Breakdown of comedy race

Atlanta FX

The second season of Donald Glover’s cable comedy dedicated most of its real estate to standalone character studies (“Barbershop” and “Teddy Perkins”). After watching the characters grow individually, the relationship dynamics felt that much richer when the group came back together (“Sportin’ Waves,”“north of the Border”). A critical favorite, “Atlanta” narrowly missed the trophy last year, and is a frontrunner this time.

GLOW NETFLIX

The first season of the streaming 1980s-set wrestling comedy made athletes out of its actresses as they trained for a show-within-the-show. Intense physicality aside, the show also dove deep into the complication of female friendships, exploring themes of betrayal, unequal relationship footings, jealousy and insecurity. Like its characters, the freshman show is the scrappy underdog of the category.

Barry HBO

The premium cable dark comedy bended genres by centering its story on a contract killer by day (the titular Barry, played by Bill Hader) who wants to move into professional acting. While the half-hour does have humor, it often comes from uncomfortable moments, choosing instead to lean into the dark reality of a hitman who wants to be a better person but can’t quite escape his old life.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel AMAZON

The titular Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) was on a journey of finding her voice in life, relationships and standup comedy in its first season on Amazon. The show set the tone right from the start, as she gave a toast at her own wedding in “Pilot,” but submitted episodes such as “Put That on Your Plate!” and “Thank You and Good Night” exemplify the full strength of its ensemble. After taking the Golden Globe gold in January, there is a strong chance it will follow with Emmy.

Black- ish ABC

Broadcast’s lone representative is nominated for the third time with a season that saw highs and lows for its characters who battled postpartum depression, explored how to celebrate slavery with a musical episode and embarked upon an emotional, even if temporary, separation within the family. A successor to Norman Lear’s work, the family series deftly navigates putting a personal spin on often-polarizing social or political issues.

Silicon Valley HBO

The fifth season of the premium cable tech comedy delivered topical tales, from its discussion of data-mining to a unique take on #Metoo (“Facial Recognition”) and copycat internet companies (“Artificial Emotional Intelligence”). While much of the humor comes from odds being stacked against the start-up within the show, this season they were finally allowed a few wins, too. That growth, even if late in the game, may not be enough to pull out the win.

Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO

Larry David’s return to his Hollywood-set improv comedy centered on his character making a faux pas that put a fatwa on his head (“Foisted!”). True to tradition, the 10 episodes mined humor from how little he learned from the experience. While it’s an underdog, it doesn’t hurt chances that the finale episode (“Fatwa!”) features an original musical number performed by “Hamilton’s” Lin-manuel Miranda.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt NETFLIX

The streaming comedy's fourth season allowed its titular character to move forward in the world, even if she was still emotionally stuck in her past. Submitted episodes include a take on #Metoo where Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) is the accused (“Kimmy Is ... Little Girl, Big City”) and a parody of the still-hot-right-now true crime docus (“Party Monster: Scratching the Surface”). While those topical tales generate some buzz, the series will likely yet again be eclipsed by its competition.