AFT Awards: Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series

This is the eighteenth category of the 7th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2012-2013 seasons. Finalists and semi-finalists are included to recognize more of the impressive work done on television today. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Girls, House of Lies, New Girl, Parks and Recreation, Veep

Semi-finalists: 30 Rock, Apartment 23, Common Law, Girls, House of Lies, Royal Pains, The Mindy Project, White Collar, Wilfred

Finalists: Enlightened brought together a team of determined outcasts, all keenly cast for maximum dramatic impact. Californication opened its web to include even crazier personalities, making for a wildly entertaining season. Modern Family continues to employ one of the most talented casts on television, even if this season didn’t showcase their best work. Ben and Kate took a simple premise and made it great fun because of the players involved, and it’s a shame that they only got thirteen episodes to show it. Weeds went out on a high note with the same actors who started with the show eight years ago seeing it through to the end.

The nominees:

Veep worked best because of the synchronous nature of its cast, always in tune with each other and ready to drop an insult at another’s expense. Shameless gave its characters even more depraved things to do, and its ensemble was at the ready. Episodes took some more dramatic turns, and its cast was more than prepared to deal with them. New Girl was highly entertaining thanks to the cohesiveness of its tight-knit cast.

The winner:

Parks and Recreation continued to coast on a comedic high thanks to the committee efforts of its spectacular cast.

Next up: Best Cancelled Series