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Because we can never have too many award shows, a night honoring solely comedy is heading back to TV next year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC has opted to reboot the American Comedy Awards, which will air in May 2014.
The Comedy Awards, which originally aired from 1987 to 2001, will be executive produced by Don Mischer, Charlie Haykel, and Juliane Hare and honor achievements in film, television, and stand-up comedy. Considering that Mischer is a 15-time Emmy winner and has past experience directing/producing the Olympics Opening Ceremony, the Academy Awards, and the Super Bowl halftime show, it looks like we’ll be in for quite the production.
“We all love a good laugh and the American Comedy Awards will be full of gut-busting material from the best comedians in our business,” said Paul Telegdy (president of alternative and late-night programming at NBC), according to THR. “With creative genius Don Mischer at the helm, get ready for a night of great hilarity. No joke.”
While we all know that the best part of the show will probably be the live entertainment from the comedians themselves (we’re looking at you, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler), we thought we’d go ahead and decide who we think will take home “the Lucy” (the award, which is named after Lucille Ball). Based off of the categories from the 2001 ballot and on the shows/movies that have aired since May 2013 until now, here are a few of our picks for winners:
Funniest Motion Picture
This Is the End: While The Heat would definitely be a contender, This Is the End received positive attention. The film is overflowing with comedy stars, and the premise is more than laugh-worthy. However, there’s a lot more time before the award show actually airs, and we’re fully expecting that another comedy will edge its way into victory.
Funniest Female Performer in a Motion Picture
Melissa McCarthy: Because we don’t want to leave The Heat hanging, we’re thinking McCarthy should probably take home “the Lucy” for best female performer in a movie. Since making her mark in Bridesmaids (even though she starred in several TV shows before the movie came out), McCarthy has shown us what she’s made of, and apparently, it’s a big ol’ pile of funny bones.
Funniest Television Series
Louie: If we’re basing the winner off of what voters usually choose, Louie would probably take home the award. However, we’d be more than happy to see a cult-favorite like Arrested Development, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, or Community win.
Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role)
Amy Poehler: Yes, there are many funny women starring in comedies right now, but it’s time for Poehler to take home an award for her performance as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation. She has taken the role of a neurotic councilwoman and turned her into a empowering and loveable woman who we root for on a weekly basis.
Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role)
Andre Braugher: Brooklyn Nine-Nine might be the new kid in class this time around, but Braugher has proved he’s up to the task of playing the gay, stern captain (who’s mastered dead-pan comedy) to Andy Samberg’s juvenile detective. Sure Louis C.K., Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert are comedy gold, but we’re seriously hoping Braugher gets some attention at the award show.
Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic
Chelsea Peretti: Before she had a supporting role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and before she was a writer for Parks and Recreation, Peretti took off as a stand-up comedian. We’ve still got our eyes on Amy Schumer and Kristen Schall, but there’s just something about Peretti that makes us want to hand her all of the awards.
Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic
Undecided: This category just has way too many contenders and we simply can’t decide between anyone. We don’t even know who would be the top five nominees. If we had to guess who would make the ballot, we’d have to go with Louis C.K., Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, Marc Maron, and Bill Burr, but seeing as how the last time this show aired was 13 years ago, we don’t really know what kind of comedians are going to be nominated.
Now, who knows how things will pan out (or who will have a standout performance) between now and May 2014, but we can only hope that the American Comedy Awards will come back in full force and do justice to the world of comedy, and more importantly, include some categories for writers because… come on.
