The Nominees:
- Riz Ahmed for HBO's Girls - "All I Ever Wanted"
- Dave Chappelle for NBC's Saturday Night Live - "Host: Dave Chappelle"
- Tom Hanks for NBC's Saturday Night Live - "Host: Tom Hanks"
- Hugh Laurie for HBO's Veep - "Blurb"
- Lin-Manuel Miranda for NBC's Saturday Night Live - "Host: Lin-Manuel Miranda"
- Matthew Rhys for HBO's Girls - "American Bitch"
Saturday Night Live hosts have been a consistent feature in the guest acting races for awhile now. It's just easy to see them as frontrunners in these races because of the amount of screentime they get in their episodes. It's not a traditional guest spot. They are the ones actually hosting the late-night sketch show. This was a huge year for SNL as well. It got a ton of acting nominations. The fact that half of this field is from the show probably indicates that one of them will emerge victorious. The edge will probably go to Dave Chappelle because it was his long-awaited return to the sketch format. But Tom Hanks' episode was probably more memorable overall with two of the best sketches from the past season - Black Jeopardy and David S. Pumpkins. But Lin-Manuel Miranda could sneak in for a win because of the popularity he has acquired over the last few years.
Of course, I'm just an infrequent viewer of Saturday Night Live. So, I can't really say who is most deserving based on episodes. I just know which moments had a significant amount of buzz over the year. In fact, the only show amongst these nominees that I watch is Veep. Hugh Laurie has been a fantastic addition to that ensemble over the past few years. It truly was just a guest role this past season. It's also about damn time that Hugh Laurie has won an Emmy. He's been up for nine awards as an actor and producer without winning any. That seems absolutely ridiculous. Plus, he's truly wonderful and hilarious on Veep. It's such a fun character who interacts quite a bit with Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It should win but I'm still doubtful given his competition.
Plus, it's still possible that someone completely unexpected surprises with a victory. That's what happened last year when Peter Scolari wasn't even nominated at first, joined the field after Peter MacNicol got disqualified, and then won. It showed that some voters are still watching and enjoying Girls. I stopped a long time ago. So again, I can't comment on the quality of what Riz Ahmed and Matthew Rhys did in their respective episodes - though I've been told they are each impressive. But their odds are also boosted by the fact that they are double acting nominees this year. Both of them deserve to win. If they can't win in their categories in drama and limited series, then a victory here would still feel nice and worth celebrating.
Should Win: Hugh Laurie
Will Win: Dave Chappelle
Dark Horse: Matthew Rhys
Of course, I'm just an infrequent viewer of Saturday Night Live. So, I can't really say who is most deserving based on episodes. I just know which moments had a significant amount of buzz over the year. In fact, the only show amongst these nominees that I watch is Veep. Hugh Laurie has been a fantastic addition to that ensemble over the past few years. It truly was just a guest role this past season. It's also about damn time that Hugh Laurie has won an Emmy. He's been up for nine awards as an actor and producer without winning any. That seems absolutely ridiculous. Plus, he's truly wonderful and hilarious on Veep. It's such a fun character who interacts quite a bit with Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It should win but I'm still doubtful given his competition.
Plus, it's still possible that someone completely unexpected surprises with a victory. That's what happened last year when Peter Scolari wasn't even nominated at first, joined the field after Peter MacNicol got disqualified, and then won. It showed that some voters are still watching and enjoying Girls. I stopped a long time ago. So again, I can't comment on the quality of what Riz Ahmed and Matthew Rhys did in their respective episodes - though I've been told they are each impressive. But their odds are also boosted by the fact that they are double acting nominees this year. Both of them deserve to win. If they can't win in their categories in drama and limited series, then a victory here would still feel nice and worth celebrating.
Should Win: Hugh Laurie
Will Win: Dave Chappelle
Dark Horse: Matthew Rhys
