The jury is still out on whether Amazon Freevee’s dummy sitcom “Jury Duty” will make it into the Emmys race, but excitement for the comedy has taken the TV world by storm, and Amazon sees it as an opening. .
Variety has learned exclusively that Amazon plans to submit the eight-episode inaugural season for Emmy comedy categories, seeking recognition in more than a dozen key races, including acting, writing and directing. achievement.
Read: Variety Awards circuit for the latest Emmy predictions in all categories.
Created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the series follows the inner workings of a jury trial through the eyes of Ronald Gladden, a San Diego solar entrepreneur, unaware that his jury summons was unofficial and that all the members of the jury apart from him, is an actor.
Gladden was the comedy star of the series and will seek consideration for the TV Academy in the Comedy Lead Actor race, where he will face off against seasoned Emmy winners like Bill Hader (“Barry”), Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”) and Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”). However, whether or not the Television Academy will consider Gladden, who is not an “actor” and the only person unaware that case was fake, eligible to compete, one question remains before submission deadline.
Gladden was an audience favorite, becoming the oblivious star of his version of “The Truman Show.” There is precedent for such mockumentary performances to be recognized. Will Arnett may have played Detective Terry Seattle in Netflix’s ‘Murderville,’ which had a different celebrity and case in each of its six episodes, but the Television Academy deemed him ineligible to submit for a skit. of variety. Instead, he had to enter the comedy races where his guests Conan O’Brien, Marshawn Lynch and Sharon Stone all submitted in their respective categories.
Some elements are similar to past nominees like Larry David, who plays a fictionalized version of himself in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and Michael J. Fox, who picked a name for the guest comedy actor to play himself. . You can also watch anyone from NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” who has received multiple acting endorsements throughout its nearly 50-year run. “Reno 911” brought two names to Kerry Kenney, as deputy Trudy Wiegel, when he was on Comedy Central before moving to The Roku Channel, albeit in the shortened acting categories where he was eligible.
Amazon free
The “Jury Duty” ensemble, including James Marsden, who plays an exaggerated version of himself as a substitute juror, will be submitted in the supporting comedy races (and it’s quite possibly his best acting performance ever). his career to date). Other actors eligible to submit are Mekki Leeper, Edy Modica, Ishmel Sahid, David Brown, Cassandra Blair, Maria Russell, Kirk Fox, Susan Berger, Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Ron Song, and Brandon Loeser.
It’s worth noting that it would be hard to imagine a world where Susie Farris wouldn’t be considered a slam dunk entry for Best Comedy Cast for successfully bringing together this motley crew of comedians (and one non-actor) who are perfectly made for this absurd tribunal. case.
Jake Szymanski’s directing and various writing teams will also be given consideration, though Amazon has yet to confirm which episodes, in particular, will be picked up.
Emmy nominations are due Tuesday, May 9.