The 2013 Primetime Emmys are set to take place this Sunday under the reign of host Neil Patrick Harris, with shows, performers, and behind-the-scenes types competing for the TV industry’s most sought-after awards. Real Emmy nominees were announced in July, but because some of us don’t live in reality, here are Splitsider’s fantasy Emmy nominations and winners:
Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock
Archer
Girls
Happy Endings
Louie
Parks and Recreation
Louie’s been awards bait ever since it premiered, but the episode trilogy at the end of the year that saw Louis C.K. desperately training to take over for Letterman as host of The Late Show saw the show reach new heights and felt even more cinematic than Louie has felt before.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Portia de Rossi, Arrested Development
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Lena Dunham, Girls
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
The Emmys actually got it pretty right with this category. We only swapped Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie for Portia de Rossi from Arrested Development just because Nurse Jackie skews closer to drama than comedy. Tina Fey should win because it’s her brainchild 30 Rock’s last season.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy
Fred Armisen, Portlandia
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Jon Benjamin, Bob’s Burgers
Charlie Day, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Louis C.K., Louie
Nathan Fielder, Nathan for You
Louis C.K. took home two writing Emmys last year, but he has yet to win for his acting. He’s usually beat out by the likes of Jon Cryer and Jim Parsons in this category, but C.K. deserves the acting Emmy this year more than ever thanks to the aforementioned three-part Late Show trilogy that really showed off his emotional range. Newcomer Nathan Fielder also had a stellar year on his Comedy Central docu-reality series Nathan for You, while Always Sunny has never been nominated for an Emmy (something the show recently made fun of ) and no one on that series is more deserving of a shiny prize than breakout star Charlie Day.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Will Arnett, Arrested Development
Adam Driver, Girls
Bill Hader, SNL
Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation
Damon Wayans Jr., Happy Endings
Nick Offerman should just receive this Emmy as a big apology for the Emmys completely ignoring him for the last five year for his awards-worthy (at the very least, nomination-worthy) performance as mustachioed bureaucrat Ron Swanson.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Zosia Mamet, Girls
Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation
Casey Wilson, Happy Endings
ABC’s recently-canceled comedy Happy Endings featured an ensemble of six talented performers who were perfect fits for their characters, but Casey Wilson’s romantically-doomed character Penny is perhaps the show’s funniest and it’s only fitting for her to earn some awards recognition the last year the show’s eligible for it.
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
30 Rock - “Last Lunch” by Tina Fey & Tracey Wigfield
Archer - “Sea Tunt: Part 1” by Adam Reed
Girls - “It’s a Shame About Ray” by Lena Dunham
Louie - “Late Show Part 3” by Louis C.K.
New Girl - “Elaine’s Big Day” by Christian Magalhães & Bob Snow
Parks and Recreation - “Leslie and Ben” by Michael Schur & Alan Yang
NBC originally ordered a shorter season of Parks and Recreation this last year, and “Leslie and Ben,” the episode in which those two get married, was written as a potential series finale for the show and it’s a good one. Full of funny moments and rewarding references for fans, “Leslie and Ben” is also emotionally poignant when it needs to be, just like Parks’ best episodes.
Outstanding Variety Series
The Colbert Report
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Key & Peele
Nathan for You
Portlandia
Saturday Night Live
There are a lot of great sketch/variety/talk/etc series on the air, but Comedy Central’s Nathan for You had such a stellar first season. Just the “Claw of Shame” episode alone is deserving of an award.
