2023 Emmy Predictions: Best Comedy Guest Actor

Matthew Stewart
·6 min read
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In 2022, Nathan Lane became the sole record holder for most Best Comedy Guest Actor Emmy nominations (six) and then achieved his very first TV academy honor for his work on “Only Murders in the Building.” Having just earned another bid for the Hulu series, he could soon join six other two-time recipients of this award, including back-to-back champs Jay Thomas (“Murphy Brown”) and Mel Brooks (“Mad About You”). Although his chances are strong, he also faces the unique challenge of having to fend off a fellow former winner.

Seeking a bookend trophy of his own is “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” guest actor Luke Kirby, who was lauded for the same series in 2019. Lane is also involved in an immediate rematch with Sam Richardson (“Ted Lasso”) and faces fresh opposition from category newcomer Oliver Platt (“The Bear”) and Emmy first-timers Jon Bernthal (“The Bear”) and Pedro Pascal (“Saturday Night Live”).

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In order to determine if any of Lane’s competitors can stop him from establishing a streak, let’s take a closer look at each nominee. Be sure to make your predictions in this and 29 other Creative Arts Emmy categories by September 9.

Jon Bernthal as Mikey Berzatto (“The Bear”)
Episode: “Braciole”

Two decades into his eclectic career, Bernthal has finally caught the attention of Emmy voters with his fleeting yet crucial performance as Mikey, the deceased older brother of series protagonist Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White). Viewers don’t get to see much of the secretly troubled and too-soon departed restaurateur, but his larger-than-life presence lingers heavily throughout the entire first season as Carmy and several others grapple with his loss and the mess he left behind.

Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Episode: “Four Minutes”

Kirby, who was last nominated for this series in 2020, plays legendary stand-up comic Lenny Bruce in 16 episodes, including its very first and last ones. In the character’s first of two final scenes, which is set about a year before his untimely death, he is approached by talent manager Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein), who offers to help reinvigorate his career but is ultimately brushed off. He is then given one last chance to shine opposite lead character Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) in a poignant flashback scene that involves him giving her what proves to be the most impactful piece of professional advice she’s ever heard.

Nathan Lane as Teddy Dimas (“Only Murders in the Building”)
Episode: “Here’s Looking at You…”

This nomination makes Lane only the second man to be recognized in this category multiple times for multiple series, after Fred Willard (“Everybody Loves Raymond”; “Modern Family”). He previously earned three mentions of his own for “Modern Family” (2011, 2013-2014) and one each for “Frasier” (1995) and “Mad About You” (1998), as well as a drama guest bid for “The Good Wife” (2013). In his submitted episode, Lane’s Teddy returns home after having been arrested for murder toward the end of the first season. After informing his accuser, Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), of his “transformative” experience behind bars, he makes a sinister promise that, as he awaits trial, he will find a way to exact revenge.

Pedro Pascal as Host and various sketch characters (“Saturday Night Live”)
Episode: “Host: Pedro Pascal”

Pascal is in the running for three Emmys this year, having also earned notices for Best Drama Actor (“The Last of Us”) and Best Narrator (“Patagonia”). His potential guest win would be the eighth for a male “SNL” host, after those of Eddie Murphy (2020) and dual champs Justin Timberlake (2009, 2011), Jimmy Fallon (2012, 2014), and Dave Chappelle (2017, 2021). In his debut appearance on the sketch series, he embodies eight different characters, including a recently comatose man whose voice has completely changed, an overprotective mother meeting her son’s girlfriend, and a gritty version of Nintendo’s Mario.

Oliver Platt as Jimmy “Cicero” Kalinowski (“The Bear”)
Episode: “Dogs”

Platt has now been Emmy-nominated for four different series, with his past bids having come for his dramatic performances on “The West Wing” (guest, 2001), “Huff” (supporting, 2005-2006), and “Nip/Tuck” (guest, 2008). Here, he plays the Berzatto siblings’ cranky Uncle Jimmy, who expects to recoup the $300,000 he loaned Mikey prior to his suicide. Carmy, who has resolved to pay the debt rather than simply sell his restaurant to his uncle, spends this episode catering Jimmy’s son’s birthday party, which puts the first small dent in his tab. As the event winds down, the two men share a heartfelt conversation focused on Jimmy’s memories of Carmy’s late father.

Sam Richardson as Edwin Akufo (“Ted Lasso”)
Episode: “International Break”

After having last been seen in the second season finale, Richardson’s Edwin Akufo returns for a single third season episode in which he further harrasses his former football prospect, Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), and attempts to recruit several Premier League team owners into his own super league. As before, the dastardly African billionaire is left fuming after failing to gain support for his avaricious plan, this time after AFC Richmond head Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) openly berates him in front of their colleagues.

So, who will win the 2023 Emmy for Best Comedy Guest Actor? Although Lane’s two-scene performance in his chosen episode is expectedly top notch, his show received 35% fewer nominations than it did in its first year, and voters may be content with having finally awarded him once. What’s more, he would be far from this category’s first winner to lose on a subsequent bid for the same series, as that unfortunate group already includes actors such as Anthony LaPaglia (“Frasier”), Bob Newhart (“The Big Bang Theory”), and, of course, Kirby.

If voters veer from Lane, they might instead recognize their prime opportunity to reward another long-ignored veteran by putting some gold in Platt’s hands. He, Bernthal, and Pascal can take comfort in knowing that seven of the last 10 recipients of this award were category first-timers, but Pascal may be hindered by the fact that most same-year multi-nominees go home empty handed. Given Platt’s time-tested appeal, the size of his role compared to Bernthal’s, and the sheer popularity of “The Bear,” he may truly be the one to watch.

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