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BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2025: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Today's award is Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2024   2023   2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...









JON HAMM as Andrew Cooper in Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV+)
PEDRO PASCAL as Joel Miller in The Last of Us (HBO)
ADAM SCOTT as Mark Scout in Severance (Apple TV+)
RUFUS SEWELL as Hal Wyler in The Diplomat (Netflix)
BILLY BOB THORNTON as Tommy Norris in Landman (Paramount+)
JEREMY ALLEN WHITE as Carmy Berzatto in The Bear (FX/Hulu)
NOAH WYLE as Dr. Michael Robinavitch in The Pitt (Max)

And the Winner Is...
NOAH WYLE
The Pitt (Max)
This was one of the easier awards to give out this year. Noah Wyle put the scrubs back on decades after ER and delivered a powerful performance as Dr. Robby on The Pitt. What I really loved about Wyle's portrayal was how vulnerable he was. We've seen many shows give lip service to personal struggles of characters who seem like they have it all together. But Dr. Robby was different. We saw someone who felt everything so deeply and yet knew he couldn't dwell on anything too long. From his teaching to the residents to his breakdown after losing patients to his good natured ribbing with his closest confidantes, Wyle gave a fully realized performance and a fully realized character. Wyle knows what he is good at and does it so well. Just as the ER was in safe hands with Dr. Robby, The Pitt is in good hands with Wyle.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
Wyle was a clear winner but there were other strong performances. Previous winner Adam Scott has a very tough task on Severance to play two very distinct characters who are still the same person and he had a lot to do in the second season. Jeremy Allen White continues to really drive the story of The Bear even when there's a great ensemble around him. Billy Bob Thornton was in his element and commanding in Landman and while I didn't like Your Friends and Neighbors that much, the best part of the series was easily Jon Hamm, who was in his element. Rufus Sewell had a bigger role in the second season of The Diplomat and remains a fascinating character. And while an argument could be made that Pedro Pascal was really a Supporting Actor in this season of The Last of Us, he was so prominent in the episodes he was in that it still felt like his show when he was around.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series!

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