These Are the Comedies That Deserved An Emmy Nomination Instead of ‘The Bear’

Say it with me: ‘The Bear’ isn’t a comedy!

Congratulations, I guess, to The Bear, which just set a record for most Emmy nominations by a comedy series with a gut-busting 23 nods. Only one problem, as has been pointed out by every entertainment outlet on the Internet — anxiety-inducing, scream-filled, angst-ridden The Bear isn’t a comedy! Recognize its excellence elsewhere and give some deserved kudos to actual comedies that deserved a shot, like…

Girls5eva. A worthy successor to fizzy sitcoms like 30 Rock and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the never-nominated Girls5eva deserves some credit for actually making us laugh. Variety applauded its revival, both for its “joke-dense satire of cultural misogyny” and its “resonant tale of later-in-life reinvention.”

Gen V. The Boys spin-off is currently rocking a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, “a sharp, snarky commentary on the billion-dollar business of hero worship,” says the L.A. Times’ Lorraine Ali. “And yes, it’s just as irreverent and crass as its fearless predecessor.”

And as long as we’re talking Emmy comedy snubs, why limit ourselves to Outstanding Comedy Series? While voters corrected some of last year’s wrongs (Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows received make-good nods, for starters), they still managed some slights that are grinding my gears. 

John Mulaney. John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. breathed new life into the tired talk show format, but why honor that accomplishment when lazy voters can simply punch the same old Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert cards they always do? Mulaney was also snubbed as Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for The Bear (even though it’s not a comedy, dang it!).

Hot Ones. Do Kimmel or Colbert deliver as many reliably hilarious moments as the tabasco-tainted talker? Let’s stop giving the award to “Guy Behind Desk Helps Starlet Promote Netflix Series” and reward something that’s innovative and truly funny. There’s nothing more side-splitting than seeing Conan O’Brien experiencing culinary cardiac arrest.

Richard Lewis. You had one last chance to honor Lewis for his achingly funny turn in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Emmy voters, and you freaking blew it. As Lewis might call say, it’s the Oversight from Hell. 

Natasia Demetriou. Emmy voters got it right by nominating both What We Do in the Shadows and one of its stars, Matt Berry. But what about Nadja, played with icy hilarity by Natasia Demetriou? Gold Derby was rightly stumping for her this year, praising “her pitch-perfect accent blending brilliantly with her skills as a physical comedy actress.”

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