In the field of TV comedy, it was buffo business as usual for “Modern Family,” which won the top award for the fourth consecutive time. —But, the big, downbeat difference was the fact that its actors failed to go home with trophies.
That was because the awards for lead comedic performance went to veterans, Jim Parsons for “The Big Bang Theory” and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for “Veep.”
As for the Best Supporting Comedy performers, Tony Hale and Merritt Wever both won, again for “Veep.” —By that performance yardstick, “Veep” emerges as the funniest sitcom on the tube—so, we should make a mental note to watch it more regularly from here on in!
Another winner we should watch is “Breaking Bad,” which trounced all other finalists in the drama category with its edgy, brutal and drug-related storytelling.
Upset victory
Still, “Breaking Bad’s” upset victory was upstaged by the furor caused by the triumph of “The Colbert Report” in the Variety Series category—which has been dominated for a full decade by “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”
Colbert was so happy that he magnanimously expressed his admiration for Stewart, the “past master” in the genre—as well he should, because Stewart gave him his big break in the biz via a regular portion on “The Daily Show,” way back when.
The significance of the fact that the student has now trounced the mentor was obviously not lost on both of them, but at least Colbert knows how to say thanks. And, if he does so while satisfiedly smiling like the cat who’s just eaten the cute but hapless canary—well, that’s par for the highly competitive show biz field, where winners are allowed to gloat!