CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot

It’s that time again! The 2021 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 13, which means I’ve got a Wish List for the nommy noms I’d most like to see! In case you’re wondering, I haven’t held myself to any minimum or maximum number of entrants per category, nor do I strictly adhere to official Emmy rules. (I’ve included explanations for my deviations.) And of course, I must mention that I haven’t seen everything, so there are probably some worthy considerations I may have missed. First up: Comedy and Animation.

Almost every single one of my Comedy Series preferences from last year is not eligible this year, whether because of series finales or longer-than-average breaks in between successive seasons. Luckily we have a plethora of streaming services to fill the gaps, and plenty of them are represented here. We’ve got Hulu! We’ve got Peacock! We’ve got Apple TV+! We’ve even got that dang HBO Max. There’s also some room for basic cable in the form of Syfy’s Resident Alien. And it looks like for the first time since I’ve been making Emmy Wish Lists, there is no broadcast network series making my cut (although one of my choices began as an NBC show and another is a reboot of an NBC show).

In the acting categories, it’s an absolute embarrassment of riches in the Lead Actress category, with every one of the ladies I’ve selected giving the performances they were born to play. That’s also true of Alan Tudyk, who’s my easy winner in the Lead Actor field. (He’s an alien … pretending to be a human! Can you imagine?!) Over in Supporting, it’s a mix of newbies and usual suspects, with plenty of sitcoms really making full use of their deep ensembles these days.

KEY:
Bold=My winner
*=I have placed this nominee in a different category than the Emmy ballot.

Comedy Series
A.P. Bio
Dickinson
Pen15
Resident Alien
Saved by the Bell
Search Party

CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Walton Goggins, The Unicorn
John Goodman, The Conners
Glenn Howerton, A.P. Bio
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Alan Tudyk, Resident Alien

CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Annaleigh Ashford, B Positive
Maya Erskine, Pen15
Anna Konkle, Pen15
Nasim Pedrad, Chad
Alia Shawkat, Search Party
Hailee Steinfeld, Dickinson
Sara Tomko, Resident Alien
Haskiri Velazquez, Saved by the Bell*

CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Lance Barber, Young Sheldon
Thomas Barbusca, Chad
Deon Cole, black-ish
Cole Escola, Search Party
Mitchell Hoog, Saved by the Bell
Jake Ryan, Chad

CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Anthony, mixed-ish
Anna Baryshnikov, Dickinson
Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Saved by the Bell
Mutsuko Erskine, Pen15
Shalita Grant, Search Party*
Meredith Hagner, Search Party
Zoe Perry, Young Sheldon
Annie Potts, Young Sheldon
Josie Totah, Saved by the Bell

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Louie Anderson, Search Party
Samuel L. Jackson, Staged
Paul F. Tompkins, Rutherford Falls

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Ellen Cleghorne, That Damn Michael Che
Rachel Dratch, Mr. Mayor
Susan Sarandon, Search Party

Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Mark Samuel Bonanno, Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun
Broden Kelly, Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun
Zachary Ruane, Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun

Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun
The Eric Andre Show

Animated Program
American Dad!, “300”
Big Mouth, “The New Me”
Solar Opposites, “The Unlikely Demise of Terry’s Favorite Shot Glass”