Ty Burrell, Modern Family
…And here’s your favorite. Even when I don’t care for full episodes of Modern Family, I find myself laughing at most of the scenes with Burrell’s Phil. The actor nails the uncomfortable goofball persona to T and also nicely straddles the line between complete fool and misunderstood/occasional genius. I can’t imagine him not actually winning the award, especially if Modern Family gets an overwhelming batch of support that extends further than we expect.
Chris Colfer, Glee
The unknown actor who had little to do in the pilot episode quickly became the series’ secret weapon, no matter what kind of tone a scene called for. Colfer handles Kurt’s random fits of immature smugness just as well as he handles the heartfelt hugs and talks with his father. And of course, he can sing. I have major issues with Glee‘s second half and what that means for the future of the series, this guy is not one of them. Although Colfer got stuck playing the same beats in those episodes, he nailed them every time. I’d guess for most people, he really is the heart of the series.
John Krasinski, The Office
Isn’t it kind of wild that Krasinski has never been nominated for his stellar performance as Jim Halpert? And yet, Rainn Wilson has been nominated for three straight years, playing a character that’s gotten broader as time has passed. That’s fair. Though he is oftentimes the straight man to the insanity unfolding around him, Krasinski has his funny moments and with Jim taking a more active role in the office, there were a number of moments where he made things humorously uncomfortable. Plus, his performance in the season’s two major episodes — “Niagara” and “The Delivery” was on-par with his on-screen wife’s. Both Halperts need to be nominated!
What do you think? And who are some of the performers I left out?
Tomorrow: Supporting performances in drama!
i'm patiently awaiting supporting performances in a drama! i agree with most of your picks.. especially the magnificent jane lynch ftw!
Danny Pudi (Abed from Community) deserves to be on this list too.