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BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2021: Outstanding Technical Design of a Limited/Anthology Series

The first award is Outstanding Technical Design of a Limited/Anthology Series! Technical Design covers sets, costumes, cinematography, and all other aspects of the technical production.

Check out the nominees and winner from 2020!

This year's nominees are:

THE GOOD LORD BIRD (Showtime)















THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR (Netflix)













MARE OF EASTTOWN (HBO)













THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT (Netflix)














THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD (Amazon)















WANDAVISION (Disney+)











And the Winner Is...
WANDAVISION
Disney+
WandaVision was the most ambitious technical show of the year and it passed the test with flying colors. I'm not talking so much about some of the Marvel special effects that happened later on in the series (truthfully, some of that was only ok). I'm talking about how they evoked each era of sitcom history. From the pristine early 60s look of The Dick Van Dyke Show to the groovy 70s Brady Bunch house to the fantastic 80s costumes to nailing the filming style of recent sitcoms like Modern Family, WandaVision did it all. It was clear that the creative team spent a lot of time researching sitcoms of the past and they took great lengths to make each era very distinct. That's an awful lot of work to be hopping decades each episode but it's clear that nothing was shortchanged in paying tribute to TV sitcom history.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
This was a strong category with many beautifully produced limited series. The Underground Railroad was so large in scope with some absolutely breathtaking scenes while The Good Lord Bird, which was set in a similar era, was smaller in scale but no less effective at capturing a different era. The Queen's Gambit had a very unique style and sensibility to it that really aided the series. Ditto for Mare of Easttown, which did a great job at portraying a downtrodden community through locales, costumes, lighting and so much more. Finally, The Haunting of Bly Manor was effective at creating a creepy atmosphere and was set in a gorgeous location.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Technical Design of a Comedy Series!

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