BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: December 22, 2023

Welcome to my final newsletter of 2023. My weekly newsletters will resume on January 1, 2024. I didn't get caught up on as much as I hoped to so it's a pretty short newsletter. This week, I am looking at my Top 10 Shows of the Year, The Crown and A Murder at the End of the World.

YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP 10 SHOWS

I already counted down my Top 10 Episodes and Top 10 Performances. Now, here is my final countdown for 2023 - my Top 10 Shows of the Year! This was a tough list to make!

10. Fargo (FX)

Fargo is back in form for its fifth season. The show got back to basics and seems to be doing everything that made it a beloved show in the first place. Anchored by strong performances including Juno Temple, Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jason Leigh, I can't wait to see how the season ends.

9. What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

I was sad to hear the upcoming sixth season of this comedy will be the last. It felt like a show that could go on forever with the wild antics of the vampires. I am rarely a fan of genre shows but the humor and characters have won me over.

8. Schmigadoon (Apple TV+)

Schmigadoon followed up its underrated first season with a more self-assured second season, set in "Schmicago." Very clever and high quality parodies of 60s and 70s musicals peppered the entire season. I hope this gets a third season so it can head to the 80s and 90s!

7. Jury Duty (Freevee)

I was late to the Jury Duty train but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. What could have been such a gimmicky show turned out to have incredible heart (and of course very funny). There was nothing else quite like Jury Duty on TV this season.

6. The Last of Us (HBO)

As mentioned, I'm not often into genre shows but there were two I loved in 2023. The Last of Us worked for me because it was about so much more than zombies. It had heart, it had vision, it had stunning production values. It's quite possibly the best video game adaptation ever.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: December 11, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at My Top 10 Episodes of the Year, Mr. Monk's Last Case, Frasier, Fargo, For All Mankind and more!

YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP 10 EPISODES

Last week, I took a look at my Top 10 Performances of the year. This week, I am taking a look at my Top 10 Episodes of 2023!

10. Fargo "The Tragedy of the Commons" (November 21, 2023)

The first episode of the new season of Fargo showed us that the series was back in form with an outrageous action sequence and the perfect mix of dark comedy and just plain darkness.

9. What We Do in the Shadows "Urgent Care" (August 10, 2023)

One of many delightful summer episodes from an always reliable laugh factory, the episode in a supernatural urgent care was just so inventive and funny.

8. Abbott Elementary "Educator of the Year" (April 5, 2023)

Of the first season and a half of the show, this episode probably best depicted what it's like to be a teacher, especially when dealing with an angry parent.

7. The Bear "Fishes" (June 22, 2023)

The holiday instant classic with guest stars galore and stress and tension that would rival any action or thriller movie. Jamie Lee Curtis was of course a standout.

6. Poker Face "Dead Man's Hand" (January 26, 2023)

The pilot of Poker Face showed us what kind of show this was going to be and set up the season extremely well while also giving us substantial time with Natasha Lyonne's great character.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: December 4, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am counting down my Top 10 Performances of 2023 plus looking at Obliterated, Fargo, For All Mankind and more!

OBLITERATED

I've watched the first four episodes of Netflix's new action comedy Obliterated. The show is trashy for sure, but I would categorize it as "trashy fun." It has a throwback feel to the action comedy films of the 90s and makes great use of its Las Vegas setting to also draw comparisons to The Hangover. I really thought the setup was funny: a special ops team finishes a mission and gets trashed in Vegas. But when they find out the nuclear bomb they neutralized was fake, they had to go back into the field, while drunk, to finish their mission.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: November 27, 2023

Welcome to a busy Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at Fargo, the end of Lessons in Chemistry and the latest episodes of A Murder at the End of the World, The Curse and The Crown. 

FARGO

Fargo is back for a fifth season and when I say back, I mean it literally and figuratively. I was one of the many who didn't finish the fourth season. I was super interested in the concept but found it to be horribly dull and misguided. But several years later, it seems as if the creative team behind the show realized their mistakes and the fifth season has a real "back to basics" approach that captures the vibe of the brilliant early seasons of the show: a healthy mixture of humor, violence and quirkiness. 

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: November 22, 2023

Welcome to a delayed but very full newsletter. Some of these thoughts are dated back a bit as I am still catching up from my busy week but things I don't get to today, I will get to when the newsletter returns to its regular Monday spot next week. Today, I am looking at A Murder at the End of the World, The Crown, The Curse and more!

"A MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD" 

After a delayed premiere, A Murder at the End of the World premiered last week on FX/Hulu with its first two episodes (the third episode is out now but I haven't watched it yet). The psychological thriller has vibes of an much eerier version of the Knives Out films with Emma Corrin playing an amateur detective trying to solve a murder at an Icelandic retreat where an eccentric billionaire (Clive Owen) has brought a very select group of guests.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: November 13, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at The Curse, For All Mankind, The Morning Show, Lessons in Chemistry and more!

"THE CURSE" EMBRACES THE CRINGE

I'm not directly familiar with Nathan Fielder's work because I haven't watched Nathan For You or The Rehearsal but I am broadly aware of his brand of humor and how much he enjoys making people squirm. Now he has a new satire on Showtime with Emma Stone and Benny Safdie. Fielder and Stone play a married couple and hosts of a problematic HGTV show. The show gives off the vibe of an improvised show and one that's not afraid to have awkward silences or moments where you can't tell if it's supposed to be comedy or not.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: November 6, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at All the Light We Cannot See, Black Cake, The Morning Show, Lessons in Chemistry and more!

"ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE" IS A MISFIRE

All the Light We Cannot See has been savaged by critics, many of whom are fans of the book and feel the four part Netflix adaptation, which was released this past week, is seriously misguided. I didn't read the book and was looking forward to this show (especially before the reviews started coming out).

I'm not sure I have the vitriol for the limited series that some do but I certainly didn't think it was great. The four part series feels like it goes on for eternity with each episode being more of a chore to watch than the last. I actually didn't really dislike the first episode. I thought there were enough intriguing elements to keep watching, most notably the visual flair and a strong lead performance from Aria Mia Loberti, a blind actress playing a blind character.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: October 30, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at the second season of The Gilded Age and the latest episode of The Morning Show, catching up with Frasier and paying tribute to Matthew Perry.

A RETURN TO "THE GILDED AGE"

I was really excited for The Gilded Age when it premiered in January 2022. Although I never watched creator Julian Fellowes' Downton Abbey, I was intrigued by this take on an interesting, and somewhat underrepresented time in American history. While the production values were spectacular and there were things to like in the performances, I ended up feeling a bit cold about the first season. It felt a little bit too stuffy and I felt as though the large number of characters led the plot to meander quite a bit.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: October 23, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter. After a busy week last week, it was a quiet week so here are some thoughts on the latest episodes of Lessons in Chemistry and The Morning Show as well as brief thoughts on the rest of The Fall of the House of Usher.

"LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY" HITS ME RIGHT IN MY WEAK SPOT

I don't know exactly why, but for some reason I just can't handle dogs in distress on TV (or in real life, obviously). Now I know what you may be thinking. That's not really a hot take. No one likes to see that. But it's very out of character for me when it comes to fictional properties. I can handle sad things, I can handle scary things. I don't get emotionally overwrought about sad or heavy TV scenes. I don't have any trouble in general separating fiction from real life so deaths of human characters generally do not put me in a very emotional place. But I can't watch or read anything where a dog dies or gets hurt or feels sad without crying. I actually actively stay away from things like that because I don't want to cry. 

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: October 16, 2023

Welcome to a busy Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at three big premieres - Frasier, Lessons in Chemistry and The Fall of the House of Usher. I also look at the latest episode of The Morning Show, the return of Saturday Night Live and more!

"FRASIER" RETURNS 

If Frasier was a brand new show in 2023, and not a revival, there is no chance it would have been a multi-camera sitcom. It came from a veteran multi-camera creative team and originally premiered in an era where single camera comedies were few and far-between. But even then, it had a different sensibility than a lot of the "live studio audience" shows. With its high-brow humor and theatrical sensibility, it always felt like the upper class of its genre that eventually moved into the single camera realm. It would be even more of an outlier now with the multi-camera comedies getting dumber and dumber as the years go on.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: October 9, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! Today I am looking at NBC's new drama Found, THR's Top 50 Shows of the 21st Century, the most recent episode of The Morning Show and more!

NBC "FOUND" A SERVICEABLE DRAMA

After The Irrational was a big stinker that couldn't pass muster by procedural drama standards, I'm happy to report that NBC's other new fall drama, Found (Tuesdays at 10pm), is an improvement. It's not amazing, mind you. But it has enough qualities that made me at least interested in possibly watching more episodes.

There have been many missing persons series on network television over the years and the problem they all run into is the stories get very repetitive. Unlike other crime dramas, it's hard to stray too far from the "locked in the basement" or "we have [blank] hours to find them" tropes. Because of that, it's very hard to find a harrowing or interesting case that can transcend the restricting subgenre. 

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: October 2, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! Today, I am looking at NBC's new drama The Irrational, the latest episodes of The Morning Show, Shark Tank and more!

"THE IRRATIONAL?" MORE LIKE "THE ILLOGICAL" AMIRIGHT

Watching NBC's newest procedural drama, The Irrational (Mondays at 10pm), it was almost refreshing in this fall of limited scripted options and tons of reality and game shows on broadcast. Almost. There were still quite a few eye-rolling moments in the series, which stars Jesse L. Martin as a behavioral science professor helping solve crimes. The leaps in logic and the fastest hostage negotiation I've ever seen on TV are to be expected but it still makes me shake my head because procedurals do have the ability to bring something new to the table and not be uber-dumb. So often they just don't take the time to be a well-crafted version of what they're trying to be and this one seemed to distill the complications of behavioral science into the simplest concepts possible.

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 25, 2023

Welcome to my Monday newsletter! Today, I will be looking at the new season of American Horror Story, the rest of the season of The Other Black Girl, FOX's seminal 2000s drama The OC and more!

I STARTED DOWN THE "AMERICAN HORROR STORY" ROAD AGAIN

My history with American Horror Story is pretty consistent. I've started quite a few of the seasons over the years but never finished a season or really even came close. The closest I ever got to finishing a season was the original edition, Murder House. I watched probably about half of that season mainly because of Connie Britton. Most of the others I bail after one episode. I think it very often is Ryan Murphy his worst instincts. There is an amazing cast but it's way too campy. There is an interesting premise and strong production values but a narrative mess. 

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 18, 2023

Welcome to my second Monday newsletter! Today, I will be looking at the third season of The Morning Show, Hulu's new The Other Black Girl, some thoughts on recent trailers and more!

IT'S "MORNING" AGAIN ON APPLE TV+

The Morning Show returned for its third season last week and it's off to a wild start. My history with the show is a bit all over the place. Despite the mixed reviews from critics, I absolutely loved the first season, enough to award it my 2020 Outstanding Drama Series for my Benjamonster Awards. I thought it was expertly acted and didn't dive too far into the melodrama. So when critics were trashing the second season before it premiered, I dismissed it because I knew I liked the show. Well, that wasn't the case for Season 2. I thought the entire season was a mess for many reasons but perhaps most specifically because of its handling of Covid. There were plenty of shows that tried to incorporate COVID and the results ranged from expert (Superstore) to terrible (This is Us). But The Morning Show may have even been a step below terrible. Arriving in Fall 2021, it forced us to relive the nightmarish early months of 2020 in too many dumb ways. 

BENJAMONSTER NEWSLETTER: September 11, 2023

Welcome to the first Monday morning newsletter of my blog! This week and every week I will be taking a look at TV news, mini-reviews of new shows and shows I'm watching and other fun things! The length and content will vary by week. I hope you enjoy! This week, I have My Top 10 Most Anticipated Shows of the Fall, a mini-review of Apple TV+'s The Changeling, a fresh look at one of TV's all time classics and more!

MY TOP 10 MOST ANTICIPATED SHOWS OF THE FALL

It is a pretty bleak fall for TV with the dual strikes of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA continuing. While the summer may have been pretty normal, audiences will be feeling the effects this fall with little semblance of a broadcast season, less releases on premium channels and streaming services, and some planned high profile shows pushed back.

That being said, there are still some shows to get excited about. Below I've listed my most anticipated fall shows of 2023. Let's hope the studios come to their senses and give the writers and actors a fair deal soon so the drought can ease up in 2024.

BLOG UPDATE: Plan for This Fall

Just a quick bit of housekeeping for the blog this fall!

My personal life has gotten busier in recent months. As a result, I have not been able to stockpile posts for the year the way I often do in the summer (Schedules of the Past, One Season Wonders, etc).

Combined with the ongoing strikes, I decided to pull back this fall but I didn't want to abandon the blog entirely as I've been doing it since 2010! So for this fall, and possibly for the entire year, I will be doing a post just once a week. BUT it will be a lengthy one as I will do a weekly newsletter that takes a look at recent new shows I've been watching plus commentary on any TV news. It's possible this newsletter might eventually make its way to a substack or something like that. But for now, I am going to just post a newsletter every Monday morning.

So check back next Monday and every Monday for my weekly newsletter!

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: The Recap

I hope you enjoyed my month of awards!

Here's a recap of all the awards, check below this post for each individual award post! Check back in the fall for the resuming of regular blog posts. We'll see exactly what the structure will be and when it will start with the strikes going on and potentially less content than usual so stay tuned!

Past Recaps: 2022   2021   2020

Outstanding Comedy Series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Outstanding Drama Series: Succession (HBO)

Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series: The White Lotus (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Sarah Snook, Succession (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series: Bel Powley, A Small Light (National Geographic)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Drew Tarver, The Other Two (HBO Max)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Kieran Culkin, Succession (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series: Steve Carell, The Patient (FX/Hulu)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series: Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Matthew Mcfadyen, Succession (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series: Richard Jenkins, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix)

Outstanding Directing of a Comedy Series: Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel "Four Minutes" (Prime Video)

Outstanding Directing of a Drama Series: Christopher Storer, The Bear "Review" (FX/Hulu)

Outstanding Directing of a Limited/Anthology Series: Mike White, The White Lotus (HBO)

Outstanding Writing of a Comedy Series: Jordan Temple, Abbott Elementary "Educator of the Year" (ABC)

Outstanding Writing of a Drama Series: Jesse Armstrong, Succession "Connor's Wedding" (HBO)

Outstanding Writing of a Limited/Anthology Series: Taffi Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman is in Trouble "The Liver" (FX/Hulu)

Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Comedy Series: Adrien Brody, Poker Face (Peacock)

Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Drama Series: Nick Offerman, The Last of Us (HBO)

Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series: Stacy Rose, Little America (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Technical Design of a Comedy Series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Outstanding Technical Design of a Drama Series: The Last of Us (HBO)

Outstanding Technical Design of a Limited/Anthology Series: The White Lotus (HBO)

Nominations by Show

14 nominations: Succession

12 nominations: The Last of Us

10 nominations: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Poker Face

9 nominations: The White Lotus

8 nominations: Abbott Elementary, Fleishman is in Trouble, Ted Lasso

7 nominations: The Crown, Schmigadoon!

6 nominations: The Bear, Beef

5 nominations: For All Mankind, The Handmaid's Tale, A League of Their Own, Only Murders in the Building

4 nominations: Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Love & Death, The Night Agent, The Other Two, A Small Light

3 nominations: Accused, Barry, Little America, The Patient, What We Do in the Shadows

2 nominations: 1923, Daisy Jones & The Six, The Diplomat, Five Days at Memorial, George & Tammy, The Good Fight, Lucky Hank, Somebody Somewhere, Tiny Beautiful Things

1 nomination: American Auto, Black Bird, Criminal Minds: Evolution, Dead to Me, Dear Edward, Ghosts, Hello Tomorrow!, P-Valley, Shrinking, UnPrisoned, White House Plumbers

0 nominations: 9-1-1, Alaska Daily, American Horror Stories, Blue Bloods, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, The Company You Keep, A Friend of the Family, Kindred, The Last Thing He Told Me, Law & Order: SVU, The Old Man, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Quantum Leap, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Tulsa King, The Watcher, Yellowjackets

Nominations by Platform

41 nominations: HBO

29 nominations: Apple TV+

24 nominations: Netflix

17 nominations: FX/Hulu, Prime Video

13 nominations: Hulu

10 nominations: Peacock

8 nominations: ABC, HBO Max

5 nominations: Paramount+

4 nominations: National Geographic

3 nominations: FOX, FX

2 nominations: AMC, Showtime

1 nomination: CBS, NBC, Starz

Wins by Show

5 wins: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Succession

4 wins: The White Lotus

2 wins: Abbott Elementary, The Last of Us

1 win: The Bear, The Crown, Fleishman is in Trouble, Little America, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, The Other Two, The Patient, Poker Face, A Small Light

Wins by Platform

11 wins: HBO

5 wins: Prime Video

3 wins: FX/Hulu

2 wins: ABC, Netflix

1 win: Apple TV+, HBO Max, National Geographic, Peacock

See you in the fall!

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: Outstanding Comedy Series

It's time for the final award - Outstanding Comedy Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC)

GHOSTS (CBS)

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (Prime Video)

THE OTHER TWO (HBO Max)

POKER FACE (Peacock)

SCHMIGADOON! (Apple TV+)

TED LASSO (Apple TV+)

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (FX)

And the Winner Is...

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: Outstanding Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Drama Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

THE BEAR (FX/Hulu)

THE CROWN (Netflix)

FOR ALL MANKIND (Apple TV+)

THE HANDMAID'S TALE (Hulu)

THE LAST OF US (HBO)

THE NIGHT AGENT (Netflix)

SUCCESSION (HBO)

And the Winner Is...

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series

We are at the big three awards! Today's award is for Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

BEEF (Netflix)

FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE (FX/Hulu)

LOVE & DEATH (HBO Max)

THE PATIENT (FX/Hulu)

A SMALL LIGHT (National Geographic)

THE WHITE LOTUS (HBO)

And the Winner Is...

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Today's award is Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

RACHEL BROSNAHAN as Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

QUINTA BRUNSON as Jeanine Teagues in Abbott Elementary (ABC)

MIREILLE ENOS as Lily Devereaux in Lucky Hank (AMC)

BRIDGET EVERETT as Sam in Somebody Somewhere (HBO)

ANA GASTEYER as Katherine Hastings in American Auto (NBC)

NATASHA LYONNE as Charlie Cale in Poker Face (Peacock)

CECILY STRONG as Melissa Gimble in Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)

HELENE YORKE as Brooke Dubek in The Other Two (HBO Max)

And the Winner Is...

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

CHRISTINE BARANSKI as Diane Lockhart in The Good Fight (Paramount+)

HELEN MIRREN as Cara Dutton in 1923 (Paramount+)

ELISABETH MOSS as June Osbourne in The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

BELLA RAMSEY as Ellie Williams in The Last of Us (HBO)

KERI RUSSELL as Ambassador Kate Wyler in The Diplomat (Netflix)

SARAH SNOOK as Shiv Roy in Succession (HBO)

IMELDA STAUNTON as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown (Netflix)

And the Winner Is...