BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

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

Past Awards in This Category: 2022 2021 2020

This year's nominees are...

NICCO ANNAN as Uncle Clifford in P-Valley (Starz)

GABRIEL BASSO as Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent (Netflix)

KIERAN CULKIN as Roman Roy in Succession (HBO)

PEDRO PASCAL as Joel Miller in The Last of Us (HBO)

JEREMY STRONG as Kendall Roy in Succession (HBO)

DOMINIC WEST as Prince Charles in The Crown (Netflix)

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE as Carmen Berzatto in The Bear (FX/Hulu)

And the Winner Is...

KIERAN CULKIN

Succession (HBO)

A two-time winner in the supporting category, Kieran Culkin's role became more prominent and more dramatic in the final season of Succession and Culkin was more than up to the challenge. Roman Roy was mostly a comic sidekick in the early seasons of the show even though there was clearly some underlying issues. But those issues came front and center in a season where his character went through some serious grief with the loss of his father, failed miserably when given more responsibility and power and perhaps helped take down democracy while continuing his snide attitude. What was once comedic took on a more sinister tone and yet Culkin remained weirdly endearing. Succession will go down as one of the best acted shows in TV history and Culkin was the MVP.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:

This was a strong group of nominees. Just because I like Kieran Culkin more doesn't mean I don't appreciate what Jeremy Strong does. I've never been as interested in Kendall as Roman and Shiv but Strong has done a masterful job with that character and really shined in the series finale. Perhaps the biggest competitor from a different show was Jeremy Allen White, who was the heart and soul of The Bear and gave a great dramatic performance (which is why he shouldn't be competing in Comedy at the Emmys). Pedro Pascal was very strong through The Last of Us. Of course he could be the tough guy but he also showed emotion and humor in dire situations. Gabriel Basso helped give some legitimacy to The Night Agent, which could have been just another thriller. Nicco Annan was the only nominee from P-Valley for its underwhelming second season but he continued to be a force. And Dominic West was more likable but still very similar to the real Prince Charles in The Crown.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series!

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