AFT Awards: Best Writing in a Comedy Series

This is the sixteenth category of the 11th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2016-2017 season. 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 Writing in a Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Bottles (Casual), Pilot (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), The Other Man (Master of None), The Morning After (You, Me, Her), Pilot (You, Me, Her)

Emmy nominees: Atlanta (B.A.N.), Atlanta (Streets on Lock), Master of None (Thanksgiving), Silicon Valley (Success Failure), Veep (Georgia), Veep (Groundbreaking)

Semi-finalists: A Woman First (Veep), Amarsi Un Po (Master of None), Chadwick's Angels (Making History), Chapter 10: A Hostile Jury (Trial and Error), Chapter 12: The Defense Rests (Trial and Error), Chapter 13: The Verdict (Trial and Error), Everything Is Fine (The Good Place), Georgia (Veep), Hooli-Con (Silicon Valley), Insecure as F*ck (Insecure), Kimmy Bites an Onion! (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Kimmy is a Feminist! (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Kimmy Learns about the Weather (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Pilot (People of Earth), Racist as F*ck (Insecure), Rebel Rebel (Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll), Run for the Money (Vice Principals), Server Error (Silicon Valley), Terms of Service (Silicon Valley), The Floor (Grace and Frankie), The Gun (Grace and Frankie), The Heat (The Detour), The Principal (Vice Principals), The Tub (The Detour), Toast Can't Never Be Bread Again (Orange is the New Black), Weaponized Soul (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency)

Finalists: Michael's Gambit (The Good Place), Kimmy Googles the Internet! (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), The Boyfriend Experience (Making History), Justice (Veep), Looking for Mr. Goodbrain, Part 2 (iZombie)

The nominees:

Episode 1 (Fleabag)
First Date (Master of None)
Last Day on Earth (People of Earth)
Chapter 9: Opening Statements (Trial and Error)

The first episode of Amazon’s superb and biting comedy, an exemplary installment of Netflix’s exploration of life and culture, an inspiring piece of alien engagement from TBS, and a standout absurd half-hour of NBC’s new mockumentary series were all very well-penned.

The winner:

Horizons (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) constructed a formidable and unparalleled premise and brought it to magnificent, marvelously entertaining life in its debut episode.

Next up: Best Ensemble in a Drama Series