Make Your Case: Best Lead Actress in a Comedy

For the next week, (Pop) Culturally Informed will be running a brand new series called Make Your Case, where Ben and Nina will take on one major category in turn for next week’s Emmys, pick who they think should win, and make their case. Note: We aren’t going to say who WILL win, but who should. Sometimes these will be one and the same- but we like to choose the road less traveled whenever possible because we are both contrarians. Enjoy!

Guys! I’ve actually watched all of these shows! Well, except for Nurse Jackie, because a) definitely thought that already ended and b) that’s not a comedy. Apologies, Edie.

Anyway, this category is hella stacked, and though we might as well gird our loins for reigning Emmys Queen Julia Louis-Dreyfus to maintain her crown, this is the worthiest bunch to topple her we’ve seen in a while. The venerable Lily Tomlin is nominated for Grace & Frankie, in which she is absolutely charming; Lisa Kudrow is here for The Comeback‘s comeback, which was one of the deepest, most carefully studied performances I’ve seen on television in a good long time (while still being ass-kickingly funny); and Amy Schumer found her way in for, well, Inside Amy Schumer, since 2015 is clearly her strongest, funniest year yet. But there’s a different Amy I want to focus on right now, and it is the perfect, incredible, Pawnee goddess that is Amy Poehler in her final season of cult-favorite sitcom Parks & Recreation.

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