There are certain years when the Emmy race for Outstanding Comedy Series is wide open, with longtime nominees ending their runs or top contenders pausing between seasons. Those races are among the liveliest since, with open slots, freshman series often receive their first nominations, bringing a spark of freshness and uncertainty into an often staid competition. Those are the years that are truly fun.
This isn’t one of those years, or at least it’s not shaping up to be that way, with more than half of last year’s eight Comedy Series nominees returning to compete. Indeed, at least four of them – “Hacks,” “The Bear,” “Abbott Elementary,” and “Only Murders in the Building” – are virtually sure of their nominations, and the fifth, the on-the-bubble “What We Do in the Shadows,” likely to make it in as well. Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” and Peacock’s “Poker Face,” which earned key nominations in their freshman season, hope to receive their first Comedy Series nominations this year.
What’s left is a bottleneck at the top of the comedy contenders, with as many as three or as few as one slot open for a freshman comedy to earn that coveted nomination. That’s a particular shame this year because the 2024-25 season has brought us an array of imaginative and, at times, outrageous comedies. Which of these newly acclaimed contenders is most likely to find Emmy glory?
Here’s a list of ten of the best freshman comedy series to put on your radar, along with a few comments as to where their awards strength (or weaknesses) may lie. Happy streaming!
“AGATHA ALL ALONG” (9 episodes) – Now Streaming On Disney+
In a 2021 episode of “WandaVision,” viewers learned that the evil force behind all the supernatural mayhem in the quiet town of Westview has been nosy neighbor Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn). That surprising revelation arrived complete with an elaborate title sequence and perky theme song for a fictitious new series called “Agatha All Along.” This once-imaginary show has now become a reality. In this Disney+ series, Agatha, now freed from the spell of Wanda but without her magical powers, teams up with a teenage familiar (Joe Locke) and a new coven of witches, led by the 450-year-old Lilia (Patti LuPone) to walk the Witches’ Road, a feat which rewards any witch who survives its trials what they desire most, which for Agatha is restoration of her powers.
EMMY OUTLOOK: “Agatha All Along” has been a solid performer on the awards scene since its premiere, particularly with the techs, garnering nominations for its score, costume design, production design, and makeup & hairstyling from its respective guilds. It has also earned honors for its cast, with Hahn, Locke, and LuPone all receiving Indie Spirit Award nominations, Hahn earning a Globe nomination, and LuPone a supporting nod from Critics Choice. A good chunk of these nominations looks likely to repeat at the Emmys. I mean, would you have the guts to face Patti LuPone and tell her she’s not worthy of an Emmy nomination? I didn’t think so.
“ENGLISH TEACHER” (8 episodes) – Now streaming On Hulu
Because both comedies are about public school teachers, there’s a natural inclination to link “Abbott Elementary” with this new FX series. Both capture the personal and professional frustrations that teaching sometimes brings. Still, the problems faced by high school teacher Evan (series creator Brian Jordan Alvarez) are even more complicated than he expected. From sanctioning gun clubs and using drag to teach life lessons to parents using Evan’s sexuality (like Alvarez, Evan is openly gay) as a cudgel for their own ends, life is not always easy for the young teacher. Fortunately for us, “English Teacher” uses laugh-out-loud humor to explore these issues with perception and wit.
EMMY OUTLOOK: “English Teacher” established itself early as one of comedy’s top new contenders on the awards scene, with comedy series nominations from the Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Awards. Both groups also nominated Alvarez as Lead Actor and co-star Stephanie Koenig in Supporting. One potentially dark cloud: Alvarez was accused of sexual assault by a previous co-star in a 2016 incident, which Alvarez denied, asserting that the act was consensual by both parties because of their prior sexual history. Whether this incident will be a factor in the show’s awards run is anyone’s guess, but in one sign, two months after the accusation, Hulu renewed “English Teacher” for a second season.
“ÉTOILE” (8 episodes) – Premieres April 24th On Prime Video
Amy Sherman-Palladino loves a stage. After exploring the world of ballet in her series “Bunheads” and of stand-up comedy in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” she returns to the barre for her latest comedy. In “Étoile,” the ballet directors of two world-renowned ballet companies – one in Paris, the other in New York – find that their audiences are dwindling, so they decide to take a chance to save their storied institutions by swapping their most talented stars to reignite the public’s interest. The comic contrast between the elegant world of ballet and Sherman-Palladino’s style of fast repartee promises to entertain audiences, whether they’re ballet fans or not.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Sherman-Palladino, who made history when she became the first woman to win in both the comedy writing and directing categories at the Primetime Emmy Awards, has an impressive track record with Academy voters. In its five-season run, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” won 22 Emmys from 80 nominations, and Sherman-Palladino herself won six Emmys from her personal 13 nominations. With “Étoile” as her first project after that remarkable Emmy run, expectations will be high, and voters will be watching.
“THE FOUR SEASONS” (8 episodes) – Premieres May 1st On Netflix
Based on the 1981 film comedy starring Alan Alda & Carol Burnett, this series centers on three couples (Tina Fey & Will Forte, Steve Carell & Kerri Kenney-Silver, Colman Domingo & Marco Calvani) who, being the best of friends, decide to go on vacation together four times each year to a different location. Created and developed by “30 Rock” veterans Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, the series is set to explore the ups and downs of marriage, which can often be brought to a boiling point while on vacation. With smart comedy set in glamorous locations, the forecast is sunny for this one.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Let’s start with Tina Fey, winner of 9 Emmys from 45 nominations, who has proven her appeal to Emmy voters year after year, from “Saturday Night Live,” “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” But her castmates are no slouches either, with Emmy winner Domingo (“Euphoria”) being joined by the multi-nominated Forte, Carell, and Kenney-Silver. If any new comedy has a significant Emmy pedigree going into this race, it’s “The Four Seasons.” Now, it just has to live up to the high hopes.
“A MAN ON THE INSIDE” (8 episodes) – Now Streaming On Netflix
This Netflix comedy may be the first time in history that a successful sitcom is based on an Oscar-nominated documentary from Chile. In adapting the 2020 documentary, “The Mole Agent,” series creator Michael Schur moves the film’s remarkable true story from its location of El Monte, Chile, to San Francisco. The series keeps the documentary’s premise intact as recently retired widower Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson), bored with his leisurely life, gets a job at a detective agency and convinces his new boss (Stephanie Beatriz) to let him go undercover at a local retirement home to find a missing ruby necklace. Hijinks ensue.
EMMY OUTLOOK: The pairing of Schur (a three-time Emmy winner for “Hacks,” “The Office” and “Saturday Night Live”) and Danson (a two-time winner for “Cheers”) was previously established on “The Good Place,” and their reunion here gives the series an assured confidence from the very first episode, Critics and awards bodies noticed that as well, with the series being acclaimed as one of the top 10 television programs of 2024 by the American Film Institute. In addition, Danson received Best Actor nominations from both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
“MID-CENTURY MODERN” (10 episodes) – Now Streaming On Hulu
Alone in a contest filled with single-camera sitcoms, the approach of “Mid-Century Modern” is so retro that it almost looks revolutionary. Shot with a three-camera set-up live before a studio audience, the series follows the production approach taken by such greats as “I Love Lucy,” “Cheers,” and the show’s spiritual antecedent, “The Golden Girls.” Following a friend’s tragic death, three gay men of a certain age decide to move in together (as gay men do in Palm Springs) to give their lives new meaning. While the zingers fly, thanks to series creators Max Mutchnick & David Kohan (“Will & Grace”), the series is grounded emotionally with its testament to the power of friendship in the face of our own mortality.
EMMY OUTLOOK: In addition to the Emmy-winning team of Mutchnick & Kohan, the series boasts a cast that includes Emmy winner Nathan Lane, Emmy nominees Matt Bomer and the late Linda Lavin, and celebrated stage actor Nathan Lee Graham. But the key to Emmy success for “Mid-Century Modern” may rest in its director, James Burrows, one of the finest directors in the television industry. To better appreciate his renown, consider that, except for 1997, Burrows was nominated for an Emmy Award every single year between 1980 and 2005, an unparalleled achievement. In his 50+ years of directing, he has personally been nominated for 49 Emmy Awards, winning 11 statues along the way. With “Mid-Century Modern,” Burrows is well in the hunt for #50.
“NO GOOD DEED” (8 episodes) – Now Streaming On Netflix
Liz Feldman, creator of the successful Netflix comedy, “Dead to Me,” returns to the streamer for her latest dark comedy, a frantic look inside the world of real estate. Empty-nesters Paul (Ray Romano) and Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) want to downsize and sell their Los Feliz home, but when a man whom they had once known (Denis Leary) returns with blackmail on his mind, their reasons for selling become a bit cloudier. Circling this throughline are the various hopeful buyers, all of whom have their motivations for making an offer. The comedy is dark, and the satire is sharp.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Emmy nominee Feldman’s “Dead To Me” was a prime awards contender during its run, but I suspect that the way to get “No Good Deed” to the top of Emmy voters’ must-watch list is via its beloved stars, Emmy winners Ray Romano and Lisa Kudrow, whose performances here have earned them another set of critical plaudits. Add to that Emmy nominees Leary, O-T Fagbenle, and Linda Cardellini, and you’ve got an attractive awards package. The show’s main challenge, however, will be the fact that Netflix has three other high-profile new comedies to promote, so “No Good Deed” may need an extra push to get its share of awards attention.
“NOBODY WANTS THIS” (10 episodes) – Now Streaming On Netflix
In an era of high-concept comedies, “Nobody Wants This” has the alarmingly simple throughline of two people falling in love. Granted, the romance is a bit unusual – the relationship between Noah (Adam Brody), an attractive young rabbi, and Joanne (Kristen Bell), an agnostic co-host of a sex and dating podcast, is not your usual boy-meets-girl story. But the course of their relationship, as skillfully plotted by series creator Erin Foster, touches on themes of family, politics, religion, and, of course, sex. The key to buying this unlikely relationship, of course, is the chemistry between the two actors, and happily with Brody and Bell, their attraction is undeniable.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Since its September premiere, the series has garnered considerable critical acclaim and has already proven itself to be a major new contender in the awards arena, with the show being nominated as Best Comedy Series from both the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards. In addition, both Bell and Brody have earned lead acting nominations from the Globes, Critics Choice, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, with Brody winning at Critics Choice. Emmy voters will notice and may follow suit.
“ST. DENIS MEDICAL” (16 episodes) – NBC And Streaming On Peacock
While both series are set in the inner workings of a hospital emergency room, the tone of the new comedy “St. Denis Medical” couldn’t be farther away from the intensity of freshman drama “The Pitt.” At St. Denis, the ER is as busy and chaotic as any hospital. Still, the medical center’s true heroes are its nurses, led by the newly promoted (if often exhausted) Alex (Allison Tolman), who treats her patients with tender, loving care. The series is filmed as a mockumentary, presumably at the behest of its overly cheery executive director (Wendi McLendon-Covey), who hopes to use the film to get up-to-the-minute equipment for the ER when what the hospital really needs is more of its dedicated staff. Looking over it all is Ron (David Allen Grier), the hospital’s world-weary ER surgeon, who’s seen it all and done most of it.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Of all of the new network comedies that premiered this season, this looks to be the one with the best chance of joining “Abbott Elementary” as representing broadcast network comedy in the Emmy race. Critics were very favorably disposed to the series upon its premiere, and indeed, “St. Denis Medical” received its first big boost in the awards race from Critics Choice, which nominated both the series and Grier as Lead Comedy Actor. Whether it’s strong enough yet to crash the top eight in the Emmy series race remains to be seen, but the critical boost it has received to date has gotten it off to a promising start.
“THE STUDIO” (10 episodes) – Now Streaming On Apple TV+
Finally, film executive Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) has achieved his lifelong dream: to be the head of production at Continental Studios. Matt’s plan to balance highly-regarded commercial hits with auteur-driven art films hits an immediate snag, however, when his boss Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston) orders Matt to greenlight a high-concept film about Kool-Aid, the powdered soft drink. To do this, however, he must buy and kill a rival project from his hero, Martin Scorsese, which is only the first of many humiliations the well-intentioned Matt must endure in this Apple TV+ comedy. The series is shot in long movie-like takes and features a powerhouse supporting cast and a small army of industry luminaries happily playing themselves.
EMMY OUTLOOK: Among this year’s freshman class of comedies, “The Studio” has arguably generated the most buzz within the entertainment industry. That, in turn, may make it the favorite among these comedies to break through and land a Comedy Series nomination, as well as likely nods for writing and directing. In addition, expect a robust campaign for series regulars Rogen, Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, and Kathryn Hahn, along with numerous possibilities in the Guest Acting categories, with notable bouquets already given out to Scorsese and filmmaker Sarah Polley for their hilarious performances.
What do you think are the big, new Emmy contenders this year for Outstanding Comedy Series? What are some of your favorite shows you’ve watched for this season so far? Please let us know in the comments section below or over on our X account, and be sure to check out our latest Emmy predictions here. Please also be sure to subscribe to the Next Best Series Podcast where we are conducting a number of interviews with Emmy contenders throughout the awards season and discussing the race over the next couple of months.
