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...

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Prime Video

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was one of the shows to suffer the most from COVID in my opinion. Its fourth season, while still solid, did not feel as grand or as big as it wanted to be. A show that was used to going all out with sets, costumes, extras and more felt more scaled down. It came roaring back with its fifth and final season. Amidst the Succession, Barry, and Ted Lasso talk, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was quietly sticking the landing of a brilliant run with a final season that had all the elements that made the show great and then some. The show got rid of some of the unnecessary side stories and focused on the characters that mattered most and their relationships in the present and the future. The season definitely had the feel that it was going somewhere and preparing to make a landing and then it did with one of my all time favorite series finales. I will miss this marvelous show a whole lot and it's very deserving for a second win after winning in 2020 (and it probably would have won in 2018 & 2019 too if I had done the awards then).

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:

I debated whether to nominate 2021 winner Ted Lasso. I thought the chatter about a dip in quality for Season Two was silly but there was a noticeable dip for Season Three. But the performances were still great and the show had enough good moments to keep it among the nominees. Last year's winner Abbott Elementary did not suffer any sort of sophomore slump. With a full episode order, it proved how nice it is to be able to live with the characters over a full broadcast season. Speaking of broadcast shows, this was the only nomination for Ghosts - a show that is greater as a whole than its individual parts. The second season of Schmigadoon! effectively proved the concept of the show works no matter what era of musicals they are parodying. The third and final season of The Other Two really had some more biting thoughts to say about fame. The new Poker Face was a breath of fresh throwback air with a fun weekly murder mystery. Finally, What We Do in the Shadows remains one of the most laugh out loud shows on TV today.

Tomorrow: A Recap of all the awards!

Comments

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. ...

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 ...

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...

Benjamonster's TV

Search This Blog