Emmy nominations 2011: supporting comic actor category needs a reboot

When the nominees for the 2011 Emmy Awards were announced earlier today, a (predictable) outcry over snubs soon followed. Some are upset that Fringe's John Noble was overlooked. Others are incensed about Busy Philipps not receiving a nod for Cougar Town. Still more are puzzled that The Walking Dead didn't claim a stake for Outstanding Drama Series. 

But one entire category struck me as truly egregious, and even patently offensive. That category is, as you may have guessed, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

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This category and I have never really seen eye to eye.  It's been hard, year after year, to watch the likes of Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambour, Tracy Morgan, Jack McBrayer, and Rainn Wilson lose consistently to Brad Garrett and Jeremy Piven. Yet this year illustrates more than ever why this category needs a major overhaul.

This year's nominees are Chris Colfer (Glee), Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Ed O'Neill (Modern Family), and Ty Burrell (Modern Family). Let's break them down, shall we?

Chris Colfer has earned rave reviews for his portrayal of openly gay teen Kurt Hummel on Glee. Colfer is undeniably talented and last year, when this category was almost identical, I thought he was a perfect choice. Then a friend of mine made a very good point: there's not a lot of comedy to Colfer's performance. As touching as his acting can be, it's clear that he excels at drama rather than humor. Obviously Glee is a comedy series, so that’s where Colfer got nominated, but the whole reason the drama and comedy categories are separate is because those acting styles are so different. It’s unfair to match them up since the acting that makes drama actors succeed would fall flat in a comedy, and vice versa. Colfer’s performance is far from humorless, but you can bet the tape that secured his spot was not a yuckfest.

Now onto Cryer. Frankly, Two and a Half Men is a thoroughly mediocre show. The reason you never heard much about it until the Charlie Sheen blow-up is because there's nothing about it worth discussing. That includes the performances. Sorry, Ducky. You're way out of your league.

Finally, the Modern Family contingent. When you see one show claim four out of six slots in a category, logically that means two things. One, that show has unbelievable, unparalleled comedic talent and two, the competition is really weak. So if the number of stunningly talented men who were overlooked in Modern Family's favor wasn't so staggering, the four nominations would make sense. But since it is, boy was this voting lazy and unfair.

Because let's examine some of the names off the list. Nick Offerman, whose hysterical Ron Swanson has inspired nothing less than a cult following and even a fake ice cream flavor. Donald Glover, an insanely clever comedian who truly broke out this season on Community. Neil Patrick Harris, whose Barney Stinson is the only reason some fans watch How I Met Your Mother. All apparently are less deserving than a man who plays second banana to Charlie Sheen.

Here’s why: the Emmys are just as fixated on ratings as TV execs, especially in this category.

For proof, look no further than the zero wins the amazing Arrested Development ensemble took (and lack of nods for much of its cast) while Everybody Loves Raymond cleaned house in the early ‘00s.  Arrested Development has been all but hailed the greatest sitcom ever since its too quick cancellation, yet the Emmys went with the ratings juggernaut over the less stable show.  It happened again last year when the actor from Two and a Half Men triumphed over two 30 Rock boys.  And perhaps that’s the reason why, for two years in a row, the Emmys have refused to nominate critical darling Community for any major awards, including Outstanding Supporting Actor for Glover.

Or maybe the Emmys simply fear change, as evidenced by Don Knotts’, John Larroquette’s, and David Hyde Pierce’s insane amount of victories in this category. Either way, it’s time for a serious reboot.