The comedy series ensemble nominees at the 27th annual SAG Awards offer an interesting split of light and uplifting material with the dark and dangerous. And even more notably, all but one are first-timers in this race. To get a closer look at how nominations-round voting shook out, Variety’s Michael Schneider and Danielle Turchiano returned to Awards Circuit, presented by HBO.
Pop TV’s feel-good family sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” which cleaned up at the Emmys in September and just took home the Golden Globes for comedy series and comedy actress (for Catherine O’Hara), is the sole returning nominee to this ballot, seeing its second consecutive attention. This nomination is for its sixth and final season, and the show also picked up SAG noms this year for all four of its Emmy-winning cast members: O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy.
Three series — HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” Hulu’s “The Great” and Apple TV Plus’ “Ted Lasso” — are nominated for their freshman seasons, although they have each already scored attention by other awards bodies, namely the HFPA, which nominated all three in the comedy series category, while also showering individual attention on select performers. With SAG, too, individual actors see nominations this year: Kaley Cuoco is nominated in the female comedy actor category for her turn as the eponymous flight attendant on HBO Max’s dark comedy, and both Nicholas Hoult from “The Great” and Jason Sudeikis as the titular Ted Lasso are nominated in the male comedy actor races.
And Netflix’s traumedy “Dead to Me” is in the running in this race for the first time, but for its second season. Last year Christina Applegate was nominated in the individual female comedy actor race, and this year she returns there, along with Linda Cardellini. But the ensemble nom is a chance to celebrate the extended cast around that central duo, as well.
That is the reason Turchiano selected “Dead to Me” as her pick to ultimately win at the 27th annual SAG Awards on April 4: The second season of “Dead To Me” expanded the world around Applegate’s Jen and Cardellini’s Judy, not only by welcoming new characters such as Steve’s twin brother Ben (also played by James Marsden), and a new love interest (Natalie Morales) and mother (Katey Sagal) for Judy, but it also further fleshed out those known from the first season, including Detective Perez (Diana-Maria Riva) and Jen’s older son (Sam McCarthy).
Schneider, on the other hand, picked “Ted Lasso,” in part for the growth the characters experienced after being impacted by Ted’s entrance into their world.
Watch the full Awards Circuit video above.
