Emmy Predictions 2017: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Last Year’s Winner: Louie Anderson, “Baskets”
Still Eligible: Yes.
Hot Streak: There hasn’t been a back-to-back winner in the category since Jeremy Piven won three years in a row for “Entourage.”
Fun Fact: Tony Hale, Ty Burrell, and Eric Stonestreet have all won twice in the past seven years, but never consecutively.
Last year saw two “Veep” supporting actors land nods, but let’s see if we can get a few more in 2017. In addition to Tony Hale (who’s won twice in the past four years) and Matt Walsh (who snagged his first nod in 2016), Timothy Simons, Kevin Dunn, and Gary Cole are all more than deserving of some TV Academy love. Sure, that would take up five of the six slots, but can we really argue against any of them?
Those willing to try include last year’s winner Louie Anderson, who returns stronger than ever in the second season of “Baskets.” Andre Braugher will try to keep his three-year hot streak going on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and Ty Burrell hopes to get back in the contenders’ circle for “Modern Family.” Tituss Burgess has won over voters two years running, so don’t count out a third nod for the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star.
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And then there’s the newcomers, led by a potential surprise: Alec Baldwin on “SNL.” The TV Academy’s 50 percent rule states if an actor appears in more than half the episodes of a given season, that actor has to be considered in the supporting category instead of the guest acting category. Because Baldwin has already appeared in more than half of Season 42’s 21 episodes, he’ll be competing as a Supporting Actor.
That’s bad news for someone: either Baldwin, who would have been a shoo-in as a Guest Actor, or whomever he edges out in this race. Brian Tyree Henry hopes it’s not him, as the “Atlanta” actor looks to help represent FX’s formidable new comedy. Kevin Bacon could earn his second Emmy nomination for “I Love Dick,” Jill Soloway’s upcoming Amazon comedy. Ted Danson (“The Good Place”) aims to get back into Emmys’ good favor for the first time since 2010, while Jay Duplass (“Transparent”), Desmin Borges (“You’re the Worst”), and the “Silicon Valley” men — T.J. Miller, Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, and Martin Starr — are all hoping this is their year.
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Below are IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers’ predictions for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (in alphabetical order), which will be updated throughout the awards season. Make sure to keep checking IndieWire for all the latest buzz and highlights from the 2017 race, and read the rest of the predictions in all categories, as well.
Predicted Nominees:
Louie Anderson, “Baskets”
Alec Baldwin, “SNL”
Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Tony Hale, “Veep”
Timothy Simons, “Veep”
Spoilers: Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”; Ted Danson, “The Good Place”; Bryan Tyree Henry, “Atlanta”; Matt Walsh, “Veep”
In a Perfect World: Desmin Borges, “You’re the Worst”; Kevin Dunn, “Veep”
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