Emmy spotlight: Lisa Ann Walter (‘Abbott Elementary’) teaches us about comedy timing

Jacob Sarkisian
·6 min read
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Lisa Ann Walter is hoping for a first-ever Emmy bid as season two of “Abbott Elementary” looks to up its awards success from the first outing, which won three Emmys. ABC’s mockumentary season comes from multi-hyphenate Quinta Brunson, who stars in the show as well as creates it, writes it, and produces it. It follows a group of public school teachers who work in one of the worst schools in the country but their love for teaching makes them stay to try and better the school and its students. The show is full of wonderful comedic performances, not least from “The Parent Trap” star Walter.

Walter plays second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, who is close with Sheryl Lee Ralph‘s Barbara. Both teachers are veterans at Abbott Elementary, while some of Melissa’s connections outside of school are deemed questionable. Walter has a lot of fun as Melissa, who has her share her of tender moments but who also cracks out the one-liners and barbed wit better than anyone else can. The running jokes about her potential connections to the mafia are also some of the funniest recurring gags in the show, with Walter delivering them with the knowingness and timing of a seasoned comedic performer. Critics agree, Walter is in great form here.

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Daniel D’Addario (Variety) claimed: “Lisa Ann Walter’s character, early on, felt like a delivery mechanism for a single joke about a shadily amoral person, but Walter’s performance, and her character Melissa’s easily bruised pride, is edging out into interesting new directions.”

Kristen Lopez (Indie Wire) observed: “The supporting cast is equally comical in different ways. Walter, as Melissa Schemmenti, drops into every episode with an old school Mafia moment, from asking if the cameraman is Sicilian to bringing in a union guy telling the children about a riot — which leads to a great discussion about how history often plays down aggressive moments that produce change in favor of compromise.”

Dan Einav (Financial Times) explained that Walter is one example of why the show works so well — her performance balancing genuine sweetness with razor-sharp wit: “The show masterfully balances its sweetness with acidic barbs, most of them courtesy of inappropriate principal Ava (Janelle James) and mafia-adjacent Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter). There are also some gently indignant observations about the dysfunctionality of the US education system.”

This critical reception has led to Walter being included in our lineup of predicted nominees for Best Comedy Supporting Actress, alongside Sarah Goldberg (“Barry”), Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”), Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”), Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”), and Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”). She is on the precipice, with Jessica Williams (“Shrinking”) hot on her heels, but she is in our predicted eight. And for good reason.

While Walter is perhaps best known for playing housekeeper Chessy in the classic movie “The Parent Trap,” “Abbott Elementary” introduces her to new audiences and re-introduces her to those of us who already knew her. As such, this performance is something of a renaissance for Walter — and Emmy voters love that narrative. Waddingham had been a solid theatre actress for some time, while she also had a small role in “Game of Thrones,” but it was her supporting turn in “Ted Lasso” that gave her career new life. She ended up with two nominations for Best Comedy Supporting Actress and a win in 2021. Similarly, her co-star Temple returned to the limelight after her performance in that show, too, garnering two bids in the same category in the same years in the process. And Borstein was a theatre actress who played Meg in “Family Guy” before she starred in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” That show gave her four nominations and two wins (in 2018 and 2019). Walter’s career arc is similar to these performers and would fit this narrative of rewarding re-emerging actresses finally being awarded the recognition they deserve.

And we know that “Abbott Elementary” is popular with Emmy voters. The first season was nominated for seven awards, including a bid for Best Comedy Series, while it won Best Comedy Writing, Best Comedy Casting, and Best Comedy Supporting Actress for Ralph (James was nominated alongside her). So, we know that voters are partial to nominating supporting performances in this show — Walter could easily benefit from that. But don’t worry about the fact that Walter will have to compete with James and Ralph. The Emmys have no problem nominating three actors from the same show in this category. They do it all the time.

Last year, Waddingham, Temple, and Sarah Niles were all nominated for “Ted Lasso,” while, in 2021, Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon, and Aidy Bryant all received bids for “Saturday Night Live.” And McKinnon and Bryant were nominated alongside Leslie Jones for the same show in 2018. If Walter, James, and Ralph were all nominated for “Abbott Elementary” this year, it wouldn’t be unusual. It would just be another example of voters rewarding performances they really love in this category. And what may help Walter and company secure those bids is the outstanding critical acclaim they have.

The second season of “Abbott Elementary” sits on a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. That gives them an edge over their competitors as only one other show in the mix for this category matched this score — season one of “The Bear.” The other competing seasons in this category scored below that. The fourth and final season of “Barry” sits on 95%, season three of “Ted Lasso” is on 79%, and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” earned 95% for its fifth and final season. Combine that with the fact that Walter has already won an award for her performance in this show this year — Best TV Comedy Ensemble at the SAG Awards — and Walter has a pretty strong case to earn her first-ever Emmys bid. Here’s hoping.

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