Skip to main content

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2021: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series

Today's award is Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series!

Check out the nominees and winner from 2020!

This year's nominees are...

MICHAELA COEL as Arabella on I May Destroy You (HBO)













ANNA KENDRICK as Darby on Love Life (HBO Max)













KATE MARA as Claire Wilson on A Teacher (FX on Hulu)












ELIZABETH OLSEN as Wanda Maximoff on WandaVision (Disney+)











ANYA TAYLOR-JOY as Beth Harmon on The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)











KATE WINSLET as Mare Sheehan on Mare of Easttown (HBO)














And the Winner Is...
KATE WINSLET
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
The Lead Actress category is stacked and this was a very tough decision but the honors go to Kate Winslet for elevating the murder mystery genre that has been so common on TV in the last few years. Winslet's portrayal as a grieving Detective made the show so much more of a character drama than it would have been with a less capable actress leading the way. Sometimes her character was determined, sometimes she was apathetic. Sometimes she was angry, sometimes she was sad, sometimes she was laughing hilariously at her mother. Winslet portrayed every human emotion with such realness. Although Winslet is British, her portrayal of an Eastern Pennsylvania detective could not have seemed more real. There was no glamour to her portrayal, just honesty.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
As I mentioned, this was a very stacked category. A close second would belong to Anya Taylor-Joy, who was captivating throughout The Queen's Gambit and the perfect choice for an unorthodox chess prodigy. Elizabeth Olsen deftly navigated TV sitcom history throughout WandaVision with an effective mix of comedy and grief. I wasn't as big a fan of I May Destroy You as many were but there's no denying that Michaela Coel gave a heart-wrenching performance in her very intimate series. Kate Mara had a really difficult role as a teacher having an affair with a student. While her performance did perhaps provide some context, she never crossed the line into being a sympathetic character and her coldness was necessary for the series to work. Finally, I am often a big fan of Anna Kendrick and I thought she made Love Life a whole lot better than it might have been with an honest portrayal of a young woman looking for life.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy 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