. “Two Weeks” and “Broke” represent the start and finish of this plotline, and they’re both submitted, but this one is the core of the plotline and captures it well for the visiting viewer. Stupnitsky was nominated last year for writing the episode “Dinner Party.”
THE OFFICE, “Weight Loss” (Paul Feig)
The fifth season premiere of “The Office” is one of the season’s most well-rounded installments that can be appreciated by all viewers, and it offers an excellent reintroduction to all the characters returning from the hiatus, plus an endearing proposal. Director Feig was cited for directing last year’s finale “Goodbye, Tony” and for writing two episodes of “Freaks & Geeks” in the early 00s. There’s a lot of tough competition to face, but “Weight Loss” is the ideal kind of “Office” episode that would get nominated for an Emmy.
PARKS & RECREATION, “Pilot” (Greg Daniels)
Daniels, an Emmy winner for writing the “Office” episode “Gay Witch Hunt,” moved over to his new series and helmed its pilot. The show is very similar to “The Office,” which could mean good news for its Emmy chances, but it’s important to note that the NBC workplace comedy didn’t even earn a single Emmy mention for its first six-episode run, and it was only for its second (first full) season that it won the Best Comedy Series award. Another NBC pilot, “My Name is Earl,” won this award several years ago, but it’s more likely that “Parks & Recreation” will sit this race out for this year, despite the popularity and better chances of star Amy Poehler. Also in the running: the season finale “Rock Show.”
30 ROCK, “The Bubble” (Tricia Brock)
NBC’s satiric comedy has ten episodes in the running, and this was the first that caught my eye. It wraps up the Jon Hamm guest-starring arc with Liz’s discovery that he has things easy in life because he’s so good-looking. It’s a very typical “30 Rock” plotline which works very well and utilizes its characters and situations tremendously. For its first two years, “30 Rock” earned one directing nomination and two writing nominations. If it follows the same pattern, I think this could very well be the lone episode to slide in.
30 ROCK, “The Fun Cooker” (Ken Whittingham)
This is one of the typically outlandish installments of “30 Rock” that centers itself around a hilarious theme – finding a non-offensive name for a new product – without going too far off the deep end. Last year’s directing nomination from “30 Rock” was for the episode “Rosemary’s Baby,” which heavily involved Jack trying to influence Tracy’s dog-fighting habits and Liz’s search for a heroine in a disgruntled crazy ex-writer. This episode is similar in construction, centering around Jack’s search for a name and Liz’s absence due to jury duty, and could benefit from that.
30 ROCK, “Gavin Volure” (Gail Mancuso)
This, in my opinion, was the strongest episode of the third season of “30 Rock,” featuring Steve Martin in a guest-starring role as an old friend of Jack’s who never leaves his home and develops a fondness for Liz. It’s an extremely likeable funny episode, and Tracy’s fears about his life make for an excellent side plotline. It may fare better in the writing category, but it’s still a wise entry by the show and should place well among the votes for this category.
Also look out for the pilot episodes of “Better Off Ted” and “The United States of Tara,” installments of “The Big Bang Theory,” “Californication,” “Scrubs,” and “Weeds,” and additional episodes of “The Office” and “30 Rock.”
The roundup:
The past three years have included six nominees instead of the traditional five. For the past five years, the winner has been the pilot episode a new show (Arrested Development, Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl, Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies). After those initial wins, none of those shows returned the following year, and “Pushing Daisies” didn’t even submit any episode this year. If I had to pick blindly, I’d assemble a lineup with two “Office” episodes, two “30 Rock” episodes, the “Flight of the Conchords” episode, and an “Entourage” installment thrown in as a possible six.
Current predictions:
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, “The Tough Brets”
THE OFFICE, “Michael Scott Paper Company”
THE OFFICE, “Weight Loss”
30 ROCK, “The Bubble”
30 ROCK, “The Fun Cooker”
Next up: Best Writing in a Comedy Series
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