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BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2023: Outstanding Technical Design of a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Technical Design of a Drama Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

1923 (Paramount+)













THE BEAR (FX/Hulu)















THE CROWN (Netflix)












FOR ALL MANKIND (Apple TV+)










HELLO TOMORROW! (Apple TV+)











THE LAST OF US (HBO)











SUCCESSION (HBO)











And the Winner Is...
THE LAST OF US
HBO
HBO's sprawling video game adaptation cost a whole lot of money and it showed, but in the best way. Because of the nature of its storytelling, pretty much every episode had to create an entire world - from pre-outbreak Texas to a pandemic-ravaged Kansas City to the beautiful countryside to a fictional version of Jackson, Wyoming, the show created beautiful visual tableaus. It's also a zombie show and I don't have a lot to compare that to, because this is the only zombie show or movie I've ever watched, but I was genuinely impressed with how terrifying their version of the "clickers" were. Everything about this show felt huge in an era where many shows are going smaller. But what made the visual flourishes work was the fact that there was actual substance to the show too.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
There were a few epic looks in this category. 1923 did a great job of creating the look of the West in the 1920s. For All Mankind continued to be very big in scope, this time creating the world of Mars in its unique alt-history style. Succession has always been pristine looking, but it really went big for its final season with most episodes having a completely different setting including the most ambitious setting - a ritzy Norway retreat. The Crown continued to meticulously create previous eras of Queen Elizabeth's reign and did so again with some expert work in the hair & makeup department. The Bear captured a frantically busy Chicago kitchen that wasn't as flashy as some other nominees but absolutely aided its storytelling. Hello Tomorrow! wasn't a very good show, but had a very unique retro-futuristic visual style.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Technical Design of a Drama Series!

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