posted August 19, 2009 at 19:48 EST in Other Props
Betting on the Emmys - Odds on the best Comedy Series
by Charles Jay
Entertainment Betting
The primetime Emmy Awards take place on September 20. Here are the nominees for Best Comedy Series, along with the odds as they are posted at BetUS Sportsbook:
BEST COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock -200
The Office +250
Family Guy +300
Entourage +425
Weeds +350
Flight of the Conchords +450
How I Met Your Mother +600
30 ROCK (-200 at BetUS) -- This should perhaps be an even bigger favorite. 30 Rock leads the entire pack in overall nominations with 22, which is a record. You know, television "comedies" are largely a hit-and-miss thing, and they often depend on the level of sophistication of the audience. A show like "Everybody Loves Raymond," which probably had wider commercial appeal than most, was nominated for a lot of Emmys (69, to be exact, during its existence), but I rarely cracked a smile when I watched it. 30 Rock, on the other hand, makes me laugh out loud. Every time. Everyone is superb, and the writing is unparalleled. To me it is in a totally different class than some of this non-funny nonsense, and fortunately we don't have a lot of that in this year's nominees. Among those up for awards - Alec Baldwin (+125 for Best Actor), Tina Fey (-120 for Best Actress), Tracy Jordan (+175 for Best Supporting Actor) and Jack McBrayer (+400 for Best Supporting Actor), Jane Krakowski (+150 for Best Supporting Actress), along with Steve Martin (-120 at BetUS), Alana Alda (+300) and Jon Hamm (+500) for Guest Actor and Jennifer Anniston (+325 at BetUS) and Elaine Stritch (+600) for Guest Actress. The series has won nine Emmys in two years.
THE OFFICE (+250 at BetUS) -- This show had a rough start in its U.S,. incarnation (it originated on the BBC) but it has come on to take its place among the elite. It makes for a great combination with 30 Rock on Thursday nights, but a lot of people don't seem to get it, and I think one of the reasons is that the audience in general is unsophisticated enough that, without a laugh track, they simply don't understand where the jokes are. It would be hard for this show to withstand the tidal wave of its Thursday partner, but its estimable star, Steve Carell (+225 for Best Actor, Comedy at BetUS), who is doing a rare thing by carrying a TV show at the same time he's a major movie comedy presence, keeps it in the running. Aside from Carell, Rainn Wilson is up for Best Supporting Actor (+200 at BetUS). John Krasinski ("Away We Go") and Ed Helms ("The Hangover") are not nominated, but they have been able to springboard into movie careers from this. The Office won two Emmys back in 2007.
FAMILY GUY (+300 at BetUS) -- Well, there would be some debate as to whether an animated comedy can beat out all the ones that aren't, and count me among that group. Family Guy is obviously very clever, although many people have a preference for The Simpsons in this genre (as for me, I like American Dad). A nominee for ten primetime Emmys prior to this year.
ENTOURAGE (+425 at BetUS) -- This is "appointment television" for me on Sunday nights, but this show is more about aura than it is straight laughs. Still, all performances are pretty strong, including the incomparable Jeremy Piven as "Ari" (who unbelievably is NOT nominated, after winning it the last three years) and Kevin Dillon as "Johnny Chase" (who, in his fourth straight year of being nominated, is at +500 at BetUS). The celebrity guest shots are part of what makes this well worth watching, and in that way Entourage has continued the pattern that, as far as I can recall, began to pick up a lot of steam with the HBO classic "The Larry Sanders Show." Oddly, no one got nominated for Guest Actor or Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
WEEDS (+350 at BetUS) -- This Showtime stalwart is another "appointment" of mine, and while this series started off pretty wild, it has really gone off into some crazy storylines in this current season (Alanis Morrisette plays a recurring character now, by the way). Still, it remains fresh, because Mary Louise-Parker is one of the best actresses anywhere, film or television, and Elizabeth Perkins, who really lays herself out there, is probably the best supporting actress in a comedy in many years (with apologies to Jane Krakowski). Like Entourage's Ari, Weeds has a key supporting male presence in Justin Kirk, who plays "Andy" to the hilt, as well as the hilarious Kevin Nealon (neither of whom are nominated). This show has yet to win a primetime Emmy.
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS (+450 at BetUS) -- This one, for me, took some getting warmed up to, but the subtle humor is something refreshing. This program has a strong following, so you can expect to see it often at the Emmys. They had four nominations last year, but didn't take home any hardware. Jemaine Clement is up for Best Actor in a Comedy (though the 'longshot' at +500 in the BetUS odds) and maybe well-known stage actor Frank Wood could have gotten in there for a supporting role, although I'm not sure there's a lot of room. Hey, what about Rhys Darby?
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (+600 at BetUS) -- I have to admit, I honestly don't get this one, in the same way I didn't get "Raymond" and don't get "Two and a Half Men" all that much. Of course, they're handicapped when going against the series on cable, because, you know, they can't say the four-letter words. Yet 30 Rock and The Office are more imaginative, and it could be argued that a number of other shows that could fill the slot in this category, including Desperate Housewives, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Pushing Daisies, etc. Monk is considered a comedy series for purposes of the Emmys, and it is better, as is the comedy detective series Psych. Boston Legal is considered a drama, but its writing is much funnier and should probably be a comedy. Jason Segel became a movie star off this show, but it is Neil Patrick Harris who has been nominated three years in a row for Best Supporting Actor (and he's the favorite at +150 in the BetUS odds).
Conclusion: 30 Rock shows all the signs of winning in a walk, and stacks up as a good investment at -2000 in the BetUS Emmy betting props.
