In the 29-year history of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, there have been exactly 100 instances of TV costars competing directly against each other. This has happened at least 13 times in each of the guild’s six individual TV categories, with the highest number of cases having involved male comedy series performers. Since 1995, 13 different pairs and one trio of cast mates have faced off in the Best TV Comedy Actor category, making for a total of 27 occurrences including rematches. So far, three of the men involved in these battles have won.
This category’s high costar showdown total is partially attributed to “Frasier” actors Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce, who were nominated together eight consecutive times. Pierce prevailed once in 1996 and was later joined on the winners list by Robert Downey Jr. (“Ally McBeal,” 2001; over Peter MacNicol) and Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso,” 2022; over Brett Goldstein). Considering all six categories, the ones who follow the “Frasier” stars with the second most head-to-head battles (four) are Dennis Franz and Jimmy Smits of the drama series “NYPD Blue.”
Eight of the 20 TV SAG Awards lineups that have included multiple costar battles apiece have involved male comedy actors, while there have been no more than three such instances in each of the other five categories. This includes 2023 contenders Anthony Carrigan and Bill Hader of “Barry” and Steve Martin and Martin Short of “Only Murders in the Building.”
Scroll through our photo gallery to learn more about the 27 cases of dual nominations in this category, and be sure to tune in to the 29th SAG Awards ceremony, streaming live on Netflix’s YouTube channel on Sunday, February 26.
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Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce (‘Frasier,’ 1995-2002)
Image Credit: NBC Characters: Frasier Crane and Niles Crane
Characters’ relationship: Brothers
Seasons: 1 – 9
Results:
1995 – Both lost to Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”)
1996 – Pierce won
1997-1998 – Both lost to John Lithgow (“3rd Rock from the Sun”)
1999-2000 – Both lost to Michael J. Fox (“Spin City”)
2001 – Both lost to Robert Downey Jr. (“Ally McBeal”)
2002 – Both lost to Sean Hayes (“Will & Grace”) -
Jason Alexander and Michael Richards (‘Seinfeld,’ 1996-1998)
Image Credit: NBC Characters: George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer
Characters’ relationship: Friends
Seasons: 6 – 9
Results:
1996 – Both lost to David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”)
1997-1998 – Both lost to John Lithgow (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) -
Robert Downey Jr. and Peter MacNicol (‘Ally McBeal,’ 2001)
Image Credit: Fox Characters: Larry Paul and John Cage
Characters’ relationship: Boyfriend and boss of lawyer Ally McBeal
Seasons: 3 – 4
Result:
Downey won -
Peter Boyle and Ray Romano (‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ 2002)
Image Credit: CBS Characters: Frank Barone and Ray Barone
Characters’ relationship: Father and son
Seasons: 5 – 6
Result:
Both lost to Sean Hayes (“Will & Grace”) -
Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett, and Ray Romano (‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ 2004)
Image Credit: CBS Characters: Frank Barone, Robert Barone, and Ray Barone
Characters’ relationships: Father and sons
Seasons: 7 – 8
Result:
All lost to Tony Shalhoub (“Monk”) -
William Shatner and James Spader (‘Boston Legal,’ 2006)
Image Credit: ABC Characters: Denny Crane and Alan Shore
Characters’ relationship: Law firm coworkers
Seasons: 1 – 2
Result:
Both lost to Sean Hayes (“Will & Grace”) -
Ty Burrell and Ed O’Neill (‘Modern Family,’ 2011)
Image Credit: ABC Characters: Phil Dunphy and Jay Pritchett
Characters’ relationship: Son and father-in-law
Seasons: 1 – 2
Result:
Both lost to Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”) -
Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet (‘Modern Family,’ 2012-2013; 2015)
Image Credit: ABC Characters: Phil Dunphy and Cameron Tucker
Characters’ relationship: Brothers-in-law
Seasons: 2 – 6
Results:
2012-2013 – Both lost to Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”)
2015 – Both lost to William H. Macy (“Shameless”) -
Bill Hader and Henry Winkler (‘Barry,’ 2019)
Image Credit: HBO Characters: Barry Berkman and Gene Cousineau
Characters’ relationship: Acting student and teacher
Season: 1
Result:
Both lost to Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) -
Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas (‘The Kominsky Method,’ 2019-2020)
Image Credit: Netflix Characters: Norman Newlander and Sandy Kominsky
Characters’ relationship: Acting agent and client
Seasons: 1 – 2
Results:
2019-2020 – Both lost to Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) -
Dan Levy and Eugene Levy (‘Schitt’s Creek,’ 2021)
Image Credit: PopTV Characters: David Rose and Johnny Rose
Characters’ relationship: Son and father
Season: 6
Result:
Both lost to Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”) -
Steve Martin and Martin Short (‘Only Murders in the Building,’ 2022-2023)
Image Credit: Hulu Characters: Charles-Haden Savage and Oliver Putnam
Characters’ relationship: Neighbors and podcast cohosts
Seasons: 1 – 2
Results:
2022 – Both lost to Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)
2023 – Pending -
Brett Goldstein and Jason Sudeikis (‘Ted Lasso,’ 2022)
Image Credit: Apple TV+ Characters: Roy Kent and Ted Lasso
Characters’ relationship: Fellow football coaches
Season: 2
Result:
Sudeikis won -
Anthony Carrigan and Bill Hader (‘Barry,’ 2023)
Image Credit: HBO Anthony Carrigan and Bill Hader (‘Barry,’ 2023)
Characters: NoHo Hank and Barry Berkman
Characters’ relationship: Organized crime associates
Season: 3
Result:
Pending
