4 Reasons why Jane Lynch deserves an Emmy!
Written and Illustrated by Jeremy Nguyen
Not many female comedians are able to pull off an aggressive “alpha-female” character like actress Jane Lynch, which makes her the perfect Sue Sylvester on Fox’s Glee. Jane has been seen in the 40-Year Old Virgin, Role Models, and other great comedies these past few years. The pilot episode of Glee opens with a cheerleading squad and after a high energy choreographed number, we cut to Jane giving us the first joke of the series. It’s not the last we see of her, because although she is not the backbone, she is integral to both the drama and the comedy of the entire show.
Here are four reasons (and a video) of why Jane Lynch should win an Emmy for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Series:
1. She has an improv background. Jane is a Second City Alum, an improv school that has turned out the likes of Mike Meyers, Tina Fey, and Steve Carell. While other females on TV have that same credit, Jane is ALL improv. Tina Fey for example is an amazing writer, and her comedic portrayal of Liz Lemon on 30 Rock is undeniably hilarious. But while sticking to the script is a sure-fire way to find laughs, improvising succeeds when its most unexpected, and Jane delivers lines that sound so good, you can’t tell if its written or if its just Jane.
2. She’s in her 40s. Jane is seasoned, and has performed in plenty of blockbuster comedies with scenes alongside many of this generation’s greats. She knows comedy, and its difficult to find her brand of humor in any other woman today. Some female characters in TV’s sitcoms could easily be played by other actresses, but Jane Lynch is the top comedic performer in her age bracket. I can’t really name any other middle-aged woman without hitting seniors like Phyllis Diller or Cloris Leachman. Jane Lynch is not at all an interchangeable comedienne.
3. She plays a villain. Some Glee fans have noticed that a lot of the so-called “bad guys” of the show are actually women. Will Shuester’s wife is a conflict. Cheerleader Quinn Fabray is a conflict. And ofcourse, Sue Sylvester is the biggest folly to the teenage songsters. She isn’t a doofy yet charming Parks and Rec director like Amy Poehler, a dumb blonde like Jane Krakowski, or a self-deprecating loser woman-in-the-workplace like Tina Fey.
Jane Lynch is the bad guy.
She embodies a character we are supposed to despise, but somehow flips it into a villain we want to see more of. She’s diabolically competitive, yet cracks so many jokes that we yearn to see her onscreen, even if it means the Glee club’s rise to glory will be set back a little. If we could hear Sue just utter one more racist remark, we’ll let her get away with creating obstacles for Mr. Shue. She’s created a villain we hate but we also want to appear, just because her methods of evil are so manic but also brings the biggest laughs.
4. Glee is an hour-long teen high school show, not a sitcom. Glee has a large cast, and a large time slot, yet the screen time Jane gets, she steals. She’s making jokes in every scene. But because comedy is funnier in juxtaposition to drama, we get enough time for both on this show. There’s the episode where we get a revelation of her character Sue Sylvester, a secret she makes an effort to hide from anyone on the show. Without spoiling it, watch episode 10, “Wheels”, and you’ll see why she treats a physically challenged Cheerio-hopeful the way she does. It’s moving, and makes viewers wonder if we’ll be seeing a more touching side to Sue Sylvester, and if Jane Lynch has the chops to bring it.
Jane Lynch is performing at a level all on her own, and owns every scene she has on Glee. The cast loves her, and have been quoted to saying how much they look forward to their shared scenes, even if they can’t keep up with her. You would think that a show like Glee would be family-friendly, but its colorful exterior hides some of the most jaw-dropping lines I’ve heard on a teen show (most of them from Jane Lynch, ofcourse). Even if she doesn’t win, there’s no denying that she’s going to be at least nominated. But half a season in, she’s the breakout female performer of the year, and deserves to be recognized for the long career she’s already had.
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I couldn’t agree more! I think she also does a great job in Criminal Minds playing Mrs. Reid one of the main characters Schizophrenic mother! Its a role on the opposite side of the spectrum of Sue Sylvester but amazing none the less.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:36 am
The actors of this series are brilliant. Each episode just keeps building and getting better and better
December 4th, 2009 at 9:47 am
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