Keegan Michael Key | Key and Peele
Jordan Peele | Key and Peele
Key and Peele has consistently been one of the best and funniest variety series on television today and the titular Key and Peele are part of that. They are the masters of comic timing and delivery and rival every single person on SNL. They adapt to every sketch with such veracity that it seems like they've been playing each character for years.
Zosia Mamet | Girls
Like a lot of people on this list, the role of Shoshanna is a difficult one to play. She must represent a vast majority of twenty somethings in a charicature that is honest, ambitious, and clever while still being hilarious and tragic at the same time. She succeeds every time. However, in season 3, her character is broken down and hit by a realization of the real world.
Thomas Middleditch | Silicon Valley
I wasn't a huge fan of Silicon Valley when it premiered. I did think it improved a lot as the season progressed, however the one consistent player from the beginning was Thomas Middleditch as the lead nerd Richard Hendriks. So much of the series relied on the stereotypical nerd characters, but Middleditch was able to add charm to his characters awkward delivery and demeanor. He can play understated and over-the-top, but he so brilliantly keeps his character in check.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SSvM9lzYV0
BONUS: Zach Woods | Silicon Valley
Woods is a really underrated actor. Although his character had a mixed reception on The Office, he always proved to be a master in timing and adding an endearing flair to his character. He turned in great performances in The Good Wife and briefly in Veep, but his supporting role on Silicon Valley gives him the chance to fully display his talents. He doesn't get the character's character that the other actors get, but he has to deal with these caricatures as the straight character and rivals their laughs with his own. The driverless car scene in “Third Party Insourcing” alone warrants a nomination.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UBdrMTxsvs
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Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.