Emmys 2013: The Supporting Comedy Actor Race In Review, Including Our 6 Dream Nominees

By Team TVLine June 5, 2013 11:00 am EST

Emmy Best Supporting Actor Comedy Nominees

Fred Armisen

Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live

Ty Burrell

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Michael Cera

Michael Cera, Arrested Development

Chris Colfer

Chris Colfer, Glee

David Cross

David Cross, Arrested Development

Adam Driver

Adam Driver, Girls

Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

Donald Glover

Donald Glover, Community

Max Greenfield

Max Greenfield, New Girl (Supporting Actor) Sure, we were bummed when Schmidt and Cece called it quits. But putting the player back on the market afforded his portrayer plenty of juicy (and hilarious) material. Heck, his tragicomic romance with Nurse Jackie’s Merritt Wever alone made the break-up worth it to the Fox hit’s breakout star.

**Max Greenfield, New Girl (Supporting Actor)**

Sure, we were bummed when Schmidt and Cece called it quits. But putting the player back on the market afforded his portrayer plenty of juicy (and hilarious) material. Heck, his tragicomic romance with Nurse Jackie's Merritt Wever alone made the break-up worth it to the Fox hit's breakout star.

Bill Hader

Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live

Tony Hale

Tony Hale, Veep or Arrested Development

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

Simon Helberg

Simon Helberg, The Big Bang Theory (Supporting Actor) Even if voters see no other episode than the one in which Howard discovers an unopened letter from his estranged father, they’ll understand why we’ve been saying for years that this scene-stealer is not only the CBS smash’s secret weapon but breathtakingly versatile to boot.

**Simon Helberg, The Big Bang Theory (Supporting Actor)**

Even if voters see no other episode than the one in which Howard discovers an unopened letter from his estranged father, they'll understand why we've been saying for years that this scene-stealer is not only the CBS smash's secret weapon but breathtakingly versatile to boot.

Ed Helms

Ed Helms, The Office

Alex Karpovsky

Alex Karpovsky, Girls (Supporting Actor) As Girls' sad-sack cafe manager Ray, Karpovsky walks a tightrope in which he must balance his character's amusingly misanthropic tendencies with his wide-eyed romantic adoration of college-age girlfriend Shoshanna. And while his character often misfires -- he even botches the return of a stolen dog to its rightful owner -- the actor himself remains steadfast in bringing to life the show's most fully realized male character.

**Alex Karpovsky, Girls (Supporting Actor)**

As Girls' sad-sack cafe manager Ray, Karpovsky walks a tightrope in which he must balance his character's amusingly misanthropic tendencies with his wide-eyed romantic adoration of college-age girlfriend Shoshanna. And while his character often misfires — he even botches the return of a stolen dog to its rightful owner — the actor himself remains steadfast in bringing to life the show's most fully realized male character.

Taran Killam

Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live (Supporting Actor) Killam proved to be one of the few consistent lights in SNL's otherwise gloomy Season 38. Whether headlining pop-culture spoofs (as The Walking Dead's Rick and Homeland's tiny-mouthed Brody) or popping up in wildly random sketches (as a dancing pig and an angry brother unloading his rage on Justin Bieber), Killam was game for anything -- and seriously funny in the process.

**Taran Killam, Saturday Night Live (Supporting Actor)**

Killam proved to be one of the few consistent lights in SNL's otherwise gloomy Season 38. Whether headlining pop-culture spoofs (as The Walking Dead's Rick and Homeland's tiny-mouthed Brody) or popping up in wildly random sketches (as a dancing pig and an angry brother unloading his rage on Justin Bieber), Killam was game for anything — and seriously funny in the process.

John Krasinski

John Krasinski, The Office

Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation

Ed O'Neill

Ed O'Neill, Modern Family

Adam Pally

Adam Pally, Happy Endings

Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation

Danny Pudi

Danny Pudi, Community

Jim Rash

Jim Rash, Community

Eric Stonestreet

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Jeffrey Tambor

Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development

Damon Wayans Jr.

Damon Wayans, Jr., Happy Endings (Supporting Actor) We’d say this funnyman deserves an Emmy for giving real heart and depth to Brad, aka the most endearingly childish metrosexual this side of New Girl’s Schmidt. Except the real reason he deserves it is hello — he’s made Brad the most endearingly cartoonish metrosexual this side of New Girl’s Schmidt!

**Damon Wayans, Jr., Happy Endings (Supporting Actor)**

We'd say this funnyman deserves an Emmy for giving real heart and depth to Brad, aka the most endearingly childish metrosexual this side of New Girl's Schmidt. Except the real reason he deserves it is hello — he's made Brad the most endearingly cartoonish metrosexual this side of New Girl's Schmidt!

Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson, The Office (Supporting Actor) This having been the NBC comedy’s final season, this is Emmy’s last chance to recognize its thrice-nominated second banana. Luckily, the series’ last episodes -- in which Dwight finally got the job (of manager), the girl (Angela) and even a family (Phillip is his!) -- were an enviable showcase.

**Rainn Wilson, The Office (Supporting Actor)**

This having been the NBC comedy's final season, this is Emmy's last chance to recognize its thrice-nominated second banana. Luckily, the series' last episodes — in which Dwight finally got the job (of manager), the girl (Angela) and even a family (Phillip is his!) — were an enviable showcase.