2024 Comedy Writing Emmy predictions: ‘Abbott Elementary’ submits a 2-parter, ‘Reservation Dogs’ goes for 8

The Best Comedy Writing category has 112 submissions on the 2024 Emmy ballot, yielding only six nominees this year. This category in particular always throws us for a loop, as the writers’ branch sometimes goes their own way and selects series out of the box. Last year, the nominees were “Only Murders In The Building” (“I Know Who Did It” by John Hoffman, Matteo Borghese and Rob Turbovsky), “Ted Lasso” (“So Long, Farewell” by Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly), “Barry” (“wow” by Bill Hader), “Jury Duty” (“Ineffective Assistance” by Mekki Leeper), “The Other Two” (“Cary & Brooke Go to an AIDS Play” by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider), and the winner “The Bear” (“System” by Christopher Storer).

The major outlier last year was “The Other Two,” a surprise few saw coming as it was its first and only nomination for its third season, and it returns for that same season with its eighth episode, three after its nominated fifth episode last year, penned by nominees and creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. This is due to the eligibility period where the eighth aired after the May 31 deadline, so while “The Other Two” isn’t eligible for Best Comedy Series due to not having enough episodes, individual episodes are still up for other categories, similar to “The Handmaid’s Tale” in 2019 for its orphaned episodes of the second season that surpassed the eligibility deadline.

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In addition, “The Bear” and “Only Murders in the Building” are the other two returning nominees that are eligible for this cycle. The former is going solo again for its double-length standout “Fishes” episode, featuring a flashback and a myriad of guest stars – Storer is joined by his co-writer Joanna Calo – while the latter contends for the final two episodes of the third season that sets up a climactic moment and reveals the killer of the season, before ending on a cliffhanger. There is also the return of “Hacks” after a year break. It put forward the season three finale, an explosive half hour that ends on a twist, written by the trio of creators Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky, all previous winners in 2021 for scripting the pilot.

Due to the low number of submissions this year – down 38 from 2023 – there is a good chance that the branch may go back to programs that were left out in the past, particularly last year when comedies like “Abbott Elementary” and “What We Do in the Shadows” were shockingly snubbed from this category. They both return with single entries, with “Abbott Elementary” fighting back by Quinta Brunson submitting the two-part premiere “Career Day” after winning two years ago for the pilot, and “What We Do in the Shadows” playing it safe with only their third episode “Pride Parade” – after previously getting two to three nominated in prior years – which was nominated at the Writers Guild of America Awards. There is also “Girls5eva,” which was cited for its writing in 2021 during the pandemic year, this time going for its fourth episode “Orlando.”

And then finally, there are a slew of newcomers looking for recognition like “Colin from Accounts,” “The Gentlemen,” “I’m A Virgo” and “Palm Royale,” all entering their introductory episodes (which the Emmys love to reward as evidenced by the past three years), with the last show additionally going for its fourth installment. But the biggest eye opener is “Reservation Dogs” submitting a whopping eight of their 10-episode season for consideration. The teen comedy-drama with an almost entirely Indigenous cast and crew has only been nominated for sound editing last year, but with its final third season, it can maybe take advantage of some of the empty spots this year, potentially its WGA-nominated fifth episode “House Made of Bongs.”

Here are some of the top contenders to consider when making your 2024 Emmy predictions for the Best Comedy Writing category:

“The Bear” season 2
“Fishes” (Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer)

“Only Murders In The Building” season 3
“Opening Night” (John Hoffman & Ben Smith)
“Thirty” (Elaine Ko)

“Hacks” season 3
“Bulletproof” (Jenn Statsky, Paul W. Downs & Lucia Aniello)

“The Other Two” season 3
“Brooke Hosts A Night of Undeniable Good” (Chris Kelly & Sarah Schneider)

“Abbott Elementary” season 3
“Career Day” (Quinta Brunson)

“Reservation Dogs” season 3
“House Made of Bongs” (Tommy Pico & Sterlin Harjo)
“Maximus” (Tazbah Chavez)
“Deer Lady” (Sterlin Harjo)
“Friday” (Erica Tremblay)
“Wahoo!” (Migizi Pensoneau)
“Send It” (Ryan RedCorn & Sterlin Harjo)
“Elora’s Dad” (Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs)
“Dig” (Chad Charlie & Sterlin Harjo)

“What We Do In The Shadows” season 5
“Pride Parade” (Jake Bender & Zach Dunn)

“Palm Royale” season 1
“Maxine Goes to Palm Beach (Pilot)” (Abe Sylvia)
“Maxine Rolls The Dice” (Becky Mode)

“Colin From Accounts” season 1
“Flash” (Patrick Brammall & Harriet Dyer)

“Girls5Eva” season 3
“Orlando” (Sam Means & Meredith Scardino)

“I’m A Virgo” season 1
“You a Big Muthaf*cka” (Boots Riley)

“The Gentlemen” season 1
“Refined Aggression” (Guy Ritchie & Matthew Read)

PREDICT the 2024 Emmy nominees through July 17

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