Six very talented men are nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards. The six very different contenders all encapsulate differing brands of comedy. Some are hysterically slapstick while others are more quirky or sarcastically deadpan. All of the men nominated use their comedic talent to expertly portray their respective characters, that range from an erudite gay dad to a bohemian twenty-something actor.
Adam Driver as Adam Sackler ("Girls"): Driver plays Adam Sackler, a gangly aspiring actor who has a quirky personality to match his unconventional looks. Adam is sometimes dating Hannah (Lena Dunham), an equally artistic yet self-centered hypochondriacal writer. Driver is fantastic at honing into who is character is: odd, dark and often misunderstood, yet deeply emotional and caring.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett ("Modern Family"): Ferguson's Mitchell is a gay dad with an adopted Asian daughter. He is the more stable and low-keyed counterpart to his much more flamboyant significant other, Cam (Eric Stonestreet). Ferguson, who is also gay in real life, is superb at playing the steady, often competitive lawyer who has a complicated relationship with his father, Jay. He is especially great at pulling out the quirky eccentricities that his character tries to keep hidden.
Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett ("Modern Family"): O'Neill is perfect as Jay, a curmudgeonly, middle-aged entrepreneur who is married to a much younger, beautiful Columbian wife, Gloria (Sofia Vergara). Jay already has two grown children, and is now experiencing fatherhood a second time around with his wife's son from a previous marriage, Manny (Rico Rodriquez) and a newborn son that he had with Gloria. O'Neill, who is known for his work on "Married With Children," is fantastic at playing the competitive, often cantankerous father who has a well-hidden soft side.
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy ("Modern Family"): Burrell's Phil is the most hilariously slapstick of the "Modern Family" characters in this category. Burrell plays Phil, a dad of three who is emotional, silly and often endearingly unawares. His character is a hilarious contrast to his tough, no-sappiness father-in-law, Jay. Burrell is hysterical as Phil, and skillfully portrays Phil's quirkiness and corny sense of humor.
Bill Hader as Various Characters ("Saturday Night Live"): Bill Hader is impressively hysterical, and can adeptly morph into a myriad of characters. He is known for his laugh-inducing portrayals of graveley-voiced Clint Eastwood, political pundit "ragin' Cajun" James Carville and perhaps his most loved--and most hilarious-- character, Stefon, the gay NYC club travel guide. Fans of SNL were definitely sad to see Hader exit the long-running comedy sketch show.
Tony Hale as Gary Walsh ("Veep"): Hale plays Gary, Vice President Selina Meyer's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) personal aide. Hale, who is known for his work as Buster Bluth on another hilariously quirky show, "Arrested Development," is just as delusional on "Veep" as he was in "Arrested Development." Hale is superb at playing Gary, who is so in love with Selina that he has deluded himself into thinking that they are actually dating (they are not). His deadpan brand of comedy is always worthy of a laugh.
Prediction:
Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett
O'Neill will probably win as grouchy but secretly caring Jay. O'Neill is an expert at playing TV dads, and he brings all of his veteran comedy skills to the role. He is wonderful at showing how his character evolves, especially in his relationships with his fictional children and grandchildren. Although many are of the opinion that newcomer Adam Driver should take the win for his darkly funny "Girls" character, O'Neill will mostly likely earn a win, continuing the "Modern Family" winning streak.