Emmy Submission Mission- Lead Actor in Comedy

The 2011 Emmy Awards will be hosted by Jane Lynch and air on September 18. Over the weeks leading up to the event, staff writer Dan Forcella will watch every episode submitted by various actors in various categories and present to you his analysis on each contender.

It's the TV Fanatic Emmy Submission Mission, readers, and it starts with Lead Actor in a Comedy...

Let’s start with the man that seemingly has no chance in the category, Johnny Galecki of The Big Bang Theory. We were all stunned when he was nominated, and the fact that he is up against someone from his own show that is much funnier than him? Not helping his cause.

Johnny Galecki

In his submission episode, “The Benefactor Factor,” Galecki is outdone by Jim Parsons, who should benefit greatly from having a fellow Big Banger in the field. Galecki, in addition to looking bland compared to Parsons, is just too much of a straight man to warrant a victory. While he had a couple of funny quips in this outing, he was downright boring in his own ep.

Let’s stay with the CBS series, as we move on to the returning champion, Parsons. I have never been a fan of TBBT. I watched the pilot, as well as the season two and three premieres, in order to give it a shot, but it's just not for me. That should make the fact that I am putting Parsons as my runner-up even more of a statement.

He is definitely funny, and the fact that he has two episodes to work from this year worries me that he has a really good shot at repeating. He may have actually been better in Galecki’s submission, but he still has a ton of material to work with in his “The Agreement Dissection." He just dominates the half hour.

To read the rest of my Emmy Submission Mission for Lead Actor in a Comedy, head over to TV Fanatic.

The Cory Matthews Award- Lead Character Comedy

Named For: Cory Matthews played by Ben Savage in Boy Meets World
Awarded To: The best lead character in a comedy series from
June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010
Last Year's Winner: Tracy Jordan- 30 Rock

Place. Character (Show) Points (My Vote)

10. Jonathan Ames (Bored to Death) 0 points

9. Dwight Schrute (The Office) 7 points

8. Tracy Jordan (30 Rock) 7 points (5th)

7. Jack Donaghy (30 Rock) 9 points

6. Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny) 13 points (4th)

5. Jeff Winger (Community) 15 points

4. Cameron Tucker (Modern Family) 18 points

3. Michael Scott (The Office) 20 points (3rd)

Runner-Up
2. Phil Dunphy (Modern Family) 28 points (2nd)

and the Poolie goes to...
1. Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
48 points (1st)

Here with his thoughts on Larry David is Poolie voter, T-time...

Larry David's run in this category is similar to Shaq's in the early part of this decade. He dominates the field but when it comes to collecting votes for MVP, he is competing not only against the other characters, but against his own prior performances. It may not be fair to hold him to this higher standard, but it is the way of the world. We, as voters, look for reasons not to give the award to Shaq, to Jordan before him, and now to Larry David. We expect greatness and refuse to reward him unless he surpasses his own lofty standards.

Having said that, the highlight of season seven was the interaction between LD and Jerry Seinfeld. The pairing provided a glimpse of what must have been going on behind the scenes at Seinfeld for years. After witnessing the two of them discuss the minor details of human behavior, it's easy to see where many of the plotlines from two classic shows came from.

Even before that, Larry was having a season for the ages. We learned he knows all the words to West Side Story and that he enters names into his cellphone with descriptors such as Denise Handicapped. We watched him kill a swan, protest tipping and berate a 9-year old for over-texting. In the most exceptional Larry move of the season, he launched a Seinfeld reunion, involving all the stars of the show, in an effort to win back Cheryl. He began by attempting to break up with a cancer-stricken Loretta and ended with a hilariously-off attempt to play George. Everything in-between was gold.

by Tim Forcella