Skip to main content

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2021: Outstanding Writing of a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Writing of a Drama Series!

Check out the nominees and winner from 2020!

This year's nominees are:

YAHLIN CHANG, The Handmaid's Tale "Home" (Hulu)













JON DORSEY, This is Us "Brotherly Love" (NBC)













KATORI HALL, P-Valley "Murda Night" (Starz)











JANET MOCK, STEVEN CANALS & BRAD FALCHUK, Pose "Take Me to Church" (FX)













PETER MORGAN, The Crown "War" (Netflix)












JONATHAN D. WILSON & PETER MORGAN, The Crown "Fagan" (Netflix)











MATT WOLPERT & BEN NEDEVI, For All Mankind "The Bleeding Edge" (Apple TV+)











And the Winner Is...
PETER MORGAN
The Crown "War" (Netflix)
The fourth season of The Crown was its most captivating yet thanks in large part to the Charles and Diana storyline. So the series finale with the showdown between the two polar opposites was the culmination of a season's worth of tension. None of us were in the room for the fight between the real Charles and Diana but a lot has been chronicled about their fights so Peter Morgan had to make it something that would play well as a TV episode while also honoring the reality. It was a great writing job that focused on the most essential moments of the argument. The episode also featured the end of the Margaret Thatcher reign and there was a great scene between the Prime Minister and the Queen that was another highlight between two opposites. The acting throughout the season and episode were great but acting can only get you so far if there isn't a good script on the page.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
"War" was one of two episodes of The Crown that made the nomination list. The other was the "Fagan" episode which featured tons of great material for Olivia Colman and guest star Tom Brooke. The "Home" episode of The Handmaid's Tale featured an unbelievably good monologue for Elisabeth Moss. "Take Me to Church" was a really strong and heartbreaking episode of Pose that explored so many elements of Pray Tell's life. "The Bleeding Edge" on For All Mankind expertly explored the downfall of the character of Gordo and featured some of the best writing the show has seen to date. The season finale of P-Valley took the series in some different directions and also wrapped up the strong first season very well. Finally, while the "Brotherly Love" episode of This is Us was a bit heavy-handed at times, I thought it did a very nice job of two characters having an honest conversation and the show wasn't afraid to let large swaths of the episode be that conversation.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Directing of a Limited/Anthology Series!

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SEASON IN REVIEW: 2017-18 Miscellaneous Awards

As usual, I am ending the season with a few miscellaneous awards. The blog will be quiet this summer but I will continue to do the week ahead posts with broadcast TV news as it happens this summer. Then I'll be back for previews, pilot reviews, and more in the fall! BEST RETURNING COMEDY Superstore (NBC) - Superstore was awarded my "Best Returning Comedy" last year, but it only got better in season three. The funniest ensemble on TV took another step forward with some truly hilarious moments (the season premiere, the Golden Globes party, and the Christmas episode to name a few) and some major plot points moving forward. It also has the potential to be surprisingly sentimental at times. I think back to the first year of the show and how I felt like it had so many funny elements but didn't always bring it completely together. Well now it does on a weekly basis and it is one of those shows that just seems to be in the sweet spot of what will hopefully be a long run. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Five (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE 1977-1978 27 episodes Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while  Happy Days  does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (27 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (27 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (27 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (27 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...
Post a Comment
Read more