EWwy Awards 2015: Your comedy nominees are...

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer remain two of comedy’s most exciting rising talents, and the rock solid second season of their millennials-take-Manhattan sitcom ought to have earned a top comedy spot (especially in the vacancy left by the apples to their oranges, Girls). Between A-list guest stars and wholly shocking bouts of situational insanity, Broad City deserves more. As Jacobson joked on Twitter, “Who do you have to peg in this town??!” We’re wondering the exact same thing. —Marc Snetiker

Praise be to the television gods that Lisa Kudrow’s iconic Valerie Cherish was recognized for an acting Emmy, but The Comeback itself—a show about a show about a show, with even more meta layers than can be explained here—is wicked smart and also deserving — proving to the masses that it was too far ahead of its time during its first run in 2005. If HBO’s cult favorite comedy can’t earn a top nod for its triumphant comeback season, then it sounds like they’ll just have to bring it back for a third round, right? —Marc Snetiker

The CW’s Jane the Virgin is a colorful — literally, the show’s palette is one of the more vibrant on television — combination of heart, humor, and drama. So much drama. Each cast member adds their own sparkle to the already sparkly show (including the hilarious Emmy-nominated narrator, Anthony Mendez), so much so that the first season was 22 episodes long and still felt much too short. —Ariana Bacle

Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte created and starred in this freshman Fox comedy, which starts off with a man named Phil traveling around the barren country looking for life post-apocalypse. What could have been a boring concept — how long can a single person really hold your attention? — turned out to be captivating in its novelty. Even when other actors inevitably joined the cast, the show stuck to its wacky heart and never shied away from making its protagonist as unlikable (and amusingly misguided) as possible, a decision that showed the series isn’t scared to go outside the lines — and that continually made it stand out in a sea of boundary-abiding comedies. —Ariana Bacle

Despite its protagonist’s love for all things Sleepless in Seattle, The Mindy Project is less a romantic comedy than a comedy about romantic comedies: their value, their shortcomings, and what happens after the credits roll. Buoyed by an increasingly confident ensemble, season 3 put Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) and Danny Castellano (Chris Messina) to the test and defied conventional relationship wisdom at every turn. The result was a season as bold — that striptease! — and as genuine as anything on TV; the same episode brought us a body image pep talk from Laverne Cox and the line, “After we watched Schindler’s List, you were, like, really in the mood.” We’re always in the mood for more Mindy. — Kelly Connolly

You’re the Worst easily could’ve scared off viewers with its sometimes NSFW material, but instead, it pulled viewers in with its razor-sharp humor and refreshing honesty. There’s nothing quite like watching two horrible people fall in love and realize that they’re not so horrible after all. Actually, they are pretty bad, but that’s why we love them. —Samantha Highfill

Mark Duplass’ Brett Pierson has found himself at a crossroads, no longer satisfied with most aspects of his life. Often at odds with his equally frustrated wife, this patriarch has to get out of the rut he’s gotten himself into before everything falls apart. Duplass doesn’t shy away from awkward, honest moments that could pop up in any marriage, making for a relatable character that can make you laugh (and sometimes cringe). —Megan Daley

You’re the Worst’s success depends on its core duo, Jimmy (Chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash). And though they may be the worst, they’re also one of the best romantic pairings on TV to watch, thanks in no small part to Chris Geere. Geere takes what should be an inherently unlikable character and makes him not only hysterical but relatable… even if he’s still an ass. But Geere is in great form every episode, making Jimmy’s actions at times amusingly reprehensible and at others sweetly endearing. But Geere’s performance never crosses the line into sappy cliche, remaining refreshingly honest and, most importantly, funny to watch. —Jonathon Dornbush

Chris Messina elevated grumpy comedy to a new level in The Mindy Project‘s first season and stepped up as a romantic leading man in its second. Season 3 perfected that balance, giving Messina the space to be alternately inappropriate and endearing as Danny attempted to make things work with Mindy (Mindy Kaling). As the show delved into Danny’s home life, Messina also managed to charge even the funniest “MA!” with the insecurity of a child, and he gave us TV’s best single-tear-down-the-cheek work as Danny prepared to become a father. In short, the transition from full-on striptease to red magnetized glasses has never looked so effortless. —Kelly Connolly

Richard Hendricks fails, and fails, and fails — he spectacularly fails. And Thomas Middleditch plays it with such great success. The tech genius from Silicon Valley is just one in a cast full of standout characters, but he brings more heart and emotion to the team than the rest. And that is what sets him apart: Middleditch deftly takes the character from screaming obscenities at Russ Hanneman (Chris Diamantopoulos) to baring his soul before a courtroom during his Hooli lawsuit testimony. —Dalene Rovenstine 

If you look at the nerdy foursome on The Big Bang Theory, the comedic glue that holds them all together year after year is Jim Parsons. The way he plays Sheldon Cooper with the same affectations, yet builds upon the character each season, is what keeps him fresh—and still enjoyable to watch nine years in. Parsons plays off the other actors with ease, but Sheldon is a complex person all on his own, as his extreme character growth in the season 8 finale showed. —Dalene Rovenstine 

Adam Scott makes Ben Wyatt TV’s most lovable nerd thanks to his endearing portrayal as a Star Wars-obsessed accountant. Scott’s convincing performance as a calzone-loving geek who constantly cracks corny jokes makes it hard to tell where the Cones of Dunshire creator ends and the real-life dad of two begins. But it’s Scott’s on-screen relationship with Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope that makes him the perfect leading man. He supports Leslie’s crusade to save J.J.’s Diner, celebrates her made-up holidays, and loves Pawnee, Indiana, almost as much as she does. Their status as a local government power couple defines the term #relationshipgoals.  —Dana Falcone

As Gretchen on FXX’s breakout hit You’re the Worst, Aya Cash is cynical, self-absorbed, and constantly getting in her own way in both her personal and professional lives. Naturally, however, her hard exterior belies a soft, marshmallow center. While this is normally a shortcut to actual character development, Cash’s portrayal is genuine, ensuring that Gretchen’s vulnerabilities — when she deigns to reveal them — are palpably felt. Cash puts everything she has into Gretchen, and it shows in one of the most beautifully subtle comic performances of the year. — Amanda Michelle Steiner

Ilana Glazer’s role on Broad City could be completely wordless, and her character would still be mesmerizing: Between her knack for impromptu twerking and her delightfully bonkers facial expressions, Glazer’s physical comedy often takes center stage — and rightfully so. Watching Glazer is like chugging the best-tasting energy drink you’ve ever had, and feeling like you’re never, ever going to crash. Any actress who can inspire that kind of euphoria deserves to be treasured (and, therefore, deserves an EWwy).  —Ariana Bacle

Abbi Jacobson played the somewhat-straight woman to Ilana Glazer’s unapologetically mad woman in the first season of Broad City, but this season gave her plenty of moments to get on Glazer’s level: In “Wisdom Teeth,” an especially stoned Abbi embarks on an adventure to Whole Foods with her talking stuffed animal in what was one of the entire show’s most surreally funny moments, and in another episode, she morphed into late-night crooner Val in another stand-out scene that proved Jacobson can play all types of comedic characters — and play the hell out of them. —Ariana Bacle

Titus was the scene-stealing breakout of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but Ellie Kemper’s optimistic Kimmy is the bright core of happiness around which the show’s darkness and satire revolves. Kimmy is bright and bubbly, but unlike all those Manic Pixie Dream Girls, it’s not because she’s naïve. Kimmy has seen the darkness of the world firsthand and knows from experience that optimism is the most powerful way to fight it. Kemper shines in the role written specifically for her, shifting expertly between Kimmy’s natural cheer and gritty resistance to the many struggles of life in New York. —Christian Holub

Jane Villanueva is the ultimate good girl with a moral center grounded in her devout Catholic upbringing. But when she discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated, her life plan takes a wildly different turn as she faces new, unexpected obstacles. Gina Rodriguez’s ability to make you laugh in one scene and reach for a handful of tissues in the next makes her a delight to watch. Her mix of spunk and sincerity create a protagonist that is easy to root for — and one you can’t wait to see grow from week-to-week. —Megan Daley

Tracee Ellis Ross’ Rainbow is incredibly smart and successful (she’s an anesthesiologist), but Ross makes sure she isn’t too serious. Rainbow is instead both hard-working and super-fun, and her chemistry with her Emmy-nominated on-screen husband, Anthony Anderson, gives the show much of its humor: She sometimes plays the voice of reason to his ridiculous ideas, but she also often gets her own turn to be the crazy mom — and what a lovable crazy mom she is. —Ariana Bacle

As Rogelio, Jane’s (Gina Rodriguez) biological father who also happens to be a highly narcissistic telenovela star, Jaime Camil could’ve easily fallen to the background of this hit CW comedy. But thanks to Camil — and some phenomenal writers — Rogelio quickly became the comedic highlight of every episode. Whether he was standing quietly in the background or was center stage with a microphone in hand, Camil proved that there is no comedic task too big or too small for him to conquer. Usually, it’s hard to love a man who loves himself so much … but not this time. —Samantha Highfill

Hopefully you didn’t stop watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia because it seemed like more of the same. The show unexpectedly leveled up in season 10, and none of its lovable scumbags better embodied that resurgence than Day’s Charlie Kelly. The Gang’s “Wild Card” is still the manic lunatic we know and love, but Day managed to reveal some of Charlie’s hidden depths. In one hilarious example, we learned that Charlie’s energy isn’t just good for laughs; turns out it’s the only thing keeping the bar standing.  —Christian Holub

Hugh Laurie’s Tom James was a quiet but formidable force on Veep season 4. He joined the cast of political characters four episodes into the season as someone to stand in Selina’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) shadow. The problem was that he was so magnetic that the American public began seeing him as the presidential candidate instead of the actual president. And of course this was due to Laurie, who can deliver lines like, “A wolf is actually a pack animal. I’m more a lone squirrel” with ease. —Dalene Rovenstine

Silicon Valley‘s Ehrlich Bachman is a terrible human being. He is offensive, rude, often vulgar, and just flat-out gross — and yet somehow T.J. Miller makes him one of the best characters to watch in a comedy. The Pied Piper crew fail spectacularly, but you would never know it watching Ehrlich’s never-failing confidence. And yet, when Richard (Thomas Middleditch) meets one of Ehrlich’s college “buddies,” he learns that not everyone has love for Ehrlich “Kool-Aid” Bachman like he thinks. This situation allowed Miller to add a layer of complexity to Ehrlich, who quickly bounced back to the obscenity-spewing entrepreneur we know and love. —Dalene Rovenstine

The Pawneean who’s the least comfortable with displays of big emotion (“keep your tears in your eyes where they belong”) inspired the majority of them this year. Nick Offerman crafted one of TV comedy’s classic characters in Ron Swanson, and he spent Parks and Recreation‘s final season pushing Ron into new, more vulnerable territory without sacrificing his stoic edge. As Ron feuded and reunited with Leslie, Offerman turned in a performance as unforgettable as his facial hair, taking his place on TV’s own Pyramid of Greatness. —Kelly Connolly

Parks and Recreation‘s final season aired after Chris Pratt had cemented his big-screen leading man status, but his work as Andy Dwyer remained as ego-less as ever. Pratt played off of his castmates with the same earnest generosity as his character. He brought Andy into adulthood without sacrificing his innocent charm, and his relationship with April, always one of the show’s sweetest, deepened as their characters struggled with how to move on. Macklin, you son of a bitch — we’ll never move on from you. —Kelly Connolly

Saturday Night Live has blessed us with a supporting cast filled with funny women, every one of whom deserve all the awards. But let’s talk Aidy. Like 12-year SNL veteran Kenan Thompson, relative newbie Bryant need only react to a scene to make a sketch land. From bit appearances to recurring characters like Morgan in “Girlfriends Talk Show,” Bryant delivers her lines fearlessly, as if she has never in her life held anything back. It’s a testament to Bryant’s skill as a comic performer that her appearances in ensemble-based shorts like “Back Home Ballers” and “Say What You Wanna Say” are most representative of the season highlights. —Amanda Michelle Steiner

Transparent scored nominations for best comedy series and stars Jeffrey Tambor and Gaby Hoffmann, among others, but Judith Light seriously deserved a nod as well for her funny and touching performance as Shelly Pfefferman, the ex-wife of Tambor’s Maura and mother of their three children. With the wig and Jewish mother accent, she was perfect as the quick-tongued matriarch of this dysfunctional, complicated family. — Jessica Derschowitz

Melanie Lynskey’s Michelle isn’t the type of mom to show up to family dinner in lingerie, but that’s because Togetherness isn’t really that kind of show. Rather, Jay and Mark Duplass’ HBO dramedy — about a married couple with two kids and a petering sex life — calls for a more demure captivation, and Lynskey delivers, as always. Her raw and vulnerable turn as the disenchanted and sexually frustrated wife of Mark Duplass’ Brett is captivating because of just how real and relatable it is. —Emily Blake

Kristen Schaal’s Carol is an unabashed rule-abiding citizen in a world with no rules — oh, yeah, and she’s also a crafting queen. Schaal brings a sweet earnestness to the role, something that makes Carol’s otherwise-annoying quirks endearing. In a show with only a literal handful of characters, each one needs to shine — really shine — and Schaal never fails to ensure that Carol does, especially in her kookier, raisinball-focused moments. —Ariana Bacle

Unfortunately, not many people watched Looking — so few that HBO axed the series two seasons in. So not many people saw Lauren Weedman’s foul-mouthed yet warm-hearted Doris, the only major female (and straight) character in the series, one half of a self-described “co-dependent mess” with Dom (Murray Bartlett). While the role was only meant to be a recurring one, and Doris was mainly a vehicle for comic relief in season 1, Weedman was quickly upped to series regular. By season 2, Weedman was given much-deserved screen time, allowing her to delve into Doris’ past and peel back layers on the “damaged” character. —Emily Blake

As the Huang family matriarch, Constance Wu’s Jessica is unquestionably the highlight of ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat. Be it while disciplining her sons (“No means no! Respect girls!”) or knowing her value (“No one seems to appreciate how I’m good at everything I do”), Wu’s delivery is not just fundamentally funny and whip-smart, but also empathetic. On what is perhaps the most surprising comedy of the season, Wu rises above a portrayal that could have become a one-note stereotype and provides a unique point of view into what it means to be an outsider. —Amanda Michelle Steiner