Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by show. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.

Hiro Murai, Atlanta (New Jazz)
Bill Hader, Barry (710N)
Lucia Aniello, Hacks (There Will Be Blood)
Mary Lou Belli, The Ms. Pat Show (Baby Daddy Groundhog Day)
Cherin Dabis, Only Murders in the Building (The Boy from 6B)
Jamie Babbit, Only Murders in the Building (True Crime)
MJ Delaney, Ted Lasso (No Weddings and a Funeral)

Aniello and Delaney were both nominated last year, when Aniello prevailed. Mirai and Hader were nominated the last time their shows were eligible, and Hader is also contending for acting on his show and guest-starring on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” this year. Murai is also up this year for helming “Station Eleven.” Babbit was previously nominated for “Silicon Valley.” Aniello and Hader are both up for writing different episodes. “Atlanta” and this category’s most unexpected inclusion, “Schitt’s Creek,” are both not up for Best Comedy Series. While it’s possible that Dabis could prevail or Aniello could repeat, it’s hard to find an episode quite as formidable as Hader’s, which I think gives him the edge.

What should win: These are some decent choices, but nothing comes close to “710N.”
What will win: I’m backing Barry to win.

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Emmy Nominees: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

My predictions: 4/7

The nominees: New Jazz (Atlanta), 710N (Barry), There Will Be Blood (Hacks), Baby Daddy Groundhog Day (The Ms. Pat Show), The Boy from 6B (Only Murders in the Building), True Crime (Only Murders in the Building), No Weddings and a Funeral (Ted Lasso)

I’ll be honest - I had never heard of The Ms. Pat Show before today. I look forward to checking out the nominated installment to see what it’s all about. I correctly predicted that the lone submitted installments from Atlanta, Barry, and Hacks would make the cut, and I chose two incorrect episodes of Ted Lasso. It’s great to see two episodes of Only Murders in the Building cited.

What should win? Nothing compares to this particular episode of “Barry” for me.
What will win? I feel like one of the “Only Murders in the Building” installments is the smart pick, but I’ll stick with Bill Hader and Barry.

Emmy Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 12th. As always, chime in below in the comments with any thoughts of your own.

Last year’s nominees: Pilot (B Positive), In Case of Emergency (The Flight Attendant), There Is No Line (Hacks), Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak (Mom), Biscuits (Ted Lasso), The Hope That Kills You (Ted Lasso), Make Rebecca Great Again (Ted Lasso)

The top contenders:
Ava vs. Superintendent (Abbott Elementary)
Pilot (Abbott Elementary)
Yasper (The Afterparty)
New Jazz (Atlanta)
710N (Barry)
The Watermelon (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Seeing Double (The Flight Attendant)
Pete's Wife (Ghosts)
Alone at Last (The Great)
Heads It's Me (The Great)
A Simple Jape (The Great)
There Will Be Blood (Hacks)
Ethan...Esther...Chaim (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Not Like a Shvantz Right in the Face (Minx)
The Boy from 6B (Only Murders in the Building)
True Crime (Only Murders in the Building)
Pilot (Our Flag Means Death)
It's Cow or Never (Peacemaker)
Yuki (Pen15)
Hunting (Reservation Dogs)
Nowhen (Russian Doll)
Station to Station (Russian Doll)
Schmigadoon! (Schmigadoon!)
Beard After Hours (Ted Lasso)
Inverting the Pyramid of Success (Ted Lasso)
No Weddings and a Funeral (Ted Lasso)
Rainbow (Ted Lasso)
The Wellness Center (What We Do in the Shadows)

The rundown: Last year, Ted Lasso submitted four episodes and earned three nominations, and that may happen again this year. The solo installment from Hacks should have no trouble getting in, and it’s worth noting the return of three shows with a history of multiple bids in this category: Atlanta, Barry, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. One show that hasn’t managed a single bid in this race since 2012 but did amass four nominations in a single year is Curb Your Enthusiasm, and from the new contenders, I’d assume Only Murders in the Building and Reservation Dogs have the best shot.

The predicted nominees: New Jazz (Atlanta), 710N (Barry), There Will Be Blood (Hacks), How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall? (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), The Boy from 6B (Only Murders in the Building), Beard After Hours (Ted Lasso), Inverting the Pyramid of Success (Ted Lasso)

The predicted winner: I see this going to Only Murders in the Building.

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by show. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.

James Burrows, B Positive (Pilot)
Susanna Fogel, The Flight Attendant (In Case of Emergency)
Lucia Aniello, Hacks (There Is No Line)
James Widdoes, Mom (Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak)
Zach Braff, Ted Lasso (Biscuits)
Declan Lowney, Ted Lasso (Make Rebecca Great Again)
MJ Delaney, Ted Lasso (The Hope That Kills You)

Burrows is the most-nominated and most-honored director in this category, with twenty-six career bids, seven of which were for “Will and Grace,” and five wins, most recently for “Frasier” in 1994. Aniello, who I got to interview, is also nominated as a writer and producer. Braff was previously nominated for acting in “Scrubs” in 2005. Both “B Positive” and “Mom” are not nominated for Best Comedy Series. A show with multiple nominations hasn’t won since 2012. Pilots do often win, with a premiere episode triumphing every year from 2004-2008 and then again in 2010 and 2018.

What should win: I’m happy with most of these, and I think I’d choose “Hacks” or one of “Ted Lasso” episodes.
What will win: While this could be a chance for “Hacks” to break through, I think Ted Lasso scores, though I’m not sure for which episode. Maybe “The Hope That Kills You.”

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Emmy Nominees: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

My predictions: 5/7

The nominees: Pilot (B Positive), In Case of Emergency (The Flight Attendant), There Is No Line (Hacks), Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak (Mom), Biscuits (Ted Lasso), The Hope That Kills You (Ted Lasso), Make Rebecca Great Again (Ted Lasso)

What a nice surprise to see B Positive, a show I really enjoy that I don’t think is most critics’ idea of a good time, here, joining another CBS sitcom and first-time nominee in this race, Mom. Comedy nominations leader Ted Lasso only managed to earn bids for three of its four submitted episodes (all but the pilot), while the very worthwhile first installments of The Flight Attendant and Hacks are also here. It’s a good list!

What should win? It’s hard to choose – maybe “Hacks” or “The Flight Attendant” or any of the “Ted Lasso” options?
What will win? I’m not too sure, but I’ll bet on Make Rebecca Great Again to best three pilots.

Emmy Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 13th. As always, chime in below in the comments with any thoughts of your own.

Last year’s nominees: The Great (The Great), It’s Comedy or Cabbage (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Marvelous Radio (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Finale, Part 2 (Modern Family), Miakhalifa.mov (Ramy), Happy Ending (Schitt’s Creek), We Love Lucy (Will and Grace)

The top contenders:
Pilot (B Positive)
Pilot (Chad)
December 19 (Cobra Kai)
I’m Nobody! Who Are You? (Dickinson)
Split the Lark (Dickinson)
In Case of Emergency (The Flight Attendant)
Pilot (Generation)
Alf Musik (Girls5eva)
Pilot (Girls5eva)
There Is No Line (Hacks)
Chapter 17. In All the Old Familiar Places (The Kominsky Method)
User One (Made for Love)
Moments in Love, Chapter 4 (Master of None)
Pilot (Mr. Mayor)
Opening Night (Pen15)
Pilot (Rutherford Falls)
Beach (Shrill)
All Sales Final (Superstore)
Biscuits (Ted Lasso)
For the Children (Ted Lasso)
The Hope That Kills You (Ted Lasso)
Make Rebecca Great Again (Ted Lasso)
Rhymes with Broke (Woke)
Zoey’s Extraordinary Goodbye (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)

Unlike most other categories, not a single one of the shows nominated in this race last year is eligible. There’s exactly one previous nominee, Master of None, though its wins came in the writing category and not here. It’s hard to know exactly where to start but probably good to begin with the shows expected to be frontrunners in the Best Comedy Series race. I don’t see why Ted Lasso couldn’t earn bids for all four of its submitted episodes, which would be the first time since 2003 a show pulled off that feat (“Curb Your Enthusiasm” won one of its four bids that year). Both The Flight Attendant and Hacks chose only one episode, which means they’re likely to be included, while Girls5eva has two installments which might or not be selected. I think that Made for Love stands a good chance, and I think that Pen15 could probably graduate to this category after earning a writing bid last year. Six episodes of The Politician seems excessive considering that the show barely got noticed last year. There are also five episodes of Mythic Quest submitted, and since I don’t watch it, I don’t know if any installments stand a better shot than any others. Beyond that, I’d love to see Dickinson, Shrill, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, but I’m not sure any of them are all that likely.

The predicted nominees: In Case of Emergency (The Flight Attendant), There Is No Line (Hacks), Biscuits (Ted Lasso), For the Children (Ted Lasso), The Hope That Kills You (Ted Lasso), Make Rebecca Great Again (Ted Lasso)

The predicted winner: I’m not sure, but maybe The Flight Attendant?

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

AFT Awards: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

This is the nineteenth category of the 14th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2019-2020 season. This year, I’m including a shorter list, with just nominees and a few finalists, if applicable. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Finale (Casual), Episode 1 (Fleabag), Episode 6 (Fleabag), Midnight at the Concord (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Ne Me Quitte Pas (Ramy)

Emmy nominees: The Great (The Great), It’s Comedy or Cabbage (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Marvelous Radio (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Finale Part 2 (Modern Family), Miakhalifa.mov (Ramy), Happy Ending (Schitt’s Creek), We Love Lucy (Will and Grace)

Finalists: Uncle Naseem (Ramy), The Death of Fil (Kidding), Chapter One Hundred (Jane the Virgin), If Only You Knew (Dead to Me), Pilot (The Politician), Strike Up the Band! (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Marvelous Radio (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Pilot (Upload), Lowkey Lost (Insecure), Frank in the Future (Ramy), Ballad of the Lonesome Loser (High Fidelity), Favorable Matchup (Brockmire), ‘Faith’ is a fine invention (Dickinson), 14 (Pt. 2), 12, 11, 10 (Work in Progress), 180 Almonds (Work in Progress), Atlantic City (Ramy), Citizen Carl (Shameless), You Are Naked in Front of Your Sheikh (Ramy), Steady Rain (Better Things), Five Stars (Upload), Beep Panic (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

The nominees:

Whenever You're Ready (The Good Place)
No Dad (Breeders)
Parachute (The Great)
Run (Run)

The winner:

The Beaver's Nose (The Great) was the immensely satisfying capper to a season of build-up, taking all of the best elements of the show and blowing them up into something new and wondrous.

Next up: Best Writing in a Comedy Series

Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by show. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.

Matt Shakman, The Great (The Great)
Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (It’s Comedy or Cabbage)
Daniel Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Marvelous Radio)
Gail Mancuso, Modern Family (Finale, Part 2)
Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Miakhalifa.mov)
Andrew Cividino and Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Happy Ending)
James Burrows, Will and Grace (We Love Lucy) 

Sherman-Palladino won this award two years ago for her show’s pilot, and both she and Palladino were nominated last year. Mancuso has three previous nominations for “Modern Family,” and she won this prize in 2013 and 2014. Youssef is also nominated as a performer, as is Levy, who also contends for writing. Burrows is the most-nominated and most-honored director in this category, with twenty-five career bids, six of which were for “Will and Grace,” and five wins, most recently for “Frasier” in 1994. Shows with multiple nominations sometimes win this category, but it hasn’t happened since 2012. Only “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Schitt’s Creek” are nominated for Best Comedy Series, a very unusual occurrence.

What should win: I’d go with “Ramy” or either of the “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” episodes.
What will win: It’s possible that departing shows and past Best Comedy Series winners “Modern Family” or “Will and Grace” could win their fifth and first trophies in this race, respectively, for their series finale, but I’m betting on another series finale that’s nominated for a number of other prizes this year: Schitt’s Creek.

Emmy Nominees: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

My predictions: 4/7

The nominees: The Great (The Great), It’s Comedy or Cabbage (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Marvelous Radio (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Finale Part 2 (Modern Family), Miakhalifa.mov (Ramy), Happy Ending (Schitt’s Creek), We Love Lucy (Will and Grace)

I’m pleased with myself for predicting the Will and Grace episode that made the cut here, and I probably should have seen the Modern Family finale coming. Both episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel got in, as did the series finale of Schitt’s Creek. I’m very happy with the other two nominees, the pilot of The Great, a show which sadly underperformed, and a standout installment (though not the best of the season) of Ramy, which also didn’t do nearly as well as it should have.

What should win? I haven’t seen the “Modern Family” finale. It’s a toss-up between “The Great,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and “Ramy.”
What will win? I think Will and Grace takes it.

AFT Awards: Best Directing in a Comedy Series

This is the fifteenth category of the 13th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2018-2019 season. This year, I’m including a shorter list, with just nominees and a few finalists, if applicable. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Directing in a Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Episode 1 (The End of the F***ing World), Dance Dance Resolution (The Good Place), The Expo (Loaded), Pilot (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), The Most Popular Boy (Vice Principals)

Emmy nominees: The Audition (Barry), ronny/lily (Barry), The Stockholm Syndrome (The Big Bang Theory), Episode 1 (Fleabag), All Alone (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), We’re Going to the Catskills! (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Finalists: None

The nominees:

Episode 1 (Fleabag)
Finale (Casual)
Midnight at the Concord (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Episode 6 (Fleabag)

The winner:

Ne Me Quitte Pas (Ramy) felt like a magical dream, zooming out from its protagonist’s worldview to show a distinctly different and extremely worthwhile perspective.

Next up: Best Writing in a Comedy Series

Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by show. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.
Alec Berg, Barry (The Audition)
Bill Hader, Barry (ronny/lily)
Mark Cendrowski, The Big Bang Theory (The Stockholm Syndrome)
Harry Bradbeer, Fleabag (Episode 2.1)
Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (All Alone)
Daniel Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (We’re Going to the Catskills!)

Sherman-Palladino won this award last year for her show’s pilot. Cendrowski was nominated last year, and now contends for the series finale of his show. Hader was nominated last year and contends again for acting on his show. Berg has a previous directing bid and five previous writing nominations for “Silicon Valley.” Hader and Berg are also nominated for writing “ronny/lily” and the same installment of “Fleabag” is also up for writing. Only “The Big Bang Theory” isn’t nominated for Best Comedy Series.

What should win: These are all fine choices, save for Hader’s episode, which I really didn’t like. I’d probably pick “Fleabag” or either of the “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” hours.
What will win: I’m picking Sherman-Palladino to repeat for “All Alone.”

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Emmy Nominees: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

My predictions: 3/6

The nominees: The Audition (Barry), ronny/lily (Barry), The Stockholm Syndrome (The Big Bang Theory), Episode 1 (Fleabag), All Alone (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), We’re Going to the Catskills! (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

This is a decent list, and I think I’m happiest about the two episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel making the cut. I like Barry too, though I’m not sure what people see in the “ronny/lily” episode. The series finale of The Big Bang Theory marks the show’s second consecutive nomination, and I look forward to watching it as I’m sure it’s fun. I really have to catch up on Fleabag, which did enormously well overall. I am surprised that “Veep” didn’t show up at all despite multiple previous nominations in this category each year.

What should win? Of the four I’ve seen, I’d choose either of the Maisel episodes.
What will win? I think All Alone might win.

Emmy Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 16th. As always, chime in below in the comments with any thoughts of your own.

Last year’s nominees: FUBU (Atlanta), Teddy Perkins (Atlanta), Make Your Mark (Barry), The Bow Tie Asymmetry (The Big Bang Theory), Pilot (GLOW), Pilot (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Initial Coin Offering (Silicon Valley)

The top contenders:
Episode 2 (After Life)
The Audition (Barry)
ronny/lily (Barry)
The Stockholm Syndrome (The Big Bang Theory)
Pilot (Dead to Me)
Episode 1 (Fleabag)
Andre and Sarah (Forever)
Mother of All Miracles (GLOW)
Perverts Are People, Too (GLOW)
Rosalie (GLOW)
Janet(s) (The Good Place)
Chapter 1: An Actor Avoids (The Kominsky Method)
Chapter 2: An Agent Grieves (The Kominsky Method)
All Alone (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
The Punishment Room (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
We’re Going to the Catskills! (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Saving Mikaela (Ramy)
Strawberries (Ramy)
Nothing in This World Is Easy (Russian Doll)
Discovery Weekend (Veep)
Veep (Veep)

This category will open up a bit this year thanks to “Atlanta” and “Silicon Valley” not airing, but expect both submitted episodes of Veep to show up here. Three sophomore shows have a good shot at returning, though it’s hard to know if they will after they were nominated last year only for their pilots: Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and GLOW. Given its first-time showing in this category last year for its season finale, the series finale of The Big Bang Theory stands a good shot at showing up this year too. Freshman contenders include The Kominsky Method, Ramy, Russian Doll, Dead to Me, After Life, and Forever, and both The Good Place and Fleabag could show up too.

The predicted nominees: The Audition (Barry), The Stockholm Syndrome (The Big Bang Theory), Chapter 1: An Actor Avoids (The Kominsky Method), All Alone (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Discovery Weekend (Veep), Veep (Veep)

The predicted winner: I expect this to go to the pilot of The Kominsky Method, though the series finale of “Veep”could prevail too.

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

AFT Awards: Best Directing in a Comedy Series

This is the fifteenth category of the 12th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2017-2018 season. This year, I’m including a shorter list, with just nominees and a few finalists, if applicable. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Directing in a Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Weaponized Soul (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency), Amarsi Un Po (Master of None), Toast Can’t Never Be Bread Again (Orange is the New Black), Last Day on Earth (People of Earth), The Principal (Vice Principals)

Emmy nominees: FUBU (Atlanta), Teddy Perkins (Atlanta), Chapter One: Make Your Mark (Barry), The Bow Tie Asymmetry (The Big Bang Theory), Pilot (GLOW), Pilot (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Initial Coin Offering (Silicon Valley)

Finalists: None

The nominees:

Dance Dance Resolution (The Good Place)
The Expo (Loaded)
Pilot (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
The Most Popular Boy (Vice Principals)

The winner:

Episode 1 (The End of the F***ing World) presented a magnificently intriguing universe occupied by two people with their own unique perspectives on what the world has to offer them.

Next up: Best Writing in a Comedy Series

Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by show. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.

Donald Glover, Atlanta (FUBU)
Hiro Murai, Atlanta (Teddy Perkins)
Bill Hader, Barry (Chapter One: Make Your Mark)
Mark Cendrowski, The Big Bang Theory (The Bow Tie Asymmetry)
Jesse Peretz, GLOW (Pilot)
Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Pilot)
Mike Judge, Silicon Valley (Initial Coin Offering)

Glover won this award last year, and he also contends for writing and starring in his show this year. This is the fifth consecutive nomination for Judge. Hader also contends for writing and starring in his show this year, and Sherman-Palladino is also up for writing her episode. This is the first-ever nomination for “The Big Bang Theory,” which is in his eleventh season. The pilot installments of “Barry” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” are also nominated for writing.

What should win: “Barry,” “The Big Bang Theory,” or “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
What will win: Honestly, any of them could win. My bet is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but it could be either episode of “Atlanta” or “The Big Bang Theory” too.

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Emmy Nominees: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

My predictions: 4/6, missing “GLOW” and “Barry”

The nominees: FUBU (Atlanta), Teddy Perkins (Atlanta), Chapter One: Make Your Mark (Barry), Pilot (GLOW), Pilot (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Initial Coin Offering (Silicon Valley)

Look at this! Three pilots in the running here, which is pretty cool. I didn’t watch past the pilot of GLOW but did find it intriguing enough. Silicon Valley didn’t keep up its streak of two nominations each year with just one episode in the running this year, while last year’s winner Atlanta did manage to score two nominations, both of which I can understand even though I really didn’t like one of them.

Who should win? I’d give this to “Barry” or “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Who will win? I’ll go with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel though it could easily be either episode of “Atlanta” also.

Emmy Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, July 12th. As always, chime in below in the comments with any thoughts of your own.

Last year’s nominees: B.A.N. (Atlanta), Intellectual Property (Silicon Valley), Server Error (Silicon Valley), Blurb (Veep), Groundbreaking (Veep), Justice (Veep)

The top contenders:
FUBU (Atlanta)
Teddy Perkins (Atlanta)
Chapter One: Make Your Mark (Barry)
Fatwa! (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
The Pickle Gambit (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Thank You For Your Service (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Episode 3 (The End of the F***ing World)
Episode 5 (Episodes)
Pilot (GLOW)
Hella Perspective (Insecure)
Mrs. X at the Gaslight (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Pilot (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Chief Operating Officer (Silicon Valley)
Initial Coin Offering (Silicon Valley)
Mark’s Lunch and Two Cups of Coffee (SMILF)
Rosario’s Quinceanera (Will and Grace)

There are three slots open this year thanks to “Veep” not airing, and it’s possible that a few of them could go to Curb Your Enthusiasm, which netted four slots back in 2003 and three in 2004. It’s eligible here since the episodes are all considered improvised and therefore not up for writing, but there are far too many installments (six) submitted for it to be clear which ones are frontrunners. Both episodes of Atlanta stand a good chance of being included, and there’s no reason to think that the two submitted episodes of Silicon Valley won’t make it three in a row for that show. New series haven’t tended to make much of a dent aside from “Atlanta” last year, but expect The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to, and maybe GLOW also. I’m less confident about Barry or SMILF but they’re possible too.

The predicted nominees: FUBU (Atlanta), Teddy Perkins (Atlanta), Fatwa! (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Pilot (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Chief Operating Officer (Silicon Valley), Initial Coin Offering (Silicon Valley)

The predicted winner: If enthusiasm for the show is as predicted, count on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel over runner-up “Atlanta.”

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

AFT Awards: Best Directing in a Comedy Series

This is the fifteenth 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 Directing in a Comedy Series

Last year’s nominees: Pilot (Casual), Pilot (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Japan (Girls), The Panic in Central Park (Girls), Nashville (Master of None)

Emmy nominees: Atlanta (B.A.N.), Silicon Valley (Intellectual Property), Silicon Valley (Server Error), Veep (Blurb), Veep (Groundbreaking), Veep (Justice)

Semi-finalists: All I Ever Wanted (Girls), Bang Bang (Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll), Buona Notte (Master of None), Chapter 10: A Hostile Jury (Trial and Error), Chapter 12: The Defense Rests (Trial and Error), Chapter 13: The Verdict (Trial and Error), Chapter 9: Opening Statements (Trial and Error), Episode 6 (Fleabag), First Date (Master of None), Fix Everything (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency), Georgia (Veep), Groundbreaking (Veep), Hooli-Con (Silicon Valley), Insecure as F*ck (Insecure), Justice (Veep), Kimmy and the Trolley Problem (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Kimmy Bites an Onion! (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Looking for Mr. Goodbrain, Part 2 (iZombie), Michael's Gambit (The Good Place), Pilot (Brockmire), Pilot (People of Earth), Remember, Ruby, Remember (You, Me, Her), Server Error (Silicon Valley), The Cleaner (The Catch), The Foundation of Learning (Vice Principals), The House of Uncanny Truths (Search Party), The Job (The Detour), The Seventh Layer (You're the Worst), The Shot Heard Round the World (Making History)

Finalists: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Girl No One Knew (Search Party), Terms of Service (Silicon Valley), Kimmy is a Feminist! (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), No Longer Just Us (You're the Worst), Episode 1 (Fleabag)

The nominees:

Weaponized Soul (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency)
Last Day on Earth (People of Earth)
Toast Can't Never Be Bread Again (Orange is the New Black)
The Principal (Vice Principals)

These four episodes couldn’t have been more different. An informative, action-packed hour brought together all of the mystery from a truly puzzling season on BBC America, an enlightening episode showed the best of what TBS’ alien comedy, an intense and powerful season finale of Netflix’s drama masquerading as a comedy, and the opening installment of a fantastically depraved new HBO show were all superbly steered by their directors.

The winner:

Amarsi Un Po (Master of None) was a wondrous, impossibly romantic portrayal of dreamlike love that truly captured the spirit of what could be on Netflix’s above-average comedy.

Next up: Best Writing in a Comedy Series

Emmy Winner Predictions: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by show. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.

Donald Glover, Atlanta (B.A.N.)
Jamie Babbit., Silicon Valley (Intellectual Property)
Mike Judge, Silicon Valley (Server Error)
Morgan Sackett, Veep (Blurb)
David Mandel, Veep (Groundbreaking)
Dale Stern, Veep (Justice)

This is the fourth consecutive nomination for Judge and the second for Mandel and Stern. Mandel and Glover are also nominated for writing, and Glover contends as the star of his show as well. Despite a win two years ago for writing and three nominations in this category this and last year, “Veep” has yet to win an Emmy for directing. In fact, “Transparent” won this award the past two years, “Modern Family” won four times in a row before that, and anything else isn’t on anymore, which means we’ll have a new winner. Last year, the same number of episodes of “Silicon Valley” and “Veep” faced off against one episode of another show and lost.

What should win: Honestly, any of these except for the “Atlanta” episode I really didn’t like.
What will win: It’s hard not to predict the lone Atlanta episode to beat out the competition. I’d expect “Groundbreaking” to be its top competition if the HBO shows don’t split their own votes.

Next up: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Emmy Nominees: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

My predictions: 5/6, missing only “Atlanta”

The nominees: B.A.N. (Atlanta), Intellectual Property (Silicon Valley), Server Error (Silicon Valley), Blurb (Veep), Groundbreaking (Veep), Justice (Veep)

It’s not too hard to do well predicting this category when, for the second year in a row, two HBO shows have all their submitted episodes nominated. I’m a big fan of Silicon Valley, which is always recognized here but should be elsewhere as well, and I’m rooting for it. These episodes of Veep were pretty good too – I’ll provide more analysis in my winner predictions. I liked Atlanta, but I wasn’t too fond of this episode in particular and the format in which it was presented.

Who should win? Probably “Server Error”
Who will win? I’m guessing Veep for “Groundbreaking.”