Nathan Lane in “Only Murders In The Building,” episode107 – “The Boy From 6B.” (Photo by Craig Blankenhorn, courtesy of Hulu)
Nathan Lane has made history as the most-nominated best comedy guest actor in Emmy history.
The three-time Tony winner outmuscled the late Fred Willard for the most nominations in the category for his work on “Only Murders in the Building,” leaving him with six nods to Willard’s five.
In “Only Murders in the Building,” Lane plays a deli chain owner/podcast sponsor who is harboring dark secrets.
Lane has yet to win a Primetime Emmy, though he is the recipient of two Daytime Emmys for his voice work in “Timon and Pumbaa” and “Teacher’s Pet.” He has been nominated for best comedy guest actor six times and best drama guest actor once. The previous comedy bids were for his work on sitcoms “Frasier,” “Mad About You” and “Modern Family.”
Lane has won Tony Awards for the Broadway shows “Angels in America,” “The Producers” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” He also has a Screen Actors Guild for his work in “The Birdcage.”
Hulu’s buzzy true crime satire “Only Murders in the Building” was eligible for the first time this year and slayed with 17 nominations. Along with Lane’s nomination, the show also received nominations for outstanding comedy series, writing, lead actor in a comedy series for stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, guest actress for Jane Lynch and a bevy of nominations in the technical categories. Series star Selena Gomez was overlooked for lead actress in a comedy, however she may still win an Emmy as she, along with Martin and Short, is a producer on the series.
In the first season, Martin, Short and Gomez played true crime podcast fans who solved a murder in their apartment building on New York City’s Upper West Side, creating a popular podcast in the process. In the second season, currently airing on Hulu, Gomez’s character has been accused of killing the building’s board president. Martin, who plays a washed-up actor, and Short, a faded stage director, want to prove her innocence.
Helping the show along are plenty of guest stars, including — along with Emmy nominees Lane and Lynch — Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jaboukie Young-White, Jackie Hoffman, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Ryan, Ali Stroker and Sting. But much of the show’s success is due to the chemistry between the three leads, what BuzzFeed called “the terrific trio we never knew we needed.”
