“Modern Family” isn’t that funny.
There, I said it.
Not funny enough to win Best Comedy at the Primetime Emmys three years in a row, anyway. And not funnier than “Parks and Recreation,” which was nominated for zero awards.
The Emmys, which aired Sunday night, continued a yearly tradition of giving too many awards to shows that aren’t deserving, not enough to those that are and some that are years overdue.
I’m looking at you, Jon Cryer. That lead-actor-in-a-comedy Emmy is five years late — coincidentally the last time “Two and a Half Men” was funny.
But the fact that “Parks” didn’t win a single Emmy only proves the uselessness of the voting board.
Amy Poehler’s portrayal of Leslie Knope, an optimistic parks department worker, is possibly the best sitcom character to grace TV screens since the genre’s inception. And the show in general is one of the funniest I’ve seen, at times on par with sitcom classics like “Seinfeld” and “Friends.”
I’m worried if the show doesn’t rack up awards, the geniuses that run NBC will decide to cancel it, adding “Parks” to the list of prematurely killed series.
It only took “Arrested Development” six years to come back from the abyss, perhaps “Parks” will fare better.
Regardless, the show is brilliant and available to stream on Netflix.
Louis C.K. won well-deserved awards for FX’s “Louie” and his comedy special “Live At The Beacon Theater,” both of which are hysterical, and Aaron Paul won for his portrayal of Jessie on “Breaking Bad.”
But other than that, the Emmys were a bore.
Every year, these award shows are criticized for either excluding a critical darling or including only ratings hogs.
Sunday night was par for the course in that aspect. There were some surprises — “Homeland” swept the show and “Mad Men” left with nothing — but I found myself wondering, as I do every year, why I bother watching.
It definitely wasn’t to see Jimmy Kimmel.
Remember when he was funny? Neither do I.
Oh well, at least he’s better than Jimmy Fallon. Those Capital One commercials aren’t doing much for your career, friend.
Overall, the Emmys simply weren’t enjoyable, something I’ve become accustomed to. It may be because “Parks,” my favorite comedy on TV, left empty-handed, or because it’s groan-inducing to see “Two and a Half Men” rack up the awards eons after it stopped being funny.
Actually, that’s exactly why.
