N.B. These ballots are based on the official submissions and follow the Emmy rules for nominations (i.e. 10 for Programs, 6 for Actors and 5 for Casting). All ballots are in ranked order, with winners in bold.
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
This was one of my favorite categories this year, highlighted by a slew of brilliant comic turns from actors known more for their dramatic work. Of them, the most impressive was...
Jon Hamm, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (for "...Waffles!")
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live (for "Host: Bill Hader")
Michael Rapaport, Louie (for "Cop Story")
John Hawkes, Inside Amy Schumer (for "12 Angry Men...")
Paul Giamatti, Inside Amy Schumer (for "12 Angry Men...")
Woody Harrelson, Saturday Night Live (for "Host: Woody Harrelson")
Honorable Mention: Adam Devine, Modern Family
In May of this year, the acclaimed series "Mad Men" had its series finale, and along with that was the end of Jon Hamm's iconic role as Don Draper. It's not often you find such a well-written role, as Hamm can surely attest as he goes into the next phase of his career. If I were his agent however, I would suggest he consider taking his career in a completely different direction. In his late season appearance on "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", Hamm showed off a surprising knack for comedy. His zany physical comedy and animated expressions had me rolling with laughter. Now that the cat's out of the bag, we're all craving more of these gif-ready performances from "Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome".
Previous Winners
2013: Martin Short, Saturday Night Live
2014: Nathan Lane, Modern Family
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Truth be told, it was slim pickings in this category, especially when Saturday Night Live opted not to submit any of his female hosts. For shame! In the end, there was a clear winner for me...
Lennon Parham, Veep (for "Convention")
Pamela Adlon, Louie (for "Bobby's House")
Gaby Hoffmann, Girls (for "Home Birth")
Jenifer Lewis, Black-ish (for "Please Don't Ask, Please Don't Tell")
Olivia Wilde, Portlandia (for "SeaWorld")
Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (for "Kimmy Goes to Court!")
"Veep" boasts one of the greatest, if not the best, ensembles on television and one of the unsung heroes of this season's cast was Lennon Parham. As Karen Collins - a senior advisor without an opinion of her own - Parham provided a fantastic counterpoint to the show's usual insult comedy style. Cluelessness has rarely been this funny. I'm sure Karen would agree.
Previous Winners
2013: Megan Mullally, Parks and Recreation
2014: Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
