There is only one major question when it comes to the 2023 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series: Can anyone stop a “Ted Lasso” threepeat? Like “Veep” between 2015 and 2017, “Modern Family” between 2010 and 2014, and “30 Rock” between 2007 and 2009, the Apple TV+ phenomenon is attempting to become just the fourth series to win the category three years in a row. It’s highly unlikely ‘Lasso’ will lose in its final season, but if it does, it will be thanks to rivals “Abbott Elementary” or “The Bear.”
READ MORE: “The Bear,” “Hacks,” and “Abbott Elementary” make AFI’s Top 10 Series of 2022
‘Abbott’ lost the coveted Emmy honor to ‘Lasso’ in 2022 but spent the past few months taking the SAG Award for Ensemble in a Comedy Series and was nominated for a year-end honor by every major guild. “The Bear,” on the other hand, was even more impressive. FX‘s summer sensation won the PGA Award for Episodic Television, Comedy, the Independent Spirit Award for Best New Scripted Series, the WGA Award for Comedy Series, the ACE Eddie Award for Best Edited Single-Camera Comedy Series and was just nominated for a BAFTA Award in the International Programme category, the only under 30-minute series to make the cut.
Other series vying to make the nomination cut include the final season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (a winner in this category in 2018), “Barry” (a three-time nominee), “Only Murders in the Building” (a year-end guild favorite), “What We Do in the Shadows” (a two-time nominee) and Netflix’s global smash, “Wednesday.” The streaming giant also has a player in the critic’s favorite “Beef.” Peacock will look to crack the field with its surprise hit “Poker Face,” while Apple TV+ hopes to get a second nominee with “Shrinking.”
Here’s a look at the contenders and pretenders as of March 31, 2023
Likely
“Abbott Elementary”
“Barry”
“The Bear”
“Ted Lasso”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Wednesday”
“What We Do In The Shadows”
Almost There
“Atlanta”
“Beef”
“The Great”
“Poker Face”
“Reservation Dogs”
“Shrinking”
Longshots
“Mo”
“Night Court”
“Loot”
“The Other Two”
“Party Down”
“She-Hulk”
“Schmigadoon”
“Somebody Somewhere”