Posts

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: October 5, 2026

Image
Welcome back to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am taking a look at Netflix's East of Eden and HBO's War . Plus, the latest episode of Ted Lasso , my Top 10 Shows starting with R, the Oscar Race for Supporting Actor and Actress, some NFL Week 4 thoughts and more! WHAT'S NEW EAST OF EDEN I have never read East of Eden and actually knew next to nothing about it before diving into the Netflix limited series. But the positive reviews made me intrigued. While some have probably finished the series already, I am two episodes in and really enjoying the show. The first episode is the story of two brothers, Adam and Charles (played as adults by Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist) while the second episode focuses primarily on Cathy (played as an adult by Florence Pugh). I would imagine this is the last episode that is filled with flashbacks and the future episodes will start being told in a more linear fashion. While I don't always love back stories and flashbacks, these first ...
Post a Comment
Read more

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 28, 2026

Image
Welcome back to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at Apple TV's new comedy Brothers and NBC's new drama Line of Fire ! Plus, a look at the most recent Ted Lasso , a few brief thoughts on the New York Times' list of 100 Best TV Shows This Century, my Top 10 TV shows starting with P, a look at the Oscar race for Best Actor and Actress and some NFL Musings from Week 3! WHAT'S NEW BROTHERS I think Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are both good actors. But their public personas leave a lot to be desired as far as I'm concerned. Look at the Emmys appearance as proof. I've never been into the "alright alright alright" side of McConaughey even when I've liked him as an actor, most recently Apple's underrated  The Lost Bus . And Harrelson often plays the same type of role in the movies but he's done it expertly for decades. And yet, I also tire easily of Harrelson's "stoner anarchist" shtick when it's not channel...
Post a Comment
Read more

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 21, 2026

Image
Welcome back to another season of my Monday newsletter. It has now been 16 years since I started this blog and I'm continuing to enjoy it so I'll keep doing it until I don't feel like it anymore! I have considered switching to some sort of e-mail distribution since e-mail newsletters are the thing now. But this works for me so I'm going to leave it as is for now. This year, the newsletter will continue to be mostly about TV but I will also have some other things about other interests: movies, theater & even the NFL! Also, I am a contributor to  The TV Ratings Guide  and posting there on Tuesday evenings with a look back at old network pilots. I am currently working through the 2011-12 season! This week, I am looking at Summer TV and the Emmy Awards. Plus, my Top 10 Shows Starting with O, some NFL thoughts, an early look at the Oscars Best Picture Race and more! WHAT'S NEW SUMMER TV RECAP While the blog was on a break this summer, there was still TV worth talking...
Post a Comment
Read more

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2026: The Recap

I hope you enjoyed my month of awards! Here's a recap of all the awards, check below this post for each individual award post. This blog will take the next several weeks off and will resume with weekly newsletters on September 21. See you then!! In the meantime, you can continue to check out my posts on  The TV Ratings Guide  on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings! Past Recaps:   2025     2024     2023     2022     2021     2020 Outstanding Comedy Series:  Shrinking  (Apple TV+) Outstanding Drama Series:  The Pitt  (HBO Max) Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series: Death by Lightning (Netflix) Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Elle Fanning, Margo's Got Money Troubles (Apple TV) Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus (Apple TV) Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series: Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story (FX) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Steve Ca...
Post a Comment
Read more

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2026: Outstanding Comedy Series

Image
It's time for the final award - Outstanding Comedy Series! Past Awards in This Category:  2025     2024     2023     2022     2021     2020 This year's nominees are... ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC) ENGLISH TEACHER (FX) THE FOUR SEASONS (Netflix) HACKS (Max) MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES (Apple TV) ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (Hulu) SHRINKING (Apple TV+) And the Winner Is... SHRINKING Apple TV This was an interesting year for comedies and it took awhile for me to determine a winner but I ultimately went with a repeat of Shrinking . I don't know if I liked the third season of Shrinking quite as much as the second season but it was real close. This ensemble is second to none on TV (yes, that even includes The Pitt ). Every single cast member on Shrinking is capable of carrying a meaty major storyline or just making wisecracks throughout the episode. They seem like a group of friends who have been in each other's lives for a very long time...
Post a Comment
Read more

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2026: Outstanding Drama Series

Image
Today's award is Outstanding Drama Series! Past Awards in This Category:  2025     2024     2023     2022     2021     2020 This year's nominees are... THE BEAR (FX/Hulu) THE DIPLOMAT (Netflix) ELSBETH (CBS) THE LOWDOWN (FX) THE PITT (HBO Max) PLURIBUS (Apple TV) TASK (HBO) And the Winner Is... THE PITT HBO Max It was a tall task to follow up a breakout freshman season that is pretty much universally loved. I don't know if The Pitt 's second season was quite as good as its first season but it was really wonderful and worthy of a second straight Outstanding Drama Series crown. The show showed that its format works even without a mass casualty event. The show zeroed in on some of its best characters with leveling up for Katherine LaNasa and Shawn Hatosy. And it still had the weekly cases and patients that make it such compelling TV. Yes, there were sometimes frustrating moments with Dr. Robby but I like that the show chose to not make...
Post a Comment
Read more

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2026: Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series

Image
We are at the big three awards! Today's award is for Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series! Past Awards in This Category:  2025     2024     2023     2022     2021     2020 This year's nominees are... BEEF (Netflix) DEATH BY LIGHTNING (Netflix) DEVIL IN DISGUISE: JOHN WAYNE GACY (Peacock) HALF MAN (HBO) JURY DUTY PRESENTS: COMPANY RETREAT (Prime Video) LOVE STORY (FX) And the Winner Is... DEATH BY LIGHTNING Netflix This show was a true limited series - only four episodes! I consider myself a US History buff but I admit this is an era and a presidency that I know very little about. So I was really entertained by Death by Lightning , which put together beautiful technical details with compelling performances. Perhaps most impressively, the series never felt stodgy or like a museum piece. The show had a breakneck pace of storytelling while letting the performances breathe and the show felt very modern in its sensibility without ever lea...
Post a Comment
Read more