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BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2024: Outstanding Comedy Series

It's time for the final award - Outstanding Comedy Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2023   2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC)











GHOSTS (CBS)














HACKS (Max)













NEVER HAVE I EVER (Netflix)











PLATONIC (Apple TV+)













THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES (HBO)











WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (FX)













And the Winner Is...
HACKS
Max
All hail Hacks! The series premiered back in 2021 and I really enjoyed it but couldn't give the Outstanding Comedy Series to anything but Ted Lasso's magical first season. Then I thought the second season was solid but perhaps a slight step down. The delayed third season came back with a vengeance and I think it was even better than the first season. Jean Smart is the queen as always but the show has done a much better job with the rest of the cast. Hannah Einbinder gets better and better, the supporting cast has been fleshed out, and the show is the show for big name guest stars at the moment that are mostly used very organically. The show was possibly heading into a rut as the third season drew to a close only to flip the story on its head and make me super excited for a fourth season. 

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
Five of the seven nominees have been nominated before. 2022's winner Abbott Elementary had an interesting season. I thought things were up and down a bit for the show as they didn't fully commit to some ambitious storylines the way I wish they had. It's still filled with great characters and performances. The other broadcast contender, Ghosts, had a very strong (albeit strike-shortened) third season. What We Do in the Shadows was absolutely hilarious in its fifth season with tons of new and creative stories. Never Have I Ever has not been nominated since its first season back in 2020 but I thought the fourth and final season brought the story to a close in a very satisfying way. Among the new nominees, The Righteous Gemstones had a big step up for its third season from a disappointing second season with some great plotlines. Finally, Platonic was a delightfully charming new comedy that flew under the radar but deserved to be noticed more.

Tomorrow: A recap of all the awards!
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