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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!

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