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BENJAMONSTER AWARDS: Outstanding Comedy Series

Today's award is Outstanding Comedy Series!

The nominees are:

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (NBC)










THE CONNERS (ABC)












DEAD TO ME (Netflix)










HIGH FIDELITY (Hulu)













THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (Amazon)












MIXED-ISH (ABC)












NEVER HAVE I EVER (Netflix)












SUPERSTORE (NBC)











And the Winner Is...
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
Amazon
I'm sure this winner won't surprise you if you've been following the nominations and winners so far. I thought season three of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was excellent in every way. After a second season that sort of lost its way after the great Catskills arc, I thought taking Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) on the road for season three was a wonderful idea. It gave the show a breath of fresh air, some fun new characters and stunning visuals. I wasn't sure about building up Jane Lynch's character but that ended up being a stroke of brilliance as Lynch was up to the task and it built up Alex Borstein's Susie character more too. Putting Midge and Joel's parents together allowed for many funny moments and, perhaps most impressively, the show really found a way to use Joel (Michael Zegen) well. Seen by many as an unnecessary character, the show really found a way to make his stories more relevant and more interesting. So I thought season three was brilliant from start to finish and I can't wait for season four, whenever that can happen!

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
There were a lot of great comedy seasons and the nominees ranged from brand new shows to long time veterans. Among long time veterans, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has had new life since arriving on NBC. I thought the show was losing steam in its FOX run but it has been as sharp as ever the last two seasons. Superstore turned in another great season and has perhaps become TV's best ensemble. That ensemble will be challenged with the departure of America Ferrera next season. There were also two sophomore shows. I thought the second season of Dead to Me wasn't quite as strong as the first but still had some delightfully dark comedic moments. Season two of The Conners gelled more for the ensemble as they have really figured out what the show wants to be without Roseanne. Finally, there were three newbies on the list. High Fidelity had a real specific point of view and was an underrated gem of the past year. Never Have I Ever was a poignant coming of age show that had a real distinct voice with a breakout performance from its lead. Finally, Mixed-ish was one of the feel good shows of the year. As the other 80s-themed ABC sitcom, The Goldbergs, has gotten sort of tired, this one brought a ton of heart and humor with a new point of view on the decade.

 Tomorrow: Outstanding Drama Series!
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