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:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more