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2016 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

It's a Comedy Central smackdown as "Inside Amy Schumer" is all set to repeat, but "Key & Peele" are hoping to snag a win in their last season.
Key & Peele Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele
Comedy Central

Quick Hits

  • Last Year’s Winner: Inside Amy Schumer
  • Was It an Upset? No.
  • Still Eligible? Yes.
  • Hot Streak: “SNL” has been nominated for Outstanding Variety Series nine years in a row. Previously, it was nominated for four straight years between 2001 and 2004, but it hasn’t won the category since 1993.
  • Fun Fact: This is only the second year of this category’s existence. Previously, all variety series — sketch and talk — competed against each other.

READ MORE: Saying Goodbye to ‘Key & Peele,’ With Executive Producers Ian Roberts and Jay Martel

“Inside Amy Schumer” took home the trophy last year, making it the defending champ of the Variety Sketch category. But that was the year of Schumer, where the show really took off as “Trainwreck” dominated the box office. Can she keep things rolling in the new year without a hit film promoting her (extremely great) Comedy Central series?

Perhaps, but a few returning players will try to take her down. All of last year’s nominees returned in 2016, plus one more — “Documentary Now!” The newcomer will certainly get a strong push from IFC, and any film fans with a vote will certainly favor the doc-spoofing comedy from Bill Hader and Fred Armisen. But “Key and Peele” have time on their side — in that the show has ended, and they could benefit from that final season bump. Keegan-Michael Key is obviously well-liked, snagging nods for Outstanding Supporting Actor two years running. That could be enough to get the show a win.

Below are IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers’ predictions for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, which will be updated throughout the awards season. Make sure to keep checking IndieWire for all the latest buzz and highlights from the 2016 race, and read the rest of the predictions in all the categories, as well.

The Nominees:

  1. “Documentary Now!”
  2. “Drunk History”
  3. “Inside Amy Schumer”
  4. “Key & Peele”
  5. “Portlandia”
  6. “SNL”

Will Win: “Key & Peele”
Could Win: “Inside Amy Schumer”
Should Win: “Key & Peele”

READ MORE: Watch: Bill Hader and Fred Armisen Hilariously Parody ‘Grey Gardens’

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