Skip to main content

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2021: Outstanding Drama Series

We've reached the final award - Outstanding Drama Series!

Check out the nominees and winner from 2020!

This year's nominees are:

BRIDGERTON (Netflix)













THE CROWN (Netflix)













FOR ALL MANKIND (Apple TV+)











THE HANDMAID'S TALE (Hulu)














P-VALLEY (Starz)













POSE (FX)













THIS IS US (NBC)










And the Winner Is...
THE CROWN
Netflix
I was a fan of the first season of The Crown but I found it slow at times. I ended up not watching the second season but picked back up with it during the pandemic. I thought the third season was good (it was nominated for six awards last year from me) but not great (no wins). The fourth season is when it put it all together and a lot of that is thanks to British history. The 1980s is when the British had the saga of Charles and Diana and the rule of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. Those events gave The Crown plenty of material and the series made the most of it with pitch perfect casting and compelling stories. Whereas other seasons of The Crown dragged sometimes, this one flew by. The series is not completely based in reality but it took true events and made them very compelling episodes. As always, the production design was impeccable too. But it mostly comes back to the performances. Just as Diana humanized the royal family, they all felt more human this year and less like museum pieces. Even with so many of them not returning for future seasons, I'm still excited to see the final two seasons of the series.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
Despite several of last year's drama nominees not returning due to pandemic issues, there was still a strong set of dramas. Along with The Crown, other returning nominees were This is Us and Pose. This is Us had a rough start to the season with clunky attempts at incorporating the pandemic. But it improved as the season went on and had a very compelling run of episodes to close the season. It also does way more episodes than any other nominee, even in a pandemic year. The final season of Pose gave a fairy tale ending to a lot of the characters but it was very satisfying for a show that has always been hopeful and optimistic even while dealing with things like AIDS. The Handmaid's Tale had a strong fourth season with a story that finally moved forward in a very meaningful way while the second season of For All Mankind took a big leap forward with a much more focused story. Finally, there are two new shows on the list: Bridgerton and P-Valley. Bridgerton was soapy but the best kind of soap with impeccable production values and a very clever voice. But it was P-Valley that gave The Crown its biggest threat. The drama was about strippers on the surface but it was so much more than that and is a very rich character drama that's not getting enough respect.

Tomorrow: A recap of all the awards!
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