At the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, Pedro Pascal is nominated for both Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for The Last of Us and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy for SNL.
Photo Credit — HBO
Amazon’s reality-hoax show, Jury Duty, is the delightful underdog of the comedy category for the 2023/24 Emmy Awards.
Photo Credit — Amazon
The Emmys 2023/24 season will honor the most elevated shows of the year and among those are three shows having an exceptional first season.
The Bear and Jury Duty are two new comedy favorites this awards season. Zombie drama, The Last of Us also scores big in the nominees with Pedro Pascal leading the charge alongside co-star Bella Ramsey.
Let’s dive deeper these top contenders for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards; Pedro Pascal, The Bear, and Jury Duty. Don’t worry, I’ll spare you the spoilers.
Pedro Pascal
Since I can’t possibly ramble on for a second article about The Last of Us…let’s talk the HBO show’s multi-nominated leading man. Pedro Pascal, the only actor who’s never starred in a television show under 88% on Rotten Tomatoes (Narcos, The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones), finally nabs his first Emmy nom as brooding protagonist, Joel.
In fact, Pascal is not only nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us but also Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his first-time ever hosting SNL. He took a break from the heart-wrenching dramas to show off his acting range with memorable skits such as “HBO Mario Kart Trailer” and “Waking Up.”
Hey, I called it, The Last of Us really is the best videogame adaptation of all time and the show managed to KILL with 24 Emmy nominations in its first season, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Lead Actress, and several other big-name awards. This thrilling drama has proved it’s more than just another zombie show.
Pascal is rigid, distrusting Joel who is a force to be reckoned with — but he’s as complicated as he is motivated. Pascal does an excellent job combining the enthralling action with heart-breaking emotion of his character. He’ll do anything to keep Ellie alive. Frankly, if the end of the world comes, I’m calling Pedro Pascal.
In addition to Pascal in The Last of Us, I look forward to seeing if Nick Offerman scores Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama for his moving performance in Episode Three. I won’t spoil the experience for you, but I cried my eyes out.
Ride through the post-apocalypse with Joel and Ellie as they encounter the real evil in their mushroom-infested world — humans. The Last of Us takes a fresh approach on the outbreak and reveals all the ugly and beautiful sides of survival.
The Bear
Also making its debut across all Emmys categories this year is the captivating food dramedy, The Bear. This new FX show brings you behind the counter and right into the kitchen with the misfit team working their butts off to make your delicious food.
Anyone who has worked on a kitchen staff before or has a chef in the family (either way, bless you) can relate to this show on a personal level. There’s so much heart that goes into making food. You’ll find yourself laughing, crying, cursing, and saying things like “Yes, chef!”
The Bear has quickly become America’s feel-good favorite. The viewer can’t help but fall in love with each authentic character that makes the kitchen move; from passionate chef Tina to the odd-jobs guy, Fak. Even fiery, loud, and obnoxious Richie will make you shed a happy tear every here and there. Instead of food for the soul, The Bear is soul for the food.
Jeremy Allen White plays the lead character, Carmy, a high-end chef who inherits his deceased brother’s Chicago sandwich shop. The Bear encircles themes of family, food, trauma and all the places those intersect.
Ayo Edebiri is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her heartening role as up-and-coming chef Sydney Adamu and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy as Carmy’s outspoken cousin Richard “Richie” Jerimovich. Jon Berenthal and Oliver Platt also received nods for their guest roles.
The show received 13 nominations in its very first Emmys at-bat, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Will the show finally unseat the reigning-supreme Ted Lasso which won Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in the Comedy (Jason Sudekis) for the past two years?
Regardless of the number of awards this show wins, it’s a heartfelt, necessary watch for anyone who cooks or eats. The show captures the culture around food and the role it plays in our everyday lives. Season Two is also now streaming on Hulu.
Jury Duty
This reality-comedy show was truly the unsuspected delight of the year. Even Jury Duty’s producers didn’t seem to realize the gold they were spinning when they cast Ronald Gladden to be the only guy not in on the bit for their courtroom hoax.
The premise of Jury Duty is a “mockumentary” about 12 jurors on a case, except…it’s all fake. The judge, bailiff, lawyers, clients, and all eleven other jurors are actors. The trial is all fiction — Ronald just doesn’t know that.
The result of this reality-style experiment was surprisingly heart-warming. Through all the wacky happenings inside and outside of the courtroom, happy-go-lucky Ronald continues showing viewers his admirable true character. We came for laughs, but we stay for Ronald.
James Marsden also plays an exaggerated version of himself in the Amazon Original, supposedly called to the trial as just another juror. He’s nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for this literally larger than life role that takes improv and satire into the real world.
Jury Duty is a dark horse for the 2023/24 Emmys Outstanding Comedy Series award. The unique comedy show goes up against big-league hitters like Ted Lasso, Abbott Elementary, Wednesday, The Bear, and Mrs. Maisel. But this was such a perfectly executed idea, that I hope to see Jury Duty receive the recognition it deserves.
Even if Jury Duty doesn’t take home some Emmys, there’s something about this watch that restores your faith in humanity. We could all use a little bit of Ronald’s genuine spirit in our lives.
