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BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

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

Check out past results from 2020 and 2021!

This year's nominees are...

JENNIFER ANISTON as Alex Levy in The Morning Show (Apple TV+)











LAURA LINNEY as Wendy Byrde in Ozark (Netflix)











BRITT LOWER as Helly Riggs in Severance (Apple TV+)











MELANIE LYNSKEY as Adult Shauna in Yellowjackets (Showtime)











CHRISSY METZ as Kate Pearson in This is Us (NBC)












MANDY MOORE as Rebecca Pearson in This is Us (NBC)













ZENDAYA as Rue Bennett in Euphoria (HBO)











And the Winner Is...
MANDY MOORE
This is Us (NBC)
I have maintained for years that Mandy Moore was underrated for her performance in This is Us and thrilled when she finally got an Emmy nomination in 2019. Then when I started doing my own awards, I nominated her in 2020 but not last year as she had very little to do (due in part to her real life pregnancy) and the show was sort of a mess, especially with her character. But Moore and This is Us rebounded in a big way for the show's final season as Moore pulled off the impressive feat of playing a character much older than her journeying through dementia and eventually death. Moore has always had the most to do of the This is Us cast as she was in all timelines of the show. And she delivered in a big way from her heartbreaking singing at the wedding to little nuanced choices she made with the character as her health got worse. It's a travesty that Moore was not nominated for an Emmy this year after just incredible work. Even if the show got shafted like it did, she deserved a nomination.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
Mandy Moore was the clear winner for me but that didn't mean there weren't other strong performers in this category. Moore's This is Us co-star Chrissy Metz was a first time nominee for me. She has frustrated me at times but I thought she excelled in the divorce storyline that dominated the first half of the final season. My 2020 winner Jennifer Aniston was once again one of the best parts of The Morning Show but the difference this time was she was one of the only good parts after Season Two was a huge disappointment. Laura Linney has come close to taking this award twice with a consistently terrifying and strong portrayal in Ozark. She really should be considered the star of that show and not Jason Bateman. Zendaya turned in another great performance in Euphoria especially in the episode where her character really went off the rails. Finally, there were two actresses from new shows. Britt Lower became more and more interesting as the season of Severance went on, eventually becoming an equal to Adam Scott. Melanie Lynskey was fascinating in a dark turn in Yellowjackets and her performance really grounded the present day storyline of the show.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series!
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