FYC: Amy Schumer for Best Actress, Comedy
Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 12:00PM 
Members of Team Experience were asked to share personal dream picks for this year's impending Emmy nominations. Here's Jose...
Amy Schumer often gets credit for her ingenious writing, larger than life personality and her lack of fear when it comes to addressing controversial topics like the media’s obsession with youth, the importance of the female orgasm and Bill Cosby. However, like most stand up comedians, she rarely is commended for her acting on the assumption that she’s playing herself. And yet, in just a handful of episodes during the third season of "Inside Amy Schumer "she has played everything from clueless spouses, to child beauty queens and even a black & white heroine.
She was recently rewarded with the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy, and if the Emmys dare to break out of their rut of picking perennial faves, they would do much good including her in a lineup with more established actresses: her timing is as flawless as Julia Louis Dreyfuss’ Selina Meyer, her lack of vanity is akin to Lisa Kudrow’s Valerie Cherish, and her idealism (while slightly more infused with cynicism) makes her as strong a role model as Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope. For someone who’s always playing self conscious characters, it’s astonishing to see how self aware and controlled Schumer can be as a performer. And unless she has multiple personality disorder, she's not just playing herself.
Amy Schumer, Best Actress, Emmy, FYC, TV, comedy
Reader Comments (11)
No argument with Amy Schumer's merit, but a technical question: as a performer in a sketch comedy show, isn't she only eligible for the supporting category, like the SNL players, Key & Peele, etc? That's how I understood the rule, but the Emmys are confusing so I could definitely be wrong.
Jonny the emmy rules have changed this year where variety sketch performers go lead when their names are in the title which is why Schumer, Key and Peele are eligible for lead comedy categories.
Amy Schumer is owning 2015 from her show being in the conversation each week since it returned and Trainwreck to be a massive summer hit and really put her in the mainstream like she deserves. I hope she breaks into this category over women like Tomlin and Fonda who are great actresses but are doing nothing as special of innovative as Schumer does. All I know is Scumer is bound to win some form of an award for her writing in variety programming and if she gets nominated for this category I will be overjoyed.
I'm not a fan of her potentially being a nominee in this category. I find her writing and her topics effective but I don't believe she should be competing in a category where Lisa Kudrow, Constance Wu, Amy Poehler, Gina Rodriguez and others are doing real character work vs. Amy Schumer in vignettes. She's not as strong, acting-wise. I look at Tracey Ullman in "Tracey Takes On..." as the way this could be done. Dedicated characters that are revisited, that grow or change over time. I just can't get behind this outta nowhere Amy Schumer moment two seasons after her show started.
haha nice glass u got here :)
"So let's raise a glass..."
No, she is an awful "actress"...
Actors playing a variation of themselves is a valid acting choice.
Yes, her subject matter is often worthwhile, but I've yet to see an Amy Schumer skit that makes me laugh. That embedded video is painfully unfunny. If she gets a nod over Kudrow, Poehler or Rodriguez I'll be annoyed.
I'm all here for Amy Schumer getting that lead actress Emmy nomination! She's utterly brilliant, and the "12 Angry Men" sketch in particular was one of THE defining moments of this past television season! It should win every Emmy it's eligible for. I'm so sick of the same people winning these Emmys year after year after year. Time for a change of the guard, and this woman is perfectly deserving of that acknowledgement. Just wait until "Trainwreck" hits. You guys are really in for something then.
Amy Schumer makes my appreciation for Sarah Silverman increase because she was the real trailblazer many years ago. Sarah was talking about her vagina and her sex life and her looks in comparison to the "norm" way before Schumer. The sketches in Schumer's show sometimes present one or two smart ideas, but the writing is sloppy and she doesn't know how to end them (which means she should be a writer for SNL or be a cast member). As a headliner, I believe she is not sustainable and becomes repetitive over time. The media needs people like her from time to time, when they (or her own effective PR) decide she is someone we have to like. Next!
I was sold on Schumer as an actress since the sketch in season one where her date reveals he has AIDS. Yes, the writing is sharp, but Amy's emotional range as a woman who still cares about him and wants to want to be with him but is conflicted is fantastic, layered and vulnerable.