BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2021: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series!

Check out the nominees and winner from 2020!

This year's nominees are:

NICCO ANNAN as Uncle Clifford in P-Valley (Starz)

STERLING K. BROWN as Randall Pearson in This is Us (NBC)

JUSTIN HARTLEY as Kevin Pearson in This is Us (NBC)

JOSH O'CONNOR as Prince Charles in The Crown (Netflix)

REGE-JEAN PAGE as Simon Basset in Bridgerton (Netflix)

BILLY PORTER as Pray Tell in Pose (FX)

MATTHEW RHYS as Perry Mason in Perry Mason (HBO)

And the Winner Is...

BILLY PORTER

Pose (FX)

Billy Porter had the most prominent role in the third and final season of Pose as his character went on quite the journey (SPOILER ALERT) that ended with his death. Whereas Porter was a larger than life figure in the first two seasons, he was much more humanized in the third season. He was strong as Pray Tell was battling alcoholism and as he was dying from AIDS. But the crowning achievement was in the fourth episode where he returned to his small hometown and his church. Porter played that episode magnificently and it could easily have been too sappy. Instead, he showed us all the complicated human emotions that come with being back in a life that he was so far removed from in part due to what they stand for while also loving his family and people from his town. On top of it all, he still delivered razor sharp lines and had some funny moments. His arc was the most satisfying close to the story and he played it brilliantly.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:

There are a lot of strong nominees in this category. Rege-Jean Page in his one and only season of Bridgerton got a lot of attention for his looks but he also had the acting chops to back it up. Sterling K. Brown turned in another solid performance of This is Us even when I wasn't always a fan of the choices made for his character. Likewise, Justin Hartley had better stories and has continued to get better as the show has gone on. Josh O'Connor went from being a supporting player in the third season to a major character in season four of The Crown and succeeded in making us understand Prince Charles a little better even if he continues to be an infuriating figure. Matthew Rhys brought a steady presence to Perry Mason during its first season though I would like to see him have a little more fun. Finally, the biggest threat was probably Nico Annan, who was an absolute scene stealer in P-Valley and a really wonderful character.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series!