Skip to main content

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2024: Outstanding Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Drama Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2023   2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

THE BEAR (FX/Hulu)













THE CROWN (Netflix)











THE CURSE (Showtime)











ELSBETH (CBS)











HIJACK (Apple TV+)











MR. & MRS. SMITH (Prime Video)











SILO (Apple TV+)













And the Winner Is...
THE BEAR
FX/Hulu
First of all, The Bear is a drama. I will continue to put it in the Drama category even when the awards shows don't because I think placing it is comedy is an egregious category fraud. That being said, The Bear is a spectacular show. The first season was frenetic and stressful and raw. I really liked the first season but I loved the second season. The series slowed down a bit and went on journeys with most of the supporting cast. The choice to do that helped make the ensemble so much stronger. The season also had back to back instant classics in "Fishes" and "Forks." It did everything a second season of a show should do. It built off a very strong first season and expanded its world to get us an even richer and fuller experience. The recent third season was more up and down, but this is about the second season which was nearly flawless.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
It felt like a down year for dramas but this is a strong group of seven. The closest contender to The Bear was Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I loved the new take on the property and it was a really thrilling watch (like The Bear, I wish it hadn't been released in a binge model). The final season of The Crown was up and down for sure. But there were enough great moments, especially once it got past the Diana episodes, for it to make the cut. The Curse was such an interesting show. I'm still not sure to this day what to make of it but I know I was fascinated by it. Elsbeth may have belonged in the comedy category but it was a breath of fresh air as far as network procedurals go with a slew of great guest stars. Hijack was a thrilling yet breezy summer show that kept me very engrossed. Finally, I was very late to watching Silo but I loved the world it built and developed over its first season.

Tomorrow: The final award - Outstanding Comedy Series!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more