The departure of Ray Romano’s venerable CBS vehicle “Everybody Loves Raymond” opens the door for some new contenders in the lead comedy actor category, and a pair of NBC stars, Jason Lee of “My Name Is Earl” and “The Office’s” Steve Carell, are poised to take advantage. They’re the early favorites, even in a field that includes last year’s winner, Tony Shalhoub of USA’s “Monk.”
“Happily, there are new faces in this category. … That’s always refreshing,” said The Surf Report’s Diane Gordon.
But the absence of an obvious favorite also means anything can happen in this category. “It gets a little harder here, since the high-quality classic sitcom genre-‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Frasier’-seems to be in abeyance at the moment,” said Lifetime’s Tim Brooks.
TVWeek’s Emmy Panel
Panelists’ predictions
Jason Lee, ‘My Name Is Earl’ (NBC)
“Earl is a breakout character, a loser trying to redeem himself, and Jason Lee brings great heart as well as a goofy look to this appealing character.”
-Matt Roush
Steve Carell, ‘The Office’ (NBC)
“Voters will want to reward the unconventionality of this semi-improv comedy.”
-Tim Brooks
“The show has momentum and awareness of Carell is at an all-time high.”
-Diane Gordon
Jason Bateman, ‘Arrested Development’ (Fox)
“There’s still a lot of affection for this show, despite its demise. Bateman was the sarcastic calm at the center of a manic storm. And he’s been nominated before.”
-Matt Roush
Tony Shalhoub, ‘Monk’ (USA)
“A past winner in a terrific role-even if the show’s quality has wavered recently. The Emmy nominations often stay in a comfort zone of familiar faces.”
-Matt Roush
Zach Braff, ‘Scrubs’ (NBC)
“He has arrived, even if the show is still treated by NBC like a bastard stepchild.”
-Matt Roush
TelevisionWeek staff picks
2005 contenders
Winner: Tony Shalhoub, ‘Monk’ (USA)
Other nominees: