BENJAMONSTER AWARDS: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Today's award is Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series!

The nominees are:

MAHERSHALA ALI as Sheikh Malik in Ramy (Hulu)

ALAN ARKIN as Norman Newlander in The Kominsky Method (Netflix)

ANDRE BRAUGHER as Raymond Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)

GARY COLE as Harrison Jackson in Mixed-ish (ABC)

MANNY JACINTO as Jason Mendoza in The Good Place (NBC)

LEROY MCCLAIN as Shy Baldwin in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

TONY SHALHOUB as Abe Weissman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

MICHAEL ZEGEN as Joel Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

And the Winner Is...
ANDRE BRAUGHER
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
Andre Braugher has been an MVP of Brooklyn Nine-Nine since day one, but his seventh season performance might have been his best season yet. The show has always had fun with putting the buttoned up Braugher in ridiculous situations but this year, they let him be a little more ridiculous just by himself and he was more than up to the task. Among his standout moments were his insane zest for tracking down his beloved dog Chester and learning hip hop dance moves with Terry in the season finale. When Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered, it was unusual for audiences to see the typically serious Braugher in a comedic role. It is a testament to Braugher that he continues to make this role so dynamic, so hilarious and so layered.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
There are three cast members of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on the nominee list. Tony Shalhoub has been hilarious from the very beginning and turned in another great season. I know Michael Zegen's character is divisive, but I find his story getting increasingly interesting as the series continues. A lot of attention has been given to Sterling K. Brown joining the cast, but my favorite new cast member on the show was Leroy McClain, who gave showstopping performances but also provided some depth behind a complicated character. Another addition to a cast was Mahershala Ali on Ramy and he provided a great new angle to the show for season two. Alan Arkin continues to have great one-liners and a sweet performance in The Kominsky Method. Gary Cole was pretty hilarious as a standout performer in the first season of Mixed-ish. Finally, Manny Jacinto became funnier and funnier with each passing season of The Good Place and maybe had the best moments of the final season.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series