AFT Awards: Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series

This is the eighteenth category of the 8th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2013-2014 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: Episodes, New Girl, Parks and Recreation, Shameless, Veep

Semi-finalists: Family Tree, House of Lies

Finalists: Silicon Valley brought together a few oddballs for an uncomfortable but fun team. Welcome to the Family didn’t have much time to prove itself, but its cast showed plenty of comedic promise. Eastbound and Down reunited its most prominent players for one last glorious inning. Hello Ladies emphasized awkwardness and used its performers to the best of their abilities to aid with that. Modern Family isn’t as good as it used to be, but its actors are still pretty decent. The nominees:

Parks and Recreation lost two of its regular players but none of its momentum thanks to the fine work of the rest of its cast and a few notable new additions. Orange is the New Black was literally a madhouse, carefully balancing many outrageous and pitch-perfect performances. Episodes brought in a new boss who only contributed to the zany nature of the reliable returning players. New Girl didn’t have an even season but its cast was still firing on all cylinders.

The winner:

Veep was fantastic all around, letting all its characters come fully out of their shells in the midst of a memorable campaign.

Next up: Best Drama Series