COMEDY SERIES, WRITING, DIRECTING Predictions & Analysis

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series;

1.    Louie – Louis C.K. (Episode “Duckling”)

2.    Curb Your Enthusiasm – Robert B. Weide (Episode “Palestinian Chicken”)

3.    Girls – Lena Dunham (Episode “She Did”)

4.    Modern Family – Steve Levitan (Episode “Baby On Board”)

5.    New Girl – Jake Kasdan (Episode “Pilot”)

6.    Modern Family – Jason Winer (Episode “Virgin Territory”)

Of the six nominees, Jason Winer is the one that has the smallest chances of winning. His directing in Virgin Territory is effective, but it doesn’t really feature incredible shots or decisions – it comes across as a pretty standard episode and a filler nomination, even. Sure, Modern Family is Emmy’s favorite comedy, but Steve Levitan’s nomination is more deserved and will probably grab more votes.

The Pilot of New Girl is pretty nice and everybody knows the voters love to nominate and reward pilots for writing and directing. Still, New Girl is not a show that did extremely well with the academy in its first season, like other shows that won the award for the Pilot episode, such as Glee and Desperate Housewives, and it isn’t as distinctive as episodes such Pie-Lette, from Pushing Daisies. There’s also very little hype over it, so its chances are quite small.

Steve Levitan, nominated for Modern Family’s Baby On Board, has a very nice episode and a deserved nomination. In this episode, we see scenes that are satirically soap-opera like, big and confusing, and then more heart-warming, smaller scenes, such as the ones in the Lily’s recital or the last scene with Cameron and Tucker, both of them laid on the ground. It doesn’t come across as a winning episode, but, being Modern Family, it definitely has its chances.

Lena Dunham was nominated for directing the incredible season finale of Girls. I think she has a very big chance to win this – not only are her show and herself very appreciated by the Emmys, She Did has a lot of factors that could lead it to a win: the fight scene between Hannah and her boyfriend, combined with the romantic and beautiful scenes at the surprise wedding and the amazing indie shots of Hannah in the subway and the final scene at the beach. It’s an incredibly nice episode and very well put together.

Robert B. Weide also has a big chance for directing one of the seasons’ most acclaimed episodes, Palestinian Chicken. The episode itself is hilarious and it has many moments that are Emmy-worthy for him, whether it is the confusion at the golf club, the dinner scene, with that comedic tension growing, the fight over the cake, the hilarious sex scene and, finally, the impeccable ending. The hype over this episode, associated with its quality, might lead him to a win.

I think the winner, though, is Louis C.K. With a lot of nominations this year, the Emmy voters appear to really enjoy his show – or, at least, the technical qualities of it, since Louie, itself, wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. When I watched Duckling, I was quite sure nothing could surpass Palestinian Chicken. But Duckling is a very acclaimed episode, too, and I was blown away by the directing in it. It has, maybe, the widest range of moments, going from smaller and cuter ones, such as the one where Louis shows the cheerleader the duckling, to the bigger, tenser ones, such as when the helicopter has to land, the final “confront” or when Louis thought they’d be attacked. It also has beautiful landscapes and big shots that might help it to win.

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES:

 1.    Parks and Recreation – Amy Poehler (Episode “The Debate”)

2.    Girls – Lena Dunham (Episode “Pilot”)

3.    Louie – Louis C.K. (Episode “Pregnant”)

4.    Community – Chris McKenna (Episode “Remedial Chaos Theory”)

5.    Parks and Recreation – Michael Schur (Episode “Win, Lose or Draw”)

That’s one of the toughest races because there seems to be no clear frontrunner whatsoever. I think that Parks and Recreation might win this, since it got two amazing episodes and it is a very well-received show. Michael Schur wrote a very good episode, that is funny, touching, poignant and remarkable. I think, though, that this episode might lack a unity – when I remember it, I think more of its bits and pieces than of its entirety. It’s probably an odd thing to say, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it won, but I simply think the other ones have bigger chances.

Chris McKenna won the most original episode here, and his very satisfying nomination could lead to a win, but Community is still not very appreciated by Emmy voters and the idea of it winning one of the main categories without even having been nominated in others is odd. Also, it is a funny episode, but not the funniest of the bunch, I suppose. Still, he definitely has the chance to win because of the originality and awesomeness of the episode.

I think the funniest episode here is Pregnant, but maybe that’s just me. Still, I think it has its chances, since Louis C.K. is someone the voters seem to like, the episode is funny at moments, but raw and sad at others and, overall, an impressive installment.

Lena Dunham has a big chance and benefits from being the only contender here whose show was actually nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. She could easily win this with the Pilot of her show. Even though it seems to be the least funny episode, it still has nice, entertaining lines, but, most importantly, it introduces the characters and the style that made some critics call her the “voice of her generation” in the best way possible. It is mesmerizing and makes you want to watch the next one, which is the biggest indication a Pilot succeeded. Also, Dunham has a lot of hype going for her, now, so she can also benefit from this.

Ultimately, I think Amy Poehler’s The Debate will win. It is a very entertaining, well-received episode of Parks and Recreation that relies a lot on writing, because of the speeches and answers of the debate. Not only is it funny in its introductions of crazy characters in the election and also on the competition of Leslie and Bobby, it also features a very beautiful speech in the ending by Amy Poehler’s character. The episode has some hype, since it was one of the most expected episodes of the season of Parks and Recreation, and the Amy-Poehler-is-overdue factor might help it as well.

Should Win for Series

1. The Big Bang Theory
2. Curb
3. Morden Family
4. Veep
5. 30 Rock
6. Girls

Will Win

1. Morden Family
2. Curb
3. Veep.
4. The Big Bang Theory
5. Girls
6. 30 Rock