Netflix, Amazon and Comedy Central break through, join SAG Awards nominees for comedy in 2015

The Screen Actors Guild announced its nominees for work done in 2015, and an early congratulations to Sarah Silverman for her stand-out dramatic performance in I Smile Back, where she’s nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

Also impressive to see Netflix, Amazon and Comedy Central break into major nominations. Bob Odenkirk is nominated for his leading role in AMC’s Better Call Saul. And Bill Murray and Kristen Wiig are up for awards in their specials — Murray for his Netflix Christmas special that just debuted last week; Wiig for her role in the latest IFC miniseries spoof that aired earlier in the year. And Key & Peele could ride off into the sunset with the best cast in a TV comedy, too!? Outstanding.

The actors clearly also side with the cases made by Shameless, Orange is the New Black and Nurse Jackie that those shows are comedies, not dramas that happen to have funny moments. So there.

Here are the comedy-related nominations for the 22nd annual SAG Awards, which will air live on Jan. 30, 2016, on TNT and TBS.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

BILL MURRAY / Himself – “A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS” (Netflix) — where he’s up against Idris Elba’s “Luther,” Sir Ben Kingsley in “Tut,” Ray Liotta in “Texas Rising” and Mark Rylance in “Wolf Hall.”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

KRISTEN WIIG / Delores DeWinter – “THE SPOILS BEFORE DYING” (IFC) — where she’s up against Nicole Kidman in “Grace of Monaco,” Queen Latifah in “Bessie,” Christina Ricci in “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles,” and Susan Sarandon in “The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
LOUIS C.K. / Louie – “LOUIE” (FX Networks)
WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper – “THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS)
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman – “TRANSPARENT” (Amazon)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
ELLIE KEMPER / Kimmy Schmidt – “UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT” (Netflix)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)
AMY POEHLER / Leslie Knope – “PARKS AND RECREATION” (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)

  • MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler
  • KALEY CUOCO / Penny
  • JOHNNY GALECKI / Leonard Hofstadter
  • SIMON HELBERG / Howard Wolowitz
  • KUNAL NAYYAR / Rajesh Koothrappali
  • JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper
  • MELISSA RAUCH / Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz

KEY & PEELE (Comedy Central)

  • KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY / Various Characters
  • JORDAN PEELE / Various Characters

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

  • JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy
  • TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
  • AUBREY ANDERSON EMMONS / Lily Tucker-Pritchett
  • JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
  • NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy
  • SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy
  • ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett
  • RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
  • ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker
  • SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
  • ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)

  • UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren
  • MIKE BIRBIGLIA / Danny Pearson
  • MARSHA STEPHANIE BLAKE / Berdie Rogers
  • DANIELLE BROOKS / Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
  • LAVERNE COX / Sophia Burset
  • JACKIE CRUZ / Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales
  • CATHERINE CURTIN / Wanda Bell
  • LEA DELARIA / Carrie “Big Boo” Black
  • BETH FOWLER / Sister Jane Ingalls
  • JOEL MARSH GARLAND / Scott O’Neill
  • KIMIKO GLENN / Brook Soso
  • ANNIE GOLDEN / Norma Romano
  • DIANE GUERRERO / Maritza Ramos
  • MICHAEL J. HARNEY / Sam Healy
  • VICKY JEUDY / Janae Watson
  • SELENIS LEYVA / Gloria Mendoza
  • TARYN MANNING / Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett
  • ADRIENNE C. MOORE / Black Cindy
  • KATE MULGREW / Galina “Red” Reznikov
  • EMMA MYLES / Leanne Taylor
  • MATT PETERS / Joel Luschek
  • LORI PETTY / Lolly Whitehill
  • JESSICA PIMENTEL / Maria Ruiz
  • DASCHA POLANCO / Dayanara Diaz
  • LAURA PREPON / Alex Vause
  • ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ / Aleida Diaz
  • RUBY ROSE / Stella Carlin
  • NICK SANDOW / Joe Caputo
  • ABIGAIL SAVAGE / Gina
  • TAYLOR SCHILLING / Piper Chapman
  • CONSTANCE SHULMAN / Yoga Jones
  • DALE SOULES / Frieda
  • YAEL STONE / Lorna Morello
  • SAMIRA WILEY / Poussey Washington

TRANSPARENT (Amazon)

  • ALEXANDRA BILLINGS / Davina Rejennae
  • CARRIE BROWNSTEIN / Syd Feldman
  • JAY DUPLASS / Josh Pfefferman
  • KATHRYN HAHN / Raquel Fein
  • GABY HOFFMANN / Ali Pfefferman
  • CHERRY JONES / Leslie Mackinaw
  • AMY LANDECKER / Sarah Pfefferman
  • JUDITH LIGHT / Shelly Pfefferman
  • HARI NEF / Gittel/Gerson
  • EMILY ROBINSON / Rose Boymelgreen
  • JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman

VEEP (HBO)

  • DIEDRICH BADER / Bill Ericsson
  • SUFE BRADSHAW / Sue Wilson
  • ANNA CHLUMSKY / Amy Brookheimer
  • GARY COLE / Kent Davidson
  • KEVIN DUNN / Ben Cafferty
  • TONY HALE / Gary Walsh
  • HUGH LAURIE / Tom James
  • PHIL REEVES / Doyle
  • SAM RICHARDSON / Richard
  • REID SCOTT / Dan Egan
  • TIMOTHY SIMONS / Jonah Ryan
  • SARAH SUTHERLAND / Catherine
  • MATT WALSH / Mike McLintock

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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One thought on “Netflix, Amazon and Comedy Central break through, join SAG Awards nominees for comedy in 2015

  1. How they, like many critics, can miss the excellent writing and acting in Getting On is a mystery. As with the Emmys, you see the usual suspects nominated year after year. Has the portrayal of Selina Myer improved or deepened over the years?

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