Commentary: Amy Poehler’s Emmy snubs put her in good comedic company

As disappointing as fans may find it that Amy Poehler failed to win an Emmy for her sterling portrayal of Leslie Knope on “Parks and Recreation” and that the exceedingly talented comedic actress has, in fact, failed to take home the prize for any of her 17 Emmy nominations, they should take heart that Poehler is in great comedic company. In fact, there are several standout sitcom performances that never managed to win big at the Emmys.

Though beloved for his work as Michael Scott on “The Office,” earning six nominations for the portrayal, Steve Carell always ended up walking away from the Emmys empty-handed. Carell has yet to win an Emmy despite nine overall nominations.

FULL COVERAGE: Emmys 2015

Jerry Seinfeld was nominated five times in lead actor for a comedy series for playing a version of himself on “Seinfeld” but never scored the win. In fact, despite 15 career nominations to date, Seinfeld has just a single Emmy statuette, scored for comedy series in 1993.

Brilliant in her role as harried mother Lois on early-2000s staple “Malcolm in the Middle” Jane Kaczmarek garnered seven Emmy nominations for the role without being rewarded. More frustrating still is the fact that it wasn’t a single dominant performance that kept Kaczmarek from victory in those years, as with Poehler and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. Six different actresses won the Emmy for comedy actress during the time.

John Goodman was similarly snubbed for his work as long-suffering husband Dan Connor on “Roseanne.” Though the actor was nominated for supporting actor in a comedy seven times for the role, victory always eluded him. It was only with a guest spot on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” that Goodman was ever able to take home an Emmy of his own.

Despite creating two highly successful television shows, comedy legend Bob Newhart went without an Emmy until 2013, when he finally won for a guest spot on “The Big Bang Theory.” He’s a paltry one for eight as far as his lifetime Emmy record goes.

PHOTOS: Red carpet | Show highlights | Winners’ room

And, when all is said and done, Poehler should take heart in the knowledge that it really is an honor just to be nominated, seeing that Andy Griffith never managed a nomination during his eight years as Andy Taylor on “The Andy Griffith Show.” He never even managed a nomination during his nine years as Matlock on the eponymous television series. In fact, Griffith’s sole Emmy nomination came in the form of a nod for supporting actor in a limited series for a film called “Murder in Texas.”

Poehler will be OK in the long run. She’s a gifted actress, writer and comedian, who’s expanding now into executive producing. The only reason Poehler has lost so many awards is because she’s been nominated so many times for her stellar work. It’s only a matter of time before she starts bringing home Emmys. We can only hope it’s sooner, rather than later.

Follow me on Twitter at @midwestspitfire.

[email protected]