The first phase of the Emmy voting period is set to begin soon, and several networks and streamers are now campaigning their biggest bets with the hope of being recognized by the voters.
There is no denying that a lot of performers who starred in shows that are contending in the comedy categories deserve to be recognized by the Television Academy due to their exceptional work and providing countless laughs to the viewers.
Here are the five comedy TV performances that deserve Emmy recognition this year.
Seth Rogen - The Studio
Seth Rogen's performance in The Studio might be easily seen as understated since he doesn't go theatrical, unlike some of his co-stars, but the energy that he brought in playing Matt Remick made the series worth watching and rooting for his journey.
The character has done a lot of questionable actions as a studio head that may or may not be forgivable, but Rogen also made sure that we empathize with his plight to make the best movies, even if it's an IP project that could ruin the "art" of the moviemaking business.
Harrison Ford - Shrinking
Despite playing numerous iconic characters in his legendary career, Harrison Ford continued to surprise us with his heartfelt and hilarious performance as Dr. Paul Rhoades in Shrinking. He struck the balance of making us laugh while also empathizing with the character's struggle with Parkinson's disease.
Ford failed to receive an Emmy nomination during the first season, and we are hoping that the Television Academy voters will not ignore him this time around.
Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder - Hacks
It's hard to separate Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder at this point whenever we discuss the show's great performances. While Hacks is the top comedy contender, it's still important to discuss why they should get recognized for their work in the fourth season.
Smart continued to elevate Deborah Vance into an all-time TV character, and she will be worthy of winning another trophy for the role. Meanwhile, Einbinder has yet to win, and we are hoping that the Emmy voters will finally take notes this year.
The sixth episode of the fourth season alone showed a perfect showcase of why Einbinder's performance as Ava Daniels is also exceptional and one of the key ingredients to the show's success.
Cynthia Erivo - Poker Face
Cynthia Erivo played not one, not two, but FIVE different characters in the second season premiere of Poker Face, and she nailed every single one of them as she successfully differentiated them from one another.
There is no doubt that this kind of performance is always a daunting task for any actress, so kudos to Erivo for making it effortless. What made it more impressive is that she filmed the episode while in the middle of the press tour/awards campaign for Wicked.
Janelle James - Abbott Elementary
Four seasons in, Janelle James continued to impress us with her hilarious performance as Principal Ava Coleman in Abbott Elementary. Not only that, she delivered her best work in the recent season.
The storyline that they gave for Ava in the fourth season led to James' best performance in the series yet, given that she had an opportunity to add more depth to the characters and moments that humanized her beyond just being a comic relief.
While James has received three consecutive nominations, we are hoping that the voters will put her in contention again this year, since this is where she is undoubtedly worthy of being part of the list.
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