Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Give this cheerful underdog some Emmys!

Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is up for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series and Tituss Burgess, who plays Kimmy’s roommate, aspiring actor Titus Andromedom, was nominated for an Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

While Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Burgess have been nominated for Emmys several times before, they have yet to win. But this year, with the show’s end on the horizon, perhaps the Emmys will finally show this unbreakable underdog some love.

The zany comedy only released six episodes, half of its fourth season, this year, a strategy Netflix appears to be using to give the show’s fourth season two chances to earn awards. (The second half of the season won’t premiere until January 25, 2019. making that new batch of episodes eligible for Emmy consideration next year.)

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While the first six episodes of season four were uneven, the episodes got stronger as they went along. In the process they tackled some serious issues, including toxic masculinity, becoming an adult, and white privilege. All the while, the show maintained its uniquely cheerful outlook, as Kimmy and the other characters navigated life’s challenges in unexpected and hilarious ways.

It’s the show’s optimism that makes it especially resonant. That optimism stands as a counterpoint to much of today’s media. While naive Kimmy needs to learn how to navigate the adult world in a more informed way, she manages to slowly learn those lessons while still staying open to life’s possibilities — something worth emulating in these trying times.

Meanwhile, Burgess continues to do great work. Not only does he get some of the show’s best lines, he manages to make Titus likable despite his many, many unlikable qualities. Plus, in this recent six-episode half-season, Titus actually showed some character growth. Burgess did a fantastic job showing Titus’s struggles to avoid responsibility and make things about himself until he realizes that strategy may not always work best.

In fact, the high point of the season was the Titus-focused episode in which he directs a school musical, a rip-off of Beauty and the Beast, and learns to let others shine while still maintaining his acerbic wit.

Both the Outstanding Comedy Series and Supporting Actor categories are strong this year and it’s rare that a series or an actor starts winning awards this late in a show’s run. However, Emmy voters should consider all that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Burgess’s performance have added to the pop culture zeitgeist in the series’ time on Netflix.

Next. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 4, Part 1 recaps and review. dark

The show and character are not only unique, they also represent perhaps the purest comedy in either category. It’s rare to find a comedy that’s thoughtful and has such a high per episode rate of laughs — Emmy should reward the series for its commitment to both.

The 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast on Monday, September 17 on NBC with Saturday Night Live‘s Colin Jost and Michael Che hosting.

Do you believe Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Titus Burgess deserve Emmys? Let us know in the comments.

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