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BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2025: Outstanding Directing of a Drama Series

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

Past Awards in This Category: 2024   2023   2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...









NEIL DRUCKMANN, The Last of Us "The Price" (HBO)
AYO EDEBIRI, The Bear "Napkins" (FX/Hulu)
GLENN FICARRA & JOHN REQUA, Paradise "The Day" (Hulu)
AMANDA MARSALIS, The Pitt "6:00 P.M." (Max)
ELISABETH MOSS, The Handmaid's Tale "Execution" (Hulu)
MARK MYLOD, The Last of Us "Through the Valley" (HBO)
BEN STILLER, Severance "Woe's Hollow" (Apple TV+)

And the Winner Is...
MARK MYLOD
The Last of Us "Through the Valley" (HBO)
The biggest episode of the year was a sweeping episode of The Last of Us that had a horrific plot matched with absolutely stunning visuals. It was clear no expense was spared to make this episode. While everyone talked about the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and that was an absolutely beautifully directed scene, this whole episode earned the honor because of what was simultaneously going on in the Jackson scenes. The horrific chaos of the attack and the quiet violence happening between Abby and Joel were two very contrasting scenes and Mark Mylod directed both of them with his typical expertise. This was one of the most beautiful looking episodes I've ever seen.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
This was a pretty easy win for The Last of Us but the other nominees were not without their merits. The flashback episode of the season was also nominated with several interesting moments and the challenge of showing several years in an episode. Elisabeth Moss directed the penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale, which was the best of the final season with several major scenes. I was not a fan of Paradise, but it had one really great episode that effectively depicted the terror of a day the world was basically ending. Ayo Edebiri made her very effective directorial debut with the near-perfect "Napkins" episode of The Bear while Ben Stiller used his usual flare to depict the fascinating "Woe's Hollow" episode of Severance. The biggest contender though was Amanda Marsalis who very effectively captured a mass casualty event's impact on a small and understaffed ER. 

Tomorrow: Outstanding Directing of a Comedy Series!
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