AFT Awards: Best Directing in a Comedy Series

This is the fifteenth category of the 3rd Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television this past season. For the directing and writing categories, I’ve included only honorable mentions rather than semi-finalists and finalists. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order.
Best Directing in a Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Californication (California Son), The Office (Dunder Mifflin Infinity), Pushing Daisies (Pidgeon), 30 Rock (Cooter), Weeds (Go)

Emmy nominees: Entourage (Tree Trippers), Flight of the Conchords (The Tough Brets), The Office (Stress Relief), 30 Rock (Apollo, Apollo), 30 Rock (Generalissimo), 30 Rock (Reunion)

Honorable mentions: Burn Notice (Bad Blood), Californication (No Way To Treat A Lady), Californication (The Raw and the Cooked), Californication (Slip of the Tongue), Chuck (Chuck Versus the Ring), Flight of the Conchords (Newzealandtown), The Office (Broke), The Office (Michael Scott Paper Company), The Office (Weight Loss), Parks and Recreation (Pilot), Psych (Murder?...Anyone?...Anyone?), Psych (There Might Be Blood), Pushing Daisies (Comfort Food), Pushing Daisies (Dim Sum Lose Some), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Season 1, Episode 1), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Season 1, Episode 5), Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Season 2, Episode 6), 30 Rock (The Bubble), 30 Rock (The Funcooker), 30 Rock (Gavin Volure), 30 Rock (Mamma Mia), Weeds (Head Cheese), Weeds (Till We Meet Again), Weeds (The Whole Blah Damn Thing), Weeds (Yes I Can)

The nominees:
Chuck (Chuck Versus the First Date)
Chuck (Chuck Versus the Colonel)
Monk (Mr. Monk’s 100th Case)
Weeds (I Am the Table)

The season two premiere of “Chuck” paved the way for a sophomore year that was infinitely better than the first, but no episode of the show shined as brightly as the game-changing episode where Sarah disobeys her orders to protect Chuck. I do love clip shows, but the 100th episode of “Monk” was more than just that, and it was brilliantly put together, incorporating many of Monk’s convicted killers while still leaving room for him to solve a new case. Two scenes of “Weeds” sealed the deal for the show’s funniest episode in the midst of a mostly dramatic scene: Shane hitting a bully in the face with a lunch tray to seem intimidating, and Andy feeding Mexicans matzoh.

The winner:
Parks and Recreation (Rock Show)
The sixth episode and finale of NBC’s newest comedy achieved the dramatic height it took “The Office” two seasons to get to (with “Casino Night”) and emphasized that these civil servants are dedicated to filling in this hole, and dim-witted, kind-hearted Leslie might even be able to consider Brendanawicz a true friend.

Next up: Best Writing in a Comedy Series