Give Kaitlin Olson an Emmy for ‘The Mick,’ You Cowards

The television industry is full of cowards, from the execs in charge of programming to the insiders that cast Emmy ballots. Cowards, all of them. How else can you explain the continued snubbing of the greatest living comedic actor currently working today? An actor so dominant, her hilarious prowess could not be contained by just one show? I’m talking about Kaitlin Olson, the most dangerous physical comedian alive, a performer that–to be honest–I don’t think Emmy voters are brave enough to nominate.

It’s time to step up, Emmy people, and recognize the brilliance that stands before you on the screen, bleeding and taking a swig of cheap beer.

Or, to be more accurate, stood before you on screen, because Fox canceled Olson’s brutally funny sitcom The Mick. Sure is hard to nominate a performer from a canceled show, isn’t it? It’s not impossible, but it’s definitely not easy. That’s okay, though, because Olson proved she’s up to a good challenge every week on The Mick.

Watching Olson’s as Mickey Molng was like getting to watch Simone Biles dominate the vault, except these Olympics took place every week and involved a whole lot more cursing and property damage. Whether she was breaking out of a police car trunk in the sweltering heat, coaxing her nephew to pee on his sleeping friends, getting into a grudge match with a hip priest, or surviving multiple collisions with automobiles, Olson brought a level of bruised grace to network primetime. She’s Lucille Ball with a mean streak, a modern day Dick Van Dyke clad in torn-up jeans and a ratty t-shirt.

The reason Olson’s performance in The Mick–a criminally underwatched show with equally magnetic performances all around–stands out so is because we’ve seen Olson deliver in 12 seasons of the cable comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Sweet Dee Reynolds has always been, and remains to be, the show’s secret/deadly weapon. She tears into every scene, utilizing every bit of her birdlike body (the gang’s words more than mine) in her quest for laughs. Shimmying like one of those tube dancers in a used car lot, ramming head first into a car door, taking numerous volleyballs to the face, or frantically telling all the idiots around her to move their “fat fat ass, fat fat ass”–any one of those moments should have won her at least one Emmy since 2005.

But Olson has to share the spotlight on Always Sunny. The Mick was special because it was catered perfectly to her aggressive strengths, proving her capable of leading a show, but also earning her a spot in the League of Legendary Comedians. Just like Veep and The Comeback, The Mick established that this ensemble player was even funnier in the lead role.

Oh–and then Fox canceled The Mick, robbing network TV of the a fearless performer delivering the most fearless performance of the eligibility season. What does Kaitlin Olson have to do to get some recognition? Make another dirtbag character likable? Inject more vulnerable, naked human emotion into laugh-out-loud scenes? Risk even more concussions and broken bones in the name of her raucous art? No, she’s not as dignified as Jane Fonda or as sweet as Ellie Kemper. She’s as vulgar as Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Veep, but Olson adds a bone-breaking intensity to her performances. Olson plays characters that you don’t see nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy, but that’s the point, though. What’s it going to take for Emmy voters to finally recognize that Olson is in a league of her own, doing something dangerously groundbreaking?

Kaitlin Olson is the bravest performer on TV. Everyone filling out a ballot needs to be just as brave and get her an Emmy.

Where to stream The Mick