Quinta Brunson Suggests 'Some Thought' Be Given to Emmys Comedy Categories: 'People Are Confused'
'Abbott Elementary' didn't take home a single comedy award despite earning nine nominations at the 2024 Emmys.
Quinta Brunson thinks a closer look should be given to shows nominated in the Emmys' comedy categories.
Brunson's hit ABC sitcom, Abbott Elementary, was nominated in multiple categories at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards (which were held last month), including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Brunson), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Tyler James Williams), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph).
But this year, the show was wholly snubbed. Some of the categories were won by FX show The Bear, which had a whopping 11 wins despite the series' leaning towards drama.
Ahead of the season four Abbott premiere, Brunson spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, where, towards the end of the interview, she was asked about the Emmys/Television Academy's "categorization" issue in terms of comedy.
"I think they should give it some thought, yeah. I think they should give it some thought," the two-time Emmy winner replied. "As you can see, people are confused. I don’t know why you want to keep confusing people. You might want to give it some thought."
Whether The Bear should be considered a comedy or not has been a controversial topic since the show began in 2022, with the cast even addressing it during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards (per Deadline). Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who was twice awarded Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, stood firmly on "these ideas about comedy and drama" being "a little bit outdated."
"We’re all just trying to reflect the mess of being human, which is deeply hilarious and we’re all suffering," he said.
But after earning four Primetime Emmys, Abbott could resume their wins, as season four will see a crossover episode with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
"They represent a part of South Philly, and we represent a part of West Philly that is very real, and it wasn’t a long walk for these characters to interact," Brunson said about collaborating with Sunny creator and star Robert McElhenney III and co-star Charlie Day. "It just made sense immediately. And when it came to us that easy, we were like, “Yeah, we have to do this."
