Laughter is the best medicine, which means that the men and women on our dream Emmy nominations list for lead actors and actresses in a comedy are basically doctors. Not that we'd let New Girl's Jake Johnson operate on us. Or would we?
Emmy nominations will be announced next week on July 18, so before then we'll be covering the major categories and pushing our favorite people and shows into the universe so they get the nods they deserve. Let's talk funny folks:
Lead Actress, Comedy
Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project: It took a bit for the freshman series to find its footing, but when it did, it was Kaling who was standing on ground that was both solid and hilarious. When The Mindy Project started firing on all cylinders in the back half of season one, the former Office castmember fired right back and became one of our favorite leading ladies of the TV season.
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation: She's always nominated because she's always perfect. Can she get a win this year? For Knope's sake! Parks and Recreation gets better and better, and Poehler manages to raise the bar even beyond that. How is that even possible? In Knope we trust.
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl: She was good in season one, but everyone's favorite "quirky" girl took the Nick-Jess storyline and made it something truly special in season two. It was one of the rare times we wanted the will they-won't they storyline to drag out a big longer, because those two were so much fun to watch while they navigated their relationship. We'll cover Jake Johnson a bit further down, by the way, but his leading lady definitely deserves her second nomination.
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie: We're enormous Nurse Jackie fans, and anyone who loves good acting is a fan of Edie Falco. It's basic logic for her to get yet another nod come next week.
Tina Fey, 30 Rock: She's Tina Fey. And it's her last chance to be honored for her work on 30 Rock. Do we have to say more? Nope, we don't. Move along.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep: Though we're still bitter about JLD beating out Amy Poehler last year, we have to admit that on Veep, she's as good as it gets.
Lead Actor, Comedy
Jake Johnson, New Girl: We're so glad that Johnson submitted himself in the lead category instead of as a supporting actor, because it's not easy to play the straight man on a show like New Girl. But he manages to play that role and still make it hilarious without the overkill. Just his dance moves alone to Taylor Swift's "22" should get him the nomination, actually.
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development: The return of Michael Bluth could have been a big letdown after months and months of anticipation. But Bateman fit back into those shoes effortlessly, and by the third episode of the new season on Netflix, it was like he never left us in the first place. Let's keep him around with a nomination, eh?
Louis C.K., Louie: He was nominated for pretty much every Emmy last year, from acting to directing, and he won a big chunk of those statues. It was no fluke; Louis C.K. is simply brilliant. We wish we could hire him real quick to write why he should get another nomination, because he deserves perfect writing at all times.
Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation: Surprise, surprise…we want to talk about Parks and Recreation some more. Much like New Girl's Jake Johnson, Adam Scott plays the straight man in a sea of kooky characters, but he never bores up a scene with his portrayal of the nerdy but adorable Ben Wyatt. Plus, he was part of one of our favorite TV weddings ever, and we still get choked up thinking about "I love you and I like you." Ben and Leslie forever!
Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory: Somehow, this show manages to exceed previous seasons with quality in writing and acting. And at the helm of this great performance ship is Captain Jim Parsons, continually making us fall in love with Sheldon over and over again.
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock: Yes, he's been nominated many, many times and he's won many, many times, but in case you don't get it by now: there is a reason for his constant accolades. Especially with the series finale of 30 Rock, where he mixed comedy with a touching "goodbye" to Liz Lemon. We high-five a million angels whenever he's nominated, so let's keep that streak going.
Did we miss anybody? Let us know down below!