Wednesday, August 3, 2011

AFT Awards: Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

This is the third category of the 5th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television this past season. This year, semi-finalists are included to recognize more of the impressive work being done on television today. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series


Last year’s nominees: Steve Carell, Jeffrey Donovan, Zachary Levi, Danny McBride, James Roday

Emmy nominees: Alec Baldwin, Steve Carrell, Louis C.K., Johnny Galecki, Matt LeBlanc, Jim Parsons

Semi-finalists: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Tim DeKay (White Collar), Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice), David Duchovny (Californication)

Finalists: Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down) made more of a fool of himself than ever before as a non-Spanish speaker in Mexico. Matt LeBlanc (Episodes) was game to mock himself with a surprisingly layered self-portrayal. Zachary Levi (Chuck) entered the next stage of his personal life as his spy life intensified even more. James Roday (Psych) continued to solve cases with a distinctively false and hilarious style. Matthew Bomer (White Collar) lent his distinctive personality and charm to con anyone less clever than him.

The nominees:

Thomas Jane (Hung) found himself being pulled in many directions but never compromised the services he offered to his clients. William H. Macy (Shameless) was fiercely committed to being a deadbeat deranged dad. Steve Carell (The Office) smartly spent his last year in the office at the top of his game. Ed O’Neill (Modern Family) carried the only true lead role on his ensemble with a signature sarcastic attitude.

The winner:

Jason Schwartzman (Bored to Death) displayed an inimitable enthusiasm for the dullest of cases, sentences, and words, constantly elevating his show to an entirely higher level.

Next up: Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

6 comments:

Greg Boyd said...

You think Ed O'Neil is a lead? If anyone from "Modern Family" qualifies as a lead, isn't it Ty Burrell?

I like the rather unusual picks, though (even if I haven't seen most of the shows). Only thing you're missing is Joel McHale on "Community".

Movies with Abe said...

I really wasn't sure about that one. I had him in supporting last year, but I don't buy the idea of there not being a lead on a show, and I think that O'Neill was much more centric this season than Burrell, who might have been more prominent in season one. I try not to be swayed by Emmy categorizations - note "Shameless" in comedy rather than drama - and only rarely do I succeed.

I didn't like "Community" from the start, and while it's a show with a cleverness I could probably appreciate, it's just not for me. If it ever does get nominated for Emmys, I'll watch the submitted episodes, but until then, I'm all set.

Richter Scale said...

I still don't buy Shameless as a comedy. I see it as a very irreverent family drama. There's so much that happens in that show that I find is too harsh to be a comedy (and I even find the show very moving). Yes, I laugh a lot, but to me Shameless is a drama.

Also, I think Modern Family is kind of like Friends. An ensemble show. I don't know if they will all eventually go lead like they did, but I can definitely see why they're all submitting supporting. I would put Ed O'Neil as lead if I had to pick (him and Julie Bowen, I find she was very central this season).

I would actually add Jim Parsons to this lineup, but I know you're not a fan of that show either so I wasn't expecting him. I'll have to check out some of the shows you did nominate (I've never seen Bored to Death).

Movies with Abe said...

Richter, I always thought of "Shameless" as a comedy much like some of Showtime's other series like "Weeds" or "The Big C," more of a comedic drama but not a drama in the same sense. I also put "Burn Notice" and some of the other USA shows in comedy rather than drama.

I've watched five of the seven submitted episodes of TBBT, and I'll admit that I do find it, and the performances of the lead actors, quite enjoyable.

Richter Scale said...

Awesome!!! I would love to see some reviews of those episodes if you're up for it. Would you say you're ready to start watching and reviewing the show on a weekly basis or is it one of those shows you would just catch up on once in a while? Just curious! As for Shameless, I don't know, it just feels that given the situation these characters are in, I can't quite call it a comedy (and the scenes that resonate with me most are the dramatic scenes), which is why it's really hard for me to see it as a comedy. I can see Burn Notice and other USA shows more as comedies, but not this one (I feel it's like calling Dexter a comedy). That's just me though.

Movies with Abe said...

I'm not planning on posting full reviews, but I am hoping to be able to write brief summaries and thoughts in my Best Comedy Series & Best Comedy Actor predictions post. I don't have much interest in watching the entire show, especially since we're so far in at this point, but it's not something I would turn off if I saw it on TV in the future.