BENJAMONSTER AWARDS: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series!

The nominees are:

HELENA BONHAM CARTER as Princess Margaret in The Crown (Netflix)

LAURA DERN as Renata Klein in Big Little Lies (HBO)

JULIA GARNER as Ruth Langmore in Ozark (Netflix)

GUGU MBATHA-RAW as Hannah Schoenfeld in The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

SARAH SNOOK as Shiv Roy in Succession (HBO)

MERYL STREEP as Mary Louise Wright in Big Little Lies (HBO)

SUSAN KELECHI WATSON as Beth Pearson in This is Us (NBC)

And the Winner Is...
JULIA GARNER
Ozark (Netflix)
Julia Garner was a surprise Emmy winner in 2019 as one of the best parts of an uneven second season of Ozark. Even in a much improved third season, Garner was still one of the highlights. Her portrayal of Ruth Langmore is a scene-stealer and continues to be an incredibly interesting and complex character. She has so clearly defined the character from her voice to her mannerisms and her relationship with Tom Pelphrey's Ben Davis gave her a very interesting new character to interact with and new depths to explore. While she is clearly hardened on the outside by life experiences, Garner has also let us see a more vulnerable side of Ruth as the series and character evolves. Ruth is a fascinating character thanks to Garner's expert portrayal.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
There were three actresses in this category who have been nominated for or won Academy Awards. Season two of Big Little Lies was a disappointment to me after a tremendous first season. But two actresses made it into this category as the only representation from the show. Laura Dern's Renata was probably the only returning character who I thought had a more interesting arc in season two while Meryl Streep's Mary Louise was a great addition to the cast as a horribly nasty and meddling mother-in-law. Both actresses helped keep the show afloat with their expert abilities. Helena Bonham-Carter stepped into the role of Princess Margaret with a lot of personality. She had one excellent showcase episode ("Margaretology") but disappeared for large portions of the season. Susan Kelechi Watson had another great season as Beth on This is Us. Even though she didn't have as many stories surrounding her character, she plays the role with such ease and good humor. Gugu Mbatha-Raw had a really nice ending arc during the first season of The Morning Show where she had to portray a really difficult situation. Finally, the biggest competition came from Sarah Snook, who took her Shiv Roy role on Succession to a new level in season two, growing more ambitious like the rest of her family.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series!