Emmys 2018: Predicting Outstanding Comedy Series winner

With ABC’s Veep out of contention this year, will Atlanta claim the top prize or can GLOW take its spot? Here is an analysis of the Outstanding Comedy Series category at the Emmys.

The stage has now been set and audiences are a step closer to one of the biggest nights in television. The 2018 Emmy nominations were announced this week, causing many of those in the industry to celebrate their selection while others had their hopes dashed.

To no one’s surprise, HBO’s Game of Thrones led the way with 22 nominations this year, and both Westworld and Saturday Night Live earned themselves 21 nominations each. FX’s Atlanta earned a whopping 16 Emmys nods this year, which led the total nominations for a comedy series. Here is a rundown of what you can expect from the Outstanding Comedy Series category.

The category this year includes both first time nominees and award season veterans. Five of the eight nominees have garnered nominations in the past, but none have come away with the major prize.  For Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Glow, this is their first nomination in the category. Here is the list of nominees.

Nominees

• Atlanta 
• Barry 
• Black-ish 
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• GLOW 
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 
• Silicon Valley 
• The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Analysis

Though this year’s nominees have all received universal praise, there is only one real contender for the top spot. Atlanta, starring Donald Glover, is far and away the best comedy on television right now and it wouldn’t be a stretch to call it the best series, period. It’s undeniably smart, packed with crisp writing, and boasts some of the best directing in television. To help better understand why it’s going to be Atlanta’s award to lose, let’s look at the rest of the competition.

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To start, there are two major shows missing from this year’s list of nominees,

Veep and Modern Family. The first being ineligible for competition and the latter frankly did not deserve a nomination. Veep has won the category for the last three years and Modern Family had become a staple in the comedy categories.

So, with both major players off of the board, some less experienced shows like GLOW and Barry were given the spotlight. However, this seemingly works in favor of Atlanta. Barry is often rough around the edges and GLOW still needs some polishing. In other words, these shows will be a non-factor in this category. It should be noted, however, that Barry earned 13 nominations this year.

Curb Your Enthusiasm, somewhat of a fan favorite, has been nominated eight times for Outstanding Comedy Series, but has never won. That many seasons without a win is not a good sign for Larry David and his team. I wouldn’t expect any surprises here.

Both The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Silicon Valley are great shows, but neither had their strongest season this past year. Let’s not forget that Ellie Kemper was snubbed for an acting nod this year and Silicon Valley was a no-show in the all the acting categories.

Black-ish is another series up for nomination and it’s pretty solid. The cast and the writing is  incredible, and there is a chance that Black-ish comes up with a huge upset.

Finally, we have The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. With the best chance to unseat Atlanta this year, the show is currently receiving excellent reviews and has a growing fan base. Notably, the series is just behind Atlanta with 14 nominations this year, including an acting nod for Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub.

Emmys prediction

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has the best shot to pull off an upset this year, but I don’t see Atlanta losing. Atlanta is not just driven by the charisma of Donald Glover. It is created by some of the most talented people in the business. The award for Outstanding Comedy Series will be, deservedly, given to Atlanta this year.

Next: Predicting the Outstanding Drama Series Winner

Do you agree with my prediction for the Emmys? Do you think that Atlanta will ultimately lose? Tell me your predictions in the comments.

The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards air Monday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC.