Things are different at the 2015 Emmys, and anyone who enjoys terrific comedy should be thrilled. Rather than narrowing down all of TV's excellent variety series — from late-night talk shows to Saturday Night Live to sketch series starring your favorite performers — to five measly nominees, the awards essentially split the category in half, separating sketch and talk series. In a victory that couldn't have surprised many, Inside Amy Schumer won the Outstanding Variety Sketch Series Emmy, with its star and creator taking home that inaugural trophy.
While Inside Amy Schumer's victory is certainly earned, this new category was easily one of the toughest at the 2015 Emmys, with nominees also including Drunk History, Key & Peele, Saturday Night Live, and Portlandia. These are all hilarious series that have received critical acclaim as well as praise from viewers, thanks to unforgettable sketches that almost take on a life of their own online after each episode. I mean, do I even need to bring up "12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer," or "Last F*ckable Day," or "The Universe," or "Football Town Nights," or — you get the picture. Everything Amy Schumer creates manages to be hilarious, relatable, edgy, cringe-worthy, and culturally relevant all at once. Since Schumer lost the Oustanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series award to Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus, I'm glad her show could be honored in this category.
In fact, I think this is a better trophy for Schumer to have. Sure, her acting is great, but by honoring the show as a whole, the Emmys are pointing out her talents as an actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. If she can't get an individual Emmy for each of those talents (though I'm sure eventually she will nab them all), this all-encompassing Outstanding Variety Sketch Series win is a pretty great consolation.
As excited as I was to see Schumer take home the first trophy for this category, I'm just thrilled that it now exists to make sure that these sketch series are getting the attention they deserve.
