Laurie Metcalf’s hat trick leads Chicago roster of Emmy nominees

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Laurie Metcalf on “Getting On.” | HBO

Former and current Chicago stage actress Laurie Metcalf has been a familiar presence at the Emmy Awards since winning three in the ’90s for her breakout role on “Roseanne.” But for this year’s ceremony she has topped herself, winning nominations for three different roles on three different channels.

In the running for the comedy series lead actress category for her work on HBO’s “Getting On,” Metcalf also is a contender in the guest actor categories for both comedy series — for playing Sheldon’s mother on “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS — and drama series — for her acclaimed turn on Louis C.K.’s online show “Horace and Pete.”

She is one of several nominees this year with Chicago roots:

• New to the competition are two veterans of the local improv scene, Thomas Middleditch of HBO’s “Silicon Valley,” nominated for lead actor on a comedy series, and Matt Walsh of HBO’s “Veep,” up for supporting actor on a comedy series.

• Northwestern grad Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the comedy lead actress winner for four years running for “Veep,” is nominated for a fifth Emmy for playing Selina Meyer. If she gets it, she’ll break Helen Hunt’s record for consecutive wins in the category.

• Another “Veep” player, University of Chicago grad Anna Chlumsky, won her fourth straight nomination for supporting actress on a comedy series.

• Naperville North alum Bob Odenkirk, a previous Emmy winner for writing, is nominated for the second year in a row for his acting on AMC’s “Better Call Saul.” In the comedy lead actor category he competes with Chicago stage veteran William H. Macy of “Shameless.”

• While overlooked for the final season of her sitcom “Mike & Molly,” Plainfield’s Melissa McCarthy is nominated for comedy series guest actor for her hosting stint on “Saturday Night Live.” In that category she’s up against two other “SNL” hosts with local roots: Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, nominated as a duo.

• Chicago native Andre Braugher, a two-time winner for dramatic acting on “Homicide” and “Thief,” competes for the third straight year in the comedy supporting actor category for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

• “Key & Peele,” starring two Chicago-trained funnymen, is nominated for best variety sketch show and for its writing. As was the case last year, Keegan-Michael Key got a comedy series supporting actor nomination but partner Jordan Peele inexplicably did not.

• “Transparent,” the Amazon series inspired by the Chicago family of its creator, Jill Soloway, is again a contender for best comedy series, and several of its stars are nominated. Soloway won the comedy directing Emmy last year and is up for the award again this year.

• Three-time winner Jane Lynch, the pride of Dolton, again is nominated as best game show host for “Hollywood Game Night.”

Conspicuous in his absence from the nominations is Second City alum Stephen Colbert, a frequent winner in his “Colbert Report” days whose debut on CBS’ “Late Show” went unrecognized. Also snubbed was the Northwest Side’s Gina Rodriguez, overlooked for her acclaimed work on “Jane the Virgin.”


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