Skip to main content

BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2024: Outstanding Writing of a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Writing of a Drama Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2023   2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...

JOANNA CALO & CHRISTOPHER STORER, The Bear "Fishes" (FX/Hulu)













NATHAN FIELDER & BENNY SAFDIE, The Curse "Young Hearts" (Showtime)













KELLY GALUSKA, The Bear "The Bear" (FX/Hulu)













PETER MORGAN, The Crown "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep" (Netflix)










ALEX RUSSELL, The Bear "Forks" (FX/Hulu)











FRANCESCA SLOANE, Mr. & Mrs. Smith "Couples Therapy" (Prime Video)










GRAHAM YOST, Silo "Freedom Day" (Apple TV+)









And the Winner Is...
ALEX RUSSELL
The Bear "Forks"
The Bear had a brilliant second season and the best episode of that second season was "Forks." I wasn't totally sold on Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Richie in the first season but the show did a lot of work to give him more depth and then gave him a spectacular showcase with this episode. What was most impressive with the writing was how they managed to fill the entire story in one, short-ish episode. We saw Richie struggling to fit into the high-end restaurant life and slowly win over and be won over by his colleagues over the course of the episode. Yes, Moss-Bachrach's performance played a big role but this episode was so expertly planned out and timed and that's a testament to the writing.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
"Forks" was one of three episodes of The Bear in this category. The famous holiday episode "Fishes" and the season finale "The Bear" were also excellent episodes that were the The Bear's patented mix of drama, character development and frenetic and exhausting scenes. Among non-The Bear contenders, I thought the series finale of The Crown wrapped up the series nicely after an uneven season with good poignant moments. The pilot episode of Silo had so much plot packed in it and it handled it well. The penultimate episode of The Curse had some spectacularly awkward dialogue scenes. Finally, the "Couples Therapy" episode of Mr. & Mrs. Smith had wonderful dialogue for Donald Glover, Maya Erskine and guest star Sarah Paulson.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Writing of a 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

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

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more