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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...
SUCCESSION
HBO
This should come as no surprise if you've been following my awards in the Drama categories this year. I was a Succession fan since the first season but it didn't really enter the stratosphere of great shows for me until its fourth and final season. From the iconic third episode of the season, "Connor's Wedding," right to the last seconds, it was a brilliant season of TV. There are shows I have liked more overall but very few shows that have stuck the landing as well as Succession and it really put it in the upper tier of all time shows for me. I think part of the reason is I was never that invested in Brian Cox or his character and once his character exited, the show became much more interesting to me, even as his character loomed large over the actions of all the other characters still on the show. We've had antiheroes before but never a show full of them. And the great triumph of Jesse Armstrong and his team was they somehow managed to find a way to make despicable people seem almost sympathetic at times. Many are saying Succession marks the end of an era for prestige TV. I don't believe that but the show will be missed and deservedly was sent off as an all timer.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
There wasn't really any real competition to Succession since, unlike the Emmys, I kept The White Lotus in Limited/Anthology. But there were still strong drama series in this category. Yes, I do consider The Bear a drama and put it in this category despite its Emmys classification. I have never worked in the food service industry but boy does it seem like that show captured the feeling of a busy, overworked kitchen staff. The Last of Us did the unthinkable - made me like a genre show about zombies. I was captivated by the heart and glorious cinematography of the show. For All Mankind was not quite as strong as its second season, but it still was very compelling TV on a weekly basis. Likewise, the fifth season of my 2021 winner The Crown struggled to compete with its own dynamite fourth season but that doesn't mean the season was bad in and of itself. It still had many great moments. The fifth season of The Handmaid's Tale was underrated for how it continued to keep the show from going in the circles like it dd in the second and third seasons. Finally, I have an appreciation for The Night Agent for being a really good version of what it was trying be - a breezy thriller.

Tomorrow: The final award - Outstanding Comedy Series!
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