The playing field in the Emmy category for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy has finally changed.
After a few seasons of featuring the same basic nominee blueprint–Jon Cryer from “Two and a Half Men,” Kevin Dilllon and/or Jeremy Piven from “Entourage,” Rainn Wilson from “The Office” and Neil Patrick Harris from “How I Met Your Mother”–things were first shaken up last year when Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer joined the mix their performances on “30 Rock.”
Things changed to an even greater extent for the upcoming 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards. The nominaton pool, announced Thursday, featured a number of new entries–some of which surprised even those who are fans of the new comedy performers.
The small column of returning nominees is limited to Neil Patrick Harris (“Mother”) and last year’s winner Jon Cryer (“Men”). Other than that, it is an entirely new playing field.
Predictably, Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet join the race for their acclaimed turns on new comedy “Modern Family.” Interesting, however, is the fact that the third nominee from “Family” is not Ed O’Neill but Jesse Tyler Ferguson. While few critics believe his performance on the show is anything less than stellar, most labeled him a distant fourth place in the “Modern Family” acting battle, believing that if three names were to get nominated, he would be the adult male getting snubbed.
Another minor surprise came in the nomination of “Glee” actor Chris Colfer. Colfer has, in many ways, been the “unsung hero” of “Glee,” delivering critically-acclaimed performances on both the dramatic and comedic fronts but lacking the buzz of co-stars Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and Jane Lynch (all of whom were nominated as well). A newcomer, he also lacks a Hollywood profile, which many felt could work against him come Emmy voting season. Fortunately for Colfer and “Glee” fans, however, the quality of his performance stood out, and he earned a nod in what is often viewed as the most stacked acting category on television.